Plastic pipe

[mjt]

Hi
I've been to look at a job today where the customer has has BG clean out the main heat exchanger and replace the 2nd one cause of scale as part of the insurance thing they have.

There are some radiators downstairs that are piped up completely in Speedfit 15mm ( yeah - clipped along skirting and everything!) it looks awful as the elbows have turned yellow and everything!

now BG have told him that the plastic pipe is causing the problem with the boiler as it causes more scale build up and the he needs to change it to copper and have quoted him £3K which is ridiculous as there is only about 20m of pipe at the most all relatively accessible. If he doesn't do this the they wont cover him.

Anyway - first thing is is is true? - I thought hard water which there is in the area cause scale and secondly he has wet UF heating which is plastic presumably barrier pipe.

ive never seen plastic pipe used so badly as it looks awful ( customer bought house like it) but I don't get where BG are coming from. Plastic is used widely on heating systems.

Cheers

 

[AWheating]

plastic can tend to allow air into the system to some degree. does the customer have to vent his rads alot? is there a good amount of inhibitor in the system? is there a magnetic filter?

id quote to change the speedfit to copper and powerflush the system, add a magnetic filter and some good chems. may also want to check the cold water supply and add a scale reducer??

 

[mjt]

He has a magnet - combi boiler was put in about 7 years ago and had problems wi it in first few months and had an additional expansion vessel put on it as the pressure relief was causing problems apparently.

He has a water softener but has been told not to put softened softened water in the boiler - not being GSR I don't know about this but does it mean you can't have a combi inn soft water areas!!!

plus he has UF heating so what does BG expect him to do about that ?

 

[snowhead]

There's a difference between Natural Soft water and artificially softened water.

 

[AWheating]

http://www.ukwta.org/pdfs/UKWTA-SoftenedWaterAluminium.pdf


Frequesntly Asked Questions (FAQs) » UKWTA

 

[mjt]

Thanks for that guys. -learning all the time !!

still don't get the plastic issue - asked him about venting and he has never had to do it

 

[mjt]

http://www.ukwta.org/pdfs/UKWTA-SoftenedWaterAluminium.pdf


Frequesntly Asked Questions (FAQs) » UKWTA

Ok that seems to be saying its ok with the correct inhibitor?......

 

[AWheating]

Ok that seems to be saying its ok with the correct inhibitor?......

yes, but i would speak to the boiler manufacturer for there view tbh as its what needs to be adhered to.

I would like to know how the british gas engineer came to his/her conclusion?? what test where done? your customer would be better off finding a good local GSR engineer to maintain the boiler and dump the british gas cover as they dont seem to want to cover the system anyway.