Transfers eager to contribute for Boilers

Drey Mingo last played in a game that mattered at the end of the 2008-09 season.
For Antionette Howard, it's been longer.
Now members of the Purdue women's basketball team, Mingo and Howard are set to return to action tonight when the Boilermakers open the regular season against Austin Peay in the Preseason WNIT at Mackey Arena.
Both players sat out last season because of NCAA transfer rules. Mingo left Maryland to join the Boilermakers; Howard transferred from Florida State.
Mingo and Howard each showed signs of rust in the two exhibition games.
"Don't remind me," Howard joked about the last time she played in a game that counted, which came in the early stages of the 2008-09 season.
She admitted nerves played a role in her first exhibition game performance.
" 'How would I do?' " Howard asked herself. "I'm ready to get in the flow of things, and to get an actual game under my belt was good. In the second game, I wasn't as nervous and stuff came a little bit more natural."
The 6-foot-2 Mingo, a McDonald's All-American at Marist High School in Atlanta, tried to do too much in the first half of the first game. She settled down after halftime, scoring 17 of her game-best 19 points.
"I think I'm getting there," Mingo said. "I have a long way to go. I just have to get some game feel back. I think I'm making progress."
Both players are expected to provide significant contributions this season to help the Boilermakers erase the memory of last year's losing season -- the program's first since 1984-85.
Mingo needs to help Purdue rebound, a shortcoming in the first half of both exhibition games, and provide low-post scoring. Meanwhile, Howard has the ability to score off the dribble and attack the basket, an element that was missing last season.
"She can score for us, and we know that," coach Sharon Versyp said of Howard. "She knows she needs to continue to work on her defense and work on some of her conditioning. She's fun to watch and she likes to get her teammates involved."
http://www.jconline.com/article/20101112/SPORTS02010202/11120334/Transfers-eager-to-contribute-for-Boilers

BGR in Rs 4,400-cr tie up with Hitachi, plans boiler unit

BGR Energy Systems Ltd has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hitachi Ltd of Japan and its subsidiary Hitachi Power Europe GmbH Germany, to set up boiler and turbine manufacturing facilities in Tamil Nadu. The two projects will entail an investment of around Rs 4,400 crore and are expected to create 3,500 jobs.
With the establishment of these two ventures, BGR Energy will be the third company in India (after BHEL and L&T) to be able to offer complete boiler-turbine-generator (BTG) solutions to the Indian power industry.
B G Raghupathy, chairman and managing director, BGR Energy Systems, said that the company entered into an agreement with Hitachi Power Europe GmbH, and floated a new company BGR Turbines Company (P) Ltd, which would set up a turbine manufacturing facility with an investment of around Rs 3,000 crore.
Equity portion in the company will be Rs 900 crore. "For 26 per cent stake in the new company, Hitachi has invested Rs 234 crore, while the remaining will be invested by BGR Energy Systems," he said.
The new facility will commence production in 2012 and will have a manufacturing capacity of five units per annum of 660 Mw, 800 Mw and 1,000 Mw.
Another MoU was singed with Hitachi Ltd, Japan, to float BGR Boilers Pvt Ltd, which will set up a boiler manufacturing unit with an investment of around Rs 1,400 crore. The plant will go on steam by 2012 and will have a capacity to manufacture five units per annum of 660 Mw, 800 Mw and 1,000 Mw.
Equity investment in the company will be Rs 420 crore, of which Hitachi's equity investment will be around Rs 126 crore, and the rest would be BGR Energy's equity investment, said Raghupathy.
"We have identified three locations in Tamil Nadu to set up the manufacturing facilities and moved the proposal to the state government and waiting for their approval. We prefer to set up the facility close to a port," he added.
"Our focus will be on the domestic market," added Hiraku Ikeda, deputy general manager, Hitachi Power Systems Company.
Raghupathy added that while the equity portion would be funded through internal accruals, the company was expecting to achieve financial closure over the next six months.
BGR Energy Systems Ltd is a Chennai-based company which is engaged in supplying systems and equipment as well as undertaking turnkey engineering projects.
http://sify.com/finance/bgr-in-rs-4-400-cr-tie-up-with-hitachi-plans-boiler-unit-news--news-kijbvjjejcb.html

NTPC to re-tender nine boiler units of 800 MW each

NTPC has issued new tenders for boiler bulk orders. It has not issued fresh tenders for turbines. NTPC had disqualified Larsen & Toubro from the 11x660 MW bulk tender. It is likely to float turbines of higher capacity.
Commenting on the same, RS Sharma, Chairman and MD, NTPC, said the company has gone in for re-tendering of boiler orders. "We are going for nine units of 800 MW in the next 2-3 months. New bulk tendering will be completed this year itself."

