Now’s the best time to buy your boiler
As the nights draw in, more of us are reaching for our winter woolies and grumbling about being too cold before making the dash from duvet to shower first thing in the morning. Before you know it it’ll be Halloween and Guy Fawkes – a sure sign in the calendar that the heating most definitely needs to be switched on!
It really is a good idea to test your boiler now before it gets too cold. That way if for some reason things aren’t what they should be you’ll have time to call a plumber or contact the manufacturer to arrange a call out. Glow-worm has a range of service packages to make breakdowns as stress free as possible and get you back on your feet in no time.
If you are undertaking major renovations to improve your little English castle, it may be best to buy a new boiler at the same time to keep down the costs and disruption. For example, if you are renovating a floor and need to lift the floorboards you could hide radiator pipes by installing them under the floor before the floor is re-laid. That short term investment and a bit of forward thinking could save a lot of stress in the long term.
According to the Energy Saving Trust you should consider replacing your gas central heating boiler every 15 years. Whilst boilers beyond this age can often still function, their effectiveness and efficiency becomes reduced.
For example, the boffins at Glow-worm predict that in a house with average insulation, if you replace a 15 year old boiler with a new condensing boiler and heating controls, you could save as much as 40% on your heating bills. Now that’s a lot of dosh and potentially a much greener option for the planet.
Our snazzy new website (www.glow-wormheating.co.uk) has loads of advice on the most appropriate types of boiler for houses of different sizes so it’s definitely worth a look if you thinking of getting a new one. We also have a list of installers’ right across the UK so you can find someone in your area – all of whom are CORGI registered.
Mike - “My current boiler is a Glow-worm, and the one before that was one too. I even remember when i was growing up sitting on top of an old floorstanding boiler with a glow-bug on it.
In all that time I have had few problems – i get more problems with my TV, washing machine and dryer than with my boiler. And, I haven’t had the problems I’ve heard some of my neighbours talking about with their makes of boiler.
Everyone has different experiences – but i would recommend glowworm to anyone thinking about having a new boiler.”
Monday 19/11/2007, 11:31 am
karen - “I recently purchased a 30cxi boiler. The pipes which come out of the bottom of the boiler are completely exposed and the valves (?) actually sit lower than the bottom of the boiler casing so it will be very difficult to box the pipes in. I have never seen a boiler with the pipes quite as exposed as this and it certainly doesn’t look good. There are screw holes on the underside of the external casing so it looks like there should be something else (skirt or base plate?) which would fit onto the bottom of the casing but the installer didn’t seem to know. Are we missing a part?”
Sunday 03/02/2008, 5:44 pm
srushton - “Hi karen
Sounds as though you are missing a bottom cover plate – this should have been included in the boiler carton. I’ve sent you a private message with the details of one of my colleagues at Glow-worm – please get in touch with your address and we’ll arrange for one to be sent out.
Hope that helps
Sally”
Wednesday 06/02/2008, 4:10 pm
Adrian - “Hi guys. I just bought a flat with a 30cxi boiler newly insatlled. I don’t seem to be getting any hot water. The CH is working and only once did I manage to get hot water for about 5 seconds. I looked at the little pictures near to the pipes at the bottom of the boiler and the ones with the picture of a tap were freezing!! Quite disappointing as this is my first day in my new home. Cannot find any troubleshooting guide.
Also, the light is not on and the temperature is not showing. Don’t know what is going on but it is not the most user friendly manual or boiler that I have ever come across. Cannot wait to get this sorted/out of my flat!!”
Tuesday 26/02/2008, 12:03 am
srushton - “Hi Adrian
Sorry to hear that you are experiencing some difficulty with your Cxi boiler.
The most important thing is to make sure that the hot water temperature dial has been turned up high – if it is in the off position this may prevent the water becoming hot. The dial is located to the right of the small digital display and has a picture of a tap and the word Eco at approx 1 o’clock position. It needs to be turned somewhere between eco and fully clockwise. The hot water function is automatic when the boiler is turned on.
If the hot water thermostat is turned up and you still have no joy then the following will help:
The symptoms that you have can have two possible outcomes:
Firstly a problem may unfortunately exist in the two components that control/turn on the hot water, requiring a visit by the after sales team. However, as you have moved into a new flat and the boiler has only just been fitted there could also be another problem
Sometimes boilers can be piped up incorrectly (very accidentally, but it can happen) the hot and cold water pipes do require to be piped up in the correct sequence this will need to be checked by the installer or developer of the property, if found to be correct they can contact us.
It is important that you do get support and that when moving into a new property; guidance should always be sought from the developer. There may also be priority arrangements for after sales support.
The instructions are always emotive and writing styles do not suit everyone; however feedback is always important for product improvements in which, as a company, helps us achieve better results and better feedback.
Thanks for getting in touch,
Sally, on behalf of Glow-worm”
Friday 29/02/2008, 5:42 pm
Polly - “I have a glow worm space saver-r-series-mk 11. We have had a new hot water tank fitted and a new boiler thermostat but, the water temperature is still to hot . Any suggestions on how to cure this problem.”
Saturday 13/03/2010, 7:17 pm
admin - “Hi Polly
Speak to a recommend installer about getting a cylinder stat installed – this will help stop the boiler firing up once the water temperature has reached the desired set point. This will limit the cylinder temperature to whatever the stat is set to.
If you have one already it may simply be a case of turning the stat down.
Thanks, Sally”
Monday 15/03/2010, 10:28 am
Mrs Coe - “I have a Glow-worm Sapace Saver Mk11 Series Boiler which was fitted in 1984 and runs my central Heating only connected is a wood stove with a seperate pump which also runs my central heating. I want to keep this system but need to renew the gas boiler. I am told I cannot use a condensing boiler for this system. Can I get the the same boiler (newer of course) so that I can have it fitted with the least possible disruption? Please does anyone know.”
Sunday 11/04/2010, 5:01 pm
admin - “Hi Mrs Coe
I would advise you to contact an installer in your area (see http://www.glow-wormheating.co.uk/approved-boiler-installers/find-an-installer.php) and they will be able to advise on the most appropriate model.
Thanks, Sally”
Monday 12/04/2010, 11:55 am