Pocster Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Have a crappy flat in Birmingham where the flue has failed ( not blocked ) . It’s apparently around 6m long and runs through other walls before coming out . Gas guy initially charged £300 to turn off the gas once he realised what the issue was . Now for a new flue will require a cherry picker . I’m assuming this isn’t going to be cheap . Wondering if it’s cheaper / easier to replace gas boiler with electric …?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markc Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 If you do need a cherry picker, let me know and I can point you in the right direction and make sure you aren’t getting over charged 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 10 minutes ago, markc said: If you do need a cherry picker, let me know and I can point you in the right direction and make sure you aren’t getting over charged Yeah but what I’m thinking is cherry picker , Labour , flue material - costs is going to be £1,000’s . Flat runs at a (expletive deleted)ing loss anyway . Considering removing gas boiler , replace with electric . Only 2 rads in the flat replace those also . Googling shows my electric boiler and 2 rads around 1k + install cost of course . Ffs ! Just getting over Covid - not the Monday news I need 😔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy_wafer Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Hired a nifty 120 t'other weekend to take down some Ash trees adjacent to a road, Cost from my local farm shop/hire place £120 for a single day (Saturday). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 (edited) 5 minutes ago, crispy_wafer said: Hired a nifty 120 t'other weekend to take down some Ash trees adjacent to a road, Cost from my local farm shop/hire place £120 for a single day (Saturday). Ok - well that’s acceptable. I’ve no idea what size of cherry picker I would need . When I was younger and even more stupid 20 yrs ago I bought this flat off plan . I’ve never seen it …. 🤣 . I think the issue is that the flue travels through the building etc . Can you reline a failed flue ? Or just the whole thing be replaced ? . It’s not a nice straight easy access run apparently…. Edited July 29 by Pocster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy_wafer Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 You've got a really difficult job to appraise without eyeballing it. Get a quote for the fitter to sort, then decide if it's worth the fretting. With my rental, though tbh I'm completely hands off in terms of management, my usual response is 'How much!!!' followed by another 10 minutes later of 'proceed'. Keeps the tax bill down is the only saving grace... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 It might be easier to go with electric than worry about the implications of the flue being incompletely repaired within a building? Is it one flue per flat or is there a possibility it joining another…? I’d be worrying about CO leakage. Flats have a chance that they are not sealed between each other. A couple of wall mounted electric heaters are not expensive plus an immersion heater might not be too bad? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 (edited) 24 minutes ago, Jilly said: It might be easier to go with electric than worry about the implications of the flue being incompletely repaired within a building? Is it one flue per flat or is there a possibility it joining another…? I’d be worrying about CO leakage. Flats have a chance that they are not sealed between each other. A couple of wall mounted electric heaters are not expensive plus an immersion heater might not be too bad? It’s a flue per flat apparently. I spoke to the freeholder about insurance claim . Magically as always it’s not covered . No one appears to know where the flue runs exactly . I’m arguing if it goes through any communal area then it should be covered under the insurance. Of course I’m just pissing in the wind . Edited July 29 by Pocster 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 26 minutes ago, crispy_wafer said: You've got a really difficult job to appraise without eyeballing it. Get a quote for the fitter to sort, then decide if it's worth the fretting. With my rental, though tbh I'm completely hands off in terms of management, my usual response is 'How much!!!' followed by another 10 minutes later of 'proceed'. Keeps the tax bill down is the only saving grace... Difficult = impossible. I’ve never seen it and there appear no plans showing flue route . Last week on another property got the roof repair quote of 2k …. that prompted a fragrant response , considerable swearing and then ; like you followed by ‘proceed’ … Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 If it runs through a wall, could somebody have nailed a picture up or something? Bit odd/worrying that it's happened, anyway. Did you read about the woman who (fatally)poisoned her neighbours using some toxic bedbug killer? Worth keeping a couple of active CO monitors present to protect them and you, electric or not (as not needed if there's no gas). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 16 minutes ago, Jilly said: If it runs through a wall, could somebody have nailed a picture up or something? Bit odd/worrying that it's happened, anyway. Did you read about the woman who (fatally)poisoned her neighbours using some toxic bedbug killer? Worth keeping a couple of active CO monitors present to protect them and you, electric or not (as not needed if there's no gas). I assumed a co detector was in there - that would be the agents responsibility Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 Has it actually failed? Or just fallen foul of a new rules that says he must be able to inspect it's entire length, previously a boxed in section did not need to be inspected? Obviously difficult if it passes through an area you don't have access to. Change for all electric will be cost effective your you but will raise tenants bills. If it is not making money, sell it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 1 minute ago, ProDave said: Has it actually failed? Or just fallen foul of a new rules that says he must be able to inspect it's entire length, previously a boxed in section did not need to be inspected? Obviously difficult if it passes through an area you don't have access to. Change for all electric will be cost effective your you but will raise tenants bills. If it is not making money, sell it. Apparently there was an issue . Boiler engineer found no fault with boiler . Did a co check expecting zero and got 300 . His analysis was it had failed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 2 minutes ago, ProDave said: it is not making money, sell it. Stuck in a 5 yr mortgage so would suffer heavy fees . Had it 18 yrs *hoping* for its value to rise substantially. It hasn’t . Need to get this fixed anyway . But selling ( even after dreaded CGT ) is on my mind . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Ambrose Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 >>> the flue has failed Oh yeah, I remember. Guy tried this at my mothers flat which had been newly converted from an office building about 10 years ago. The conversion was pretty good, with an EPC B rating. All the flues were run internally which was fine at the time and to regs of the conversion. He was getting bolshy with a frail 88 year old. The deal is that the regs have changed (as said above) and you're now meant to be able to inspect flues from outside. Most regs are not retrospective. Told him to leave immediately and stop bothering her (I paraphrase). I would get a second opinion at least and/or get your own CO meter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 1 hour ago, Alan Ambrose said: >>> the flue has failed Oh yeah, I remember. Guy tried this at my mothers flat which had been newly converted from an office building about 10 years ago. The conversion was pretty good, with an EPC B rating. All the flues were run internally which was fine at the time and to regs of the conversion. He was getting bolshy with a frail 88 year old. The deal is that the regs have changed (as said above) and you're now meant to be able to inspect flues from outside. Most regs are not retrospective. Told him to leave immediately and stop bothering her (I paraphrase). I would get a second opinion at least and/or get your own CO meter. The co meter was from the Worcester Bosch guy . There’s no up side to him ‘failing ‘ the flue . He would not fix it anyway as it’s not part of the boiler . Before him a cp12 was done - which failed on co - so I assume it’s real . Though appreciate it’s an easy thing to BS ….. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 As usual with these situations I’m getting information “ as and when “ . So not being on site with hands on info makes judging this difficult. Further research by myself has yielded that a number of flues have failed at this development over the last few years . That does indicate a genuine problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattg4321 Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 If you go electric, don’t get talked into an electric boiler. Some plumbers seem to like them, but really they’re the most totally pointless things ever made. Electric resistance heating should be kept simple - immersion heater and electric radiators, far less to go wrong 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 If the flue goes through other properties that you do not have access to it is not maintainable. If you are concerned about CGT on the sale you must have made a profit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted July 30 Author Share Posted July 30 10 hours ago, Mr Punter said: If the flue goes through other properties that you do not have access to it is not maintainable. If you are concerned about CGT on the sale you must have made a profit. There will be a profit . Maybe 20k over 18 yrs . Stellar investment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted August 2 Author Share Posted August 2 Quotes are in ! So …. Cherry picker and replace flue around 5 - 7k (expletive deleted) me So electric boiler /water tank and electric radiators it is … 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 1 hour ago, Pocster said: So electric boiler /water tank and electric radiators it is … FORGET the electric boiler. Direct heated HW tank (just a HW tank with 1 or 2 immersion heaters. Electric panel heaters on the walls where needed. No need for water and radiators. Keep it simple. Then put the "newly refurbished" flat on the market before the winter and the tenant finds his heating bills are 3 times what they were last winter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted August 2 Author Share Posted August 2 26 minutes ago, ProDave said: FORGET the electric boiler. Direct heated HW tank (just a HW tank with 1 or 2 immersion heaters. Electric panel heaters on the walls where needed. No need for water and radiators. Keep it simple. Then put the "newly refurbished" flat on the market before the winter and the tenant finds his heating bills are 3 times what they were last winter. Ok . But how large a tank is required ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 Depends how many people are likely to live in the flat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted August 2 Author Share Posted August 2 59 minutes ago, Jilly said: Depends how many people are likely to live in the flat? 2 . It’s a tiny ‘apartment’ shitty thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now