NTPC, he stated, will go ahead with the turbine orders as well but declined to comment on L&T’s eligibility. "Both qualifying requirements inturbines and boilers will have to be met. There are no changes in the terms and conditions in the new tenders."
The state-run firm is aggressively looking for coal blocks abroad. Reports suggest that NTPC has dropped its plans to acquire Griffin assets. Commenting on the same, Sharma said the coal block acquisitions will be via a joint venture or equity purchase.
Currently, NTPC has a requirement of 240 million tonne of coal. Its coal requirement is expected to go up by 10-15% per annum. Coal India supplies 80-85% of NTPC's coal requirement. NTPC has been allocated nine mines with estimated reserves of 5.9 billion tonne of coal. The Pakri-Barwadih captive coal plant has delayed commissioning by one year.
NTPC's current power capacity stands at 31,500 MW. The company is targeting 45,000 MW by FY12 end. Under construction power capacity stands at 17,500 MW.
Of its total capacity, 3,955 MW is gas-based. Reliance Industries and NTPC are fighting it out in the courts over the pricing of gas. The next date for hearing is July 26. NTPC has sought the Power Ministry help in lobbing with the Petroleum Ministry to protect its interests.
Here is a verbatim transcript of the exclusive interview with RS Sharma on CNBC-TV18. Also watch the accompanying video.
Q: Can you just give us clarity on that large boiler plus tender offer, where things stand at now after you disqualified L&T? For what has new tenders been asked for and what is the update for turbine front as well?
A: So far the boiler is concerned, we have already gone for re-tendering of that. We have got 11 units of 660 megawatt there; already we have given two months time for the bidders to respond. So far as turbine is concerned, we are going ahead on 660 megawatt.

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/ntpc-to-re-tender-nine-boiler-units800-mw-each_469673.html

NTPC reissues boiler tender; L&T may bid along with others

State-run power utility NTPC Ltd has reissued a tender for boilers on 24 June after Larsen and Toubro Ltd (L&T) said on 17 June that it would take responsibility for the bids submitted by a joint venture it has with Japan’sMitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
The tender for so-called supercritical boilers and turbines had run into controversy after NTPC disqualified bids by a venture of Larsen and Toubro Power Ltd, a unit of L&T, and Mitsubishi.
“The decision to go for re-tendering was taken at our 21 June board meeting. If the (L&T PowerMitsubishi) JV (joint venture) meets the tender conditions, they can re-bid,” said an NTPC executive, who did not want to be named.
Supercritical equipment such as boilers and turbines improve the efficiency of power plants.
NTPC’s Rs40,000 crore tender invited manufacturers to supply 11 supercritical boilers and an equal number of supercritical turbines of 660MW each, to be built locally.
There were two bidders for the boiler tender—state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Bhel) and L&T Power-Mitsubishi.
The joint venture was also among five bidders for the supply of turbines, along with Bhel, Russia’s Power Machines, and joint ventures of Alstom SA and Bharat Forge Ltd, and Toshiba Corp. of Japan and JSW Group.
NTPC’s board disqualified L&T Power-Mitsubishi’s bid, saying L&T should have formed the venture withMitsubishi and not its subsidiary.
To mollify the utility’s board, L&T has submitted a modified joint deed of undertaking, assuming complete responsibility for the contract.
“By submitting the modified joint deed as per the tender requirement, it made L&T liable,” the NTPC executive said. “By doing so, L&T took the whole commercial and technical risk.”
An L&T spokesperson declined to comment.
The bid documents were put up for sale on Monday. The last date for submission is 25 August.
“We have gone for a notice inviting tender (NIT). The NIT was issued some days back,” said R.S. Sharma, chairman and managing director, NTPC.
The lowest bidder for boilers will be given an order for six units. If Bhel is not the lowest bidder, the government will award it the order for the remaining five units,provided it agrees to match the lowest bid. If it does not, the option will be given to others in the order of bid ranking.
“With the retendering for boilers, more people will bid. However, this will delay the process,” said the chief executive at one of the equipment firms, who has bid for the equipment contract but who did not wish to be identified due to commercial considerations.
The tender said the winner would have to set up factories in India to develop the local power generation equipment manufacturing industry. Such projects tend to be capital intensive, with investment running into several thousand crores of rupees.
India expects to add 62,000MW to its current power generation capacity of 153,000MW by 2012. Orders for 42,431.58MW have been placed with Bhel, the country’s largest power equipment maker, which has an annual capacity of 10,000MW.
http://www.livemint.com/2010/06/28215934/NTPC-reissues-boiler-tender-L.html?atype=tp

Boilers lead NCAA tournament entering final round

WILMINGTON, N.C. — The seventh-ranked Purdue women’s golf team surged to the lead at the NCAA Championships and is on the verge of winning the program’s first title.

