Hi

I have a Glow Worm Hideaway 50B. According to British Gas I have very high CO readings and they've condemned the boiler. However, it has brand new burner, gas burns blue - no soot. BG has replaced the heat exchanger. But the still say CO is fluctuating up and down to very high levels. Can anyone help please ?

Rod, June 2009

Thanks for taking the time on this. No i've not seen anyone clean up the pilot assembly. BG has replaced, thermo coupler, burner, injector and cast iron heat exchanger.

The lastest BG guy says it must be a flue problem - the flue was removed and refitted to the new heat exchanger so there cant have been anything obvious. BG guy reckons a split inside causing gasses to recirculate and burn.

I have checked paper work and the boiler is classed as "at risk in the future" ... what does this mean ?

Rod, June 2009

have they done the basics like cleaning up the pilot, inspecting the flue condition etc, ive had a few fail just from bit crap on pilot assembly and influe. is it gassed correctly? surely all them will of been checked but you never know.

Id stay clear of the 4k plus quote too :-)

q, June 2009

sorry - I mean Co ... not carbon dioxide as per stupid previous post - I can confirm the boiler isn't fizzy. It's Co BG are concerned about.

Rod, June 2009

hi Peccavi - thanks for this. I was suspect when 1st BG engineer visited and replaced burner - the old one was clean as a whistle. When BG started moaning about the heat exchanger I asked for a 2nd opinion. So got another BG guy with a different meter. And today had 2 BG guys installing the heat exchanger - so a 3rd meter. Brilliant idea about asking BG if it's a legal limit for CO2. It seems there's only CO2 outsde at the flue - none indoors. The 1st engineer was a freelance Corgi chap and BG told me Corgi's upper limit and their own are different.

Rod, June 2009

Ask them just what the levels are - get them to check the ambient (background) CO level when the boiler is off.

Ask them to show you the calibration document for their test equipment.

Ask them if there's a legal upper limit or just a British Gas invented limit and if there is a legal requirement ask them the regulation that applies so you might check.

Get a CO monitor of your own - contact the local council.

After reading BG stories on here I would be more concerned about BG trying to sell me a new boiler + Installation (£4000) than I would for my health.

BG may be right and it's not a good idea to take unnecessary risks with CO the silent killer - but the flame is blue and BG have been doing the servicing - it's the "fluctuating up and down" that sounds rum - that smacks of a defective detector rather than a wobbly boiler. Ask if they can check it out with two detectors so you can compare one with another.

I know nothing by the way but have a healthy disrespect for BG.

Peccavi, June 2009