Warmflow Gas Conversion - Major Problem- Urgent

[Will6647]

Looking for help and advice please? A number of years ago in Northern Ireland when Phoenix Gas were starting off, they were offering a scheme in conjunction with Warmflow to convert Warmflow Oil Boilers to burn gas, by changing the oil burner for a gas burner connected to the gas mains.

at the time we had just purchased a new Warmflow 50/70 Kabin Pak and it was assessed by Warmflow and deemed suitable for conversion - and it was stated that this with done as per the Gas Sagety Regulations of 2004.

We duly signed up for the conversion which was completed by Warmflow by one of their Corgi registered Engineers and I have all the original installation docs etc.

All was fine until a couple of weeks ago when, when the Gas Engineer I had booked to service the installation stated that it did not have a data plate or a CE marking to validate the boiler was suitable to be combined with a gas burner.

he got on the phone to Gas Safe for advice and as a result the installation was deemed "immediately dangerously" and the gas engineer duly capped the supply as instructed.

We contacted Warmflow urgently to understand what was required to satisfy Gas Safe and allow us to get back up and running. Warmflow also spoke to Gas Safe who still insisted that a data plate was required and a CE marking for the boiler.

After 2 weeks of hoping that Warmflow would be able to produce what was required, today they admitted that they cannot find or locate and test data or testing information for the gas burner on oil boiler combination.

I have contacted trading standards for advice, and I am really sorry for the long winded story but I was wondering if any of you out there had come across this before?

Many thanks for reading!

 

[Best]

Hi Will. I am not gas qualified, but I came across one Warmflow oil boiler converted to gas. I do recall door to door sales people for Phoenix stating it could be done to a Warmflow boiler.
I will leave the gas guys on here to comment, but I suspect your oil boiler and its gas conversion was many years ago and you should bite the bullet and replace the boiler, - also remember oil is very cheap at moment so don't rule out a good Grant Vortex oil condensing boiler

 

[Knappers]

So its been in 12years?
Not familiar with this boiler but guess it has an unusual setup for the gas engineer to need a CE mark.
How long have boilers needed a CE mark?

Unfortunately most regs are geared towards new installations and can be difficult to find a solid 'rule' allowing much else.

 

[Knappers]

Can the manufacturer reccomended any engineers to put their name on it and get it running?
A commercial engineer with domestic quals may be more familiar with pairing boilers and burners?
While you get the mfr to deal with the relevant testing and documentation?

 

[Will6647]

Thanks everyone, the conversion was done 10 years ago so I Know that I may have to bite the bullet and get a new boiler installed but I am curious how this can be legal even when offset against the 2004 Gas Regs which according to the service engineer still require a data plate and certification that the boiler is suitably matched to the gas burner

now that it has been classed as immediately dangerous, no one else is prepared to over rule as this was done on the advice from Gas Safe.

i guess the other thing is that even though I have been blissfully ignorant of the issue until now, in the case of a fire or worse, would my house insurance have covered me?

 

[rpm]

How long have boilers needed a CE mark?

Think the CE mark came in around 20yrs ago. (On other stuff that is, boilers I don`t know).

 

[Knappers]

Does it have a dataplate/cetification for use as an oil boiler or nothing at all?

 

[Dotty]

No. It cannot be converted to gas! The mi's for that particular boiler specify only kerosene or gas oil burners. Not been tested with gas! I've had this convo with warmflow in the past. .

So on that basis your insurance company would've had plenty of wriggle room! You've been extremely lucky!

Where in NI are you?

 

[lame plumber]

Where in NI are you?

Bout 150 feet in the air watching his roof come back down on him

This whole convertion thing is rather interesting, looking at all those AGAs n Rayburns out there converted in all directions, and it isnt AGA to my knowledge who approveve them, as they don't but the companies doing the conversions like Don, who Aga bouhgt out and basically shut down to stop competiotion from the conversion markets, as they did with Twyford cookers to stop the restoration market.

Looking at my convertion, the gas valve etc has the CE mark on it, but loads of the old ones wont have anything....

 

[stani]

I would go back to warmflow and see what sort of price they would give you off a new boiler, they being the ones who produced the engineer to convert and who also said it could be done,
I also agree (!!!!!!!!!!!) with lame as to the amount of oil converted boilers that are still out there and what's going to happen to them now.