The Boilermakers fired an 8-under-par 280 in today’s third round and lead Southern California by seven shots heading into Friday’s final round at the CC of Landfill Dye Course.
Four Boilermakers finished the third round under par, led by Laura Gonzalez-Escallon’s bogey free 69. Maude-Aimee LeBlanc and Numa Gulyanamitta each shot 70 and Thea Hoffmeister fired a 1-under 71.
All five Purdue players birdied the par 5 18th hole.
Second-round leader Southern California posted a 7-over 295 to fall behind the Boilermakers. Arizona State is in third place, 13 shots in back of Purdue.
LeBlanc is tied for third overall after a three-round total of 210, trailing Arizona State’s Jennifer Johnson by three strokes. Gulyanamitta is fifth with a three-day total of 212.
Purdue begins Friday’s final round at 1:25 p.m.

http://www.jconline.com/article/20100520/NEWS03/100520023

Kalorina-M Wood Pellet Boilers from Northstar Energy

The Kalorina/M pellet boiler is designed to provide heat and hot sanitary water. Using natural combustibles, this boiler can produce low cost energy and save up to 80%. This wood pellet boiler can be utilized for different applications such as industrial, agricultural, and civil.
The Kalorina/M pellet boiler is constructed with quality materials. It has a double auger feeding system, which provides high security. This wood pellet boiler supplied by Northstar Energy has a heating capacity from 18,000 to 80,000K calories per hour. Its thermal isolation minimizes heat dispersions and consumption of combustibles, and maximizes the output of the boiler system. The Kalorina/M pellet boiler is easy to install and use. By keeping the smoke exchanging tubes and the boiler clean, users can increase the heating efficiency and reduce consumption of fuel.
The Kalorina/M pellet boiler is controlled by a general switch, thermostat, thermometer, and a thermostat having manual restarting feature. The silo, utilized for combustible material, has a capacity of 190 liters. It is fully covered by a lid. A double removable copper coil can be installed for producing hot sanitary water. The K2204 model has a nominal capacity of 40,000K calories per hour. It is available in 1,430 x 1,130 x 920 x 1,230mm dimensions.
http://www.azocleantech.com/Details.asp?newsID=10051

Veesons to venture into CFBS Boilers

The Tiruchi-based Veesons Energy Systems Pvt. Ltd. (Veesons ESPL), a leading boiler and power plant manufacturer, has entered into a technical collaboration with M/s. OSMO KAULAMO Kaulamo Engineering Oy (OKE), Finland, to take up the manufacture of Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion (CFBC) Boilers and Chemical Recovery Boilers.

M/s. OKE are pioneers in the field. On the strength of sound fundamentals, Veesons ESPL has drawn up an ambitious growth plan to manufacture CFBC Boilers, effluent waste fired boilers, MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) fired boilers, Pulverised Coal Fired Utility Boilers, and HRSG (Heat Recovery Steam Generator). Exuding confidence that the company will grow at a minimum rate of 35 per cent per annum for the next five years, V. Ramakrishnan, Managing Director, told presspersons on Wednesday that the company has decided to shift its Corporate Office to Chennai. In 2009-10, the company achieved a turnover of Rs. 162 crore registering a 40 per cent growth. During the fiscal, the order booking touched Rs. 275 crore representing 65 per cent growth. The Rs. 222 crore order on hand as on April 1, 2010 signified a growth of 115 per cent, Mr. Ramakrishnan said.

An ISO 9001 certified company, Veesons ESPL has obtained ASME S & U Stamps. With a cycle time of below six months, the company has established a high reputation for quality and prompt deliveries. The product profile of Veesons ESPL consists of small process boilers up to 25 TPH (ton per hour), process and power boilers for industries up to 200 TPH (50 MW), and EPC orders for power plants up to 25 MW. Utility boilers required for power plants up to 200 MW will be added shortly, Mr. Ramakrishnan said. He announced that the company will set up a new manufacturing unit at Raipur in Chhattisgarh, to cater to customers in the northern and western part of the country during the current fiscal.

Against stiff competition, the company has obtained a battery of export orders from South East Asia, including 3 x 200 TPH boilers valued at more than Rs. 110 crore for sugar industries. Along with Avantgarde, the company has developed a design for a boiler that could be fired with distillery effluent. The company was expecting an order from Kenya, Mr. Ramakrishnan said, and was confident of the product being patronised by distilleries in the country.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/article390751.ece

Boiler scrappage extension rejected

Pleas for an extension to the boiiler scrapp age scheme have been rejected by Chancellor Alistair Darling.
In his last Budget before the election Mr Darling did introduce measures for housebuilders, but there was no more money for the replacement of G-rated boilers.
The boiler scrappage scheme is now closed to new applicants, the Government said on Friday.
Stamp duty exemption will now be raised from £125,000 to £250,000 for the next two years to help first-time buyers. Mr Darling said the rise in the exemption level would help nine out of 10 first time buyers.
But to pay for it, stamp duty on homes above £1 million will be raised to 5 per cent.
Barratt chief executive Mark Clare said: “87 per cent of our customers pay £250,000 or less for their homes. We are pleased that many of them will now have the opportunity to save
thousands of pounds thanks to this measure which will help strengthenthe housing market.”
In the Budget speech, Mr Darling also made a series of changes to tax. A proposed 3 pence hike in fuel duty will now be phased. It will increase by 1 pence in April, with a 1 pence increase in October this year and again in January 2011.
In his Budget speech, the Chancellor also said that he would not increase the main rate of
capital gains tax, as some had predicted, but would increase “entrepreneurs’ relief”, a relief which allows entrepreneurs to avoid paying CGT below a certain threshold.
He has doubled the threshold to £2 million. Business rates will also be cut, for one year from October. The Chancellor said the move would help half a million small businesses.
http://www.hvnplus.co.uk/page.cfm/action=Archive/ArchiveID=4/EntryID=1693

Boiler scrappage scheme closes but discounts still available

The government’s £400 boiler scrappage scheme is now run out of funds, but energy companies are now offering discounts.

The boiler scrappage scheme for England is now closed.
A total of 125,000 households have now applied for the £400 discounts on the price of a new boiler, after the £50m scheme was launched in January.

The scheme’s been a great success

Energy minister Lord Hunt said: “The scheme’s been a great success and is already helping people cut down on their fuel bills. An ‘A-rated’ energy efficient boiler can help save around £200 a year off fuel bills and reduce emissions.
"The scheme has also provided a much needed boost to England’s plumbers and boiler manufacturers, helping to sustain work for the 130,000 installers and up to 25 UK-based boiler manufacturers throughout the economic recovery.”
However, households can still receive discounts for old boilers from energy firms.
During the scheme, British Gas, E.On, Npower and Scottish & Southern all offered to match the government discount and some of these firms are maintaining their £400 boiler discounts.
Scottish & Southern is keeping its £400 boiler scrappage discount and is also offering two years Shield Cover boiler insurance worth £396.
From April 1st, British Gas is offering a £200 boiler discount and one year’s free HomeCare 200 boiler insurance worth £204.
Customers who buy through British Gas before 30 May 2010 can also receive interest free credit for a year.
Npower’s scheme provides a £400 discount on boilers over 10 years old, compared the government scheme that offered discounts on inefficient G-rated boilers.
Npower chief executive Kevin Miles said: “The scrappage scheme has proven to be extremely popular.
“However, there are still approximately four million households with G-Rated boilers in the UK, which is why we are pledging to continue Npower’s boiler scrappage scheme.”
In Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government’s own boiler scrappage scheme will start running from 6 April with a £500 discount.
In Scotland, the Scottish Government has pledged £2m towards boiler scrappage schemes through its Energy Assistance Package scheme.
http://www.energychoices.co.uk/boiler-scrappage-scheme-closes-but-discounts-still-available-2903102.html

