G
giff299
Hi
I bought a house a couple of years back.
When i bought it the check box on the sales form for new central heating was 'no'. Since the solictors dealt with the sale i did not see this until afterwards so no problem with certification came to light.
The central heating is clearly not all to old, the radiators are fairly new, the pipework is speedfit plastic with brass compression fittings except for copper coming from the boiler. The job is solid, not a leak anywhere and the pipe is in good condition. It looks quite clear it has been fitted well, the neighbours tell me the person who lived here was a plumber/gas man before he died.
TBH i thought little of it until recently, i considered a plus at the time as i did not even know CH had to be certified. I have worked with plumbers in the past and they never used to certify the CH, just the boiler.
The boiler is now just about shot (it is a lot older than the CH) and i am going to need a new one. I am also considering renting the house out once i have some work done, but this is only a possibility. I had a quick google to see where i would stand with fitting the boiler myself and getting the gas fitted by someone who is registered which is when i find out it all needs to have a certificate, even the CH.
I had a skim though part L and there is mention of needing at least two zoning areas (it only has a thermostat in the kitchen) which tbh seems pointless in such a small house albeit a requirement. Otherwise i honestly think it would meet part L anyway. Fitting zoning valves would be an bum ache too, would have to re-pipe the downstairs rads for one and since the channels are already knocked out of the joists in order to get the pipes deep enough to get the valve clear of the floor i would have to drill the joists again and weaken them.. Then of course getting it signed off by someone who did not do the work will be very unlikely.
I am just not willing to rip it out a perfectly good system and have someone come and redo it.
I am now wandering a few things:
1) Can i no longer consider renting?
2) Am in in bother if i need to sell?
3) Is it possible that regs/approval/certification where not needed for whatever reason (date fitted, gradual replacement, old house [110 years], whatever reason].
4) If i get a new boiler fitted and certified will it override this? Would an engineer even connect to it.
5) Would i be in big crap if i just ignore it. Technically on resale i did not have new central heating fitted but i am worried how that would pan out on renting.
6) Do i have to call the BCO in if i want it certified? There are pipes in the wall etc and i am just not interested in knocking plaster off and ripping floors up, i have just had it all re skimmed and decorated.
I will reiterate it is a decent job, i got to see most of it throughout the renovation, it just doesn't conform to the zoning part and lacks certification. I have no reason to believe it to be unsafe. This truly is the first time i have encountered this and like a say i have worked with plumbers fitting CH, even on rented houses, they never fitted zone valves or provided a cert. [not that that means much but someone is having no problems with it].
Any and all advice very much welcome, i am hoping to get the boiler sorted before winter sets in.
I bought a house a couple of years back.
When i bought it the check box on the sales form for new central heating was 'no'. Since the solictors dealt with the sale i did not see this until afterwards so no problem with certification came to light.
The central heating is clearly not all to old, the radiators are fairly new, the pipework is speedfit plastic with brass compression fittings except for copper coming from the boiler. The job is solid, not a leak anywhere and the pipe is in good condition. It looks quite clear it has been fitted well, the neighbours tell me the person who lived here was a plumber/gas man before he died.
TBH i thought little of it until recently, i considered a plus at the time as i did not even know CH had to be certified. I have worked with plumbers in the past and they never used to certify the CH, just the boiler.
The boiler is now just about shot (it is a lot older than the CH) and i am going to need a new one. I am also considering renting the house out once i have some work done, but this is only a possibility. I had a quick google to see where i would stand with fitting the boiler myself and getting the gas fitted by someone who is registered which is when i find out it all needs to have a certificate, even the CH.
I had a skim though part L and there is mention of needing at least two zoning areas (it only has a thermostat in the kitchen) which tbh seems pointless in such a small house albeit a requirement. Otherwise i honestly think it would meet part L anyway. Fitting zoning valves would be an bum ache too, would have to re-pipe the downstairs rads for one and since the channels are already knocked out of the joists in order to get the pipes deep enough to get the valve clear of the floor i would have to drill the joists again and weaken them.. Then of course getting it signed off by someone who did not do the work will be very unlikely.
I am just not willing to rip it out a perfectly good system and have someone come and redo it.
I am now wandering a few things:
1) Can i no longer consider renting?
2) Am in in bother if i need to sell?
3) Is it possible that regs/approval/certification where not needed for whatever reason (date fitted, gradual replacement, old house [110 years], whatever reason].
4) If i get a new boiler fitted and certified will it override this? Would an engineer even connect to it.
5) Would i be in big crap if i just ignore it. Technically on resale i did not have new central heating fitted but i am worried how that would pan out on renting.
6) Do i have to call the BCO in if i want it certified? There are pipes in the wall etc and i am just not interested in knocking plaster off and ripping floors up, i have just had it all re skimmed and decorated.
I will reiterate it is a decent job, i got to see most of it throughout the renovation, it just doesn't conform to the zoning part and lacks certification. I have no reason to believe it to be unsafe. This truly is the first time i have encountered this and like a say i have worked with plumbers fitting CH, even on rented houses, they never fitted zone valves or provided a cert. [not that that means much but someone is having no problems with it].
Any and all advice very much welcome, i am hoping to get the boiler sorted before winter sets in.