Hummel’s absence lowers Boilers to No. 4 seed

WEST LAFAYETTE – Maybe the seed was a surprise.
But when Purdue popped up as a No. 4 in the South Regional on Sunday, it was done.
It didn’t matter that coach Matt Painter said the team’s résumé says the Boilers are a No. 2 or No. 3.
It didn’t matter that Purdue was still the No. 6 team in the country when the brackets were announced.
It didn’t matter that the Boilermakers lost only five games all season and shared a Big Ten Conference title.
Purdue is what the NCAA tournament committee decided it is: A No. 4 seed playing No. 13 seed Siena (27-6) 2:30 p.m. Friday in Spokane, Wash.
“It’s the highest we’ve ever been since I’ve been here,” senior Chris Kramer said. “You’ve just got to be excited. We gave the selection committee – we didn’t play as well as we wanted to in that (Big Ten) semifinal game. So we have to take it for what it’s worth and just be excited to get a chance to play again and to be in the NCAA field.”
The Boilermakers (27-5) lost by 27 points to Minnesota in the Big Ten tournament, and they are without star forward Robbie Hummel for the rest of the season. Those were factors, NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee chairman Dan Guerrero said.
“(The committee) had the benefit of seeing several games after Robbie went down. On the basis of the evaluation of Purdue’s performance, we obviously felt that they weren’t the same team without him,” Guerrero said. “In order to have integrity in the bracket and make sure we were honest to everyone in the field, Purdue did slip. There’s no question about that. I think everyone knows that Purdue is a fantastic team, especially with him in there. The seed obviously was impacted negatively by the fact he went out. They would have been, in my opinion, much higher than that.”
Still, Purdue’s seed was its highest since 1998 when it was a No. 2 seed.
And Painter and his players said they’d use the seed this season as motivation.
There’s no other way to handle it.
“We have to show people why we’re in,” said point guard Lewis Jackson, who expects to play in the tournament despite leaving the Minnesota game with a leg injury. “We still want respect. There are great teams like Cincinnati that didn’t make it. Being comfortable just because you made it, that doesn’t get you far in the tournament. But wanting to come out and prove to people that you belong with the nation’s best is what gets you far, and I think that’s what this team does.”
The first chance to earn that respect is against Siena.
Painter and players met with reporters only an hour after the bracket was released, so they didn’t know much about the Saints.
Four Siena players average at least 13 points per game, led by Alex Franklin’s 16.3 per game. Forward Ryan Rossiter’s 11.1 rebounds per game top the team, and point guard Ronald Moore averages 7.8 assists. Siena won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season and tournament.
But Purdue’s focus is on playing better.
“We’ve got to definitely come up and step our game up for the tournament,” junior E’Twaun Moore said. “Every team is going to be eager to play and they’re trying to play for the championship, too. We’ve got to get us ready and make the teams have a difficult time against us.”
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100315/SPORTS0303/303159982/1085/SPORTS03

Thermax, Babcock ink JV for supercritical boilers

MUMBAI: Power solutions provider Thermax on Wednesday said it has signed an agreement with US-based Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Groups for forming a joint venture to manufacture supercritical boilers for the Indian power sector.

Pune-based Thermax will own 51% stake while Babcock will control the remaining 49% in the venture which will have an initial annual capacity of 3,000 MW equivalent. The supercritical boilers will be manufactured in a new facility that is being planned. The plant will indigenise the technology and contribute to local component development, said the companies in a joint statement.

The venture will have an initial capital of Rs 700 crore, split equally between equity and debt. Thermax will chip in Rs 175 crore as its equity contribution to the project from its cash reserves, its managing director & CEO MS Unnikrishnan told reporters.

“We are proud to offer the services of this JV to support the government’s initiatives to improve the power scenario in India. And we are happy that Babcock, our joint venture partner, is a global technology leader whose boilers generate over 3,00,000 MW of power around the world,” said Mr Unnikrishnan. The venture will also cater to the needs of supercritical and sub-critical boilers with capacities of 300 MW.

The government wants to produce a majority of the proposed capacity addition of 1 lakh MW by super-critical technology which costs less and is more environment friendly. Supercritical boilers operate at high pressures increasing efficiency and producing more energy from the same amount of fuel. They also cause less harm to the environment.

Shares of Thermax rose 3% to end at Rs 672.85 on a day when the broader index was flat.

Thermax and Babcock have had a business relationship for over 20 years. Thermax had signed a technology transfer agreement with Babcok for manufacturing subcritical power boilers two years ago. “This JV augments Babcock’s presence and profile in the global marketplace and presents a substantial opportunity to continue the growth of its business in India and around the world,” said Babcock president Richard L. Killion.

Thermax had formed a JV with US-based SPX in August last year to supply air pollution control systems for power plants above 300 MW. It also has technology collaboration with Canada’s Eco-Tech, Japan’s Kawasaki Thermal Engineering, Canada’s Eco-T
ech, Germany’s Balcke Durr and Georgia Pacific of the US.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/indl-goods-/-svs/engineering/Thermax-Babcock-ink-JV-for-supercritical-boilers/articleshow/5669524.cms

Nottingham City Homes and Baxi drop in with new boilers

As part of its Decent Homes refurbishment programme, Nottingham City Homes is replacing the old boilers on the Woodlands Estate in Nottingham with new, high efficiency Baxi Megaflo boilers. But there’s a problem. The properties are situated in five multi storey tower blocks and the highest flue terminal is 180 feet above the ground.
So Nottingham City Council has found an unusual solution for replacing the flues. The have brought in abseiling specialists Total Access to access the flue terminals of the 373 high rise flats.
The abseilers work on one block at a time in coordination with heating contractor Vinshire Plumbing and Heating. As the engineers installing the boiler get to the stage when the flue needs to be changed, they hang a sheet out of the window to mark the right flat. Then the abseiler drops down from the roof of the tower, removes the old flue, exchanges it with a new one handed through the window by the heating engineer, and fits and seals it.
Paul Ruston, Project Manager for Nottingham City Homes, explains: “Choosing abseilers to help with the installation of new boilers in these tower blocks has made an otherwise extremely complicated and expensive procedure very simple.
“Total Access is very experienced in carrying out technical procedures at great heights, and has all its own professional equipment to carry out the operation without damaging the building. And the abseilers have extremely stringent health and safety procedures.
“We have five weeks to complete the installations and are doing about 20 flats per day,” he adds.
The boilers are being replaced with Baxi Megaflo HE boilers as part of Nottingham City Homes ‘Secure Warm Modern’ programme for meeting the requirements of the Government’s Decent Homes initiative.
“This project shows how Nottingham City Homes has worked with contractor, supplier and manufacturer to bring affordable warmth to our residents”, concludes Paul.
There is a video of the abseilers at work on the Baxi website at
www.baxi.co.uk/podcasts
http://www.24dash.com/news/Housing/2010-02-23-Nottingham-City-Homes-and-Baxi-drop-in-with-new-boilers

Jeff Howell's DIY advice: combi boilers

It is always a risk installing a pressurised combi system where copper pipes are buried below cement-based screeds, says Jeff Howell. 

Q About two months ago our elderly boiler sprung a leak and we were advised that we needed a new one. Our heating engineer and his plumber colleague installed a condensing boiler. The main reason for having a combi boiler was because we have been trying to sell our house in order to move somewhere smaller, but without much success. We had to have a HIP and our rating was very low. We thought we might get a few more brownie points with a modern boiler.
All seemed well for a while, but four days ago the pressure dropped quite suddenly. We topped up the water, but it started going down again fairly quickly.
Although it is not now going down so fast, it still needs topping up every day. The engineer came to look at it and, although he checked every radiator, he could not find a leak. He says that there must be a leak under the concrete floors somewhere, and can only suggest that we contact the Water Board and get them to try and locate it.
I know the fact that I am in my late seventies shouldn’t make any difference, but it does – I feel suicidal. Is the Water Board investigation the best solution, or are there any other possible explanations for what has happened; and are the Water Board the best people to go to? AC, by email
A This sounds like a real horror story. In the first place, it seems that you have made the common mistake of confusing the words “condensing” and “combination”.
There is no reason why a new condensing boiler has to be installed as part of a pressurised combi system – you could just as easily have a condensing boiler fitted to a traditional indirect-pressure (or gravity-fed) system. One of the many disadvantages of combi boilers is that the high water pressure will find out any minor leaks, leading to a pressure drop in the system, which will stop the boiler from firing up. The installer should have warned you of this possibility, and pressure-tested the pipework first. It is always a risk installing a pressurised combi system where copper pipes are buried below cement-based screeds, as the cement can cause corrosion damage to the soldered joints. From here, the situation turns from bad to worse. Why the installer suggests involving “the Water Board”, I cannot imagine. The responsibility of the privatised water suppliers ends at the stop-valve or meter under the pavement, and any Gas Safe (the new name for CORGI) registered heating engineer should know this.
I can only assume that this man is at best, ignorant, or at worst, an unqualified rogue trader. You should report him to your local authority trading standards officer immediately.
I’m afraid you have also been misadvised if you thought that spending thousands of pounds on a new boiler, in order to achieve a few extra points on an Energy Performance Certificate, would make your house more sellable.
All the evidence suggests that most buyers do not bother to look at EPCs and those that do, do not understand them. If you want to sell your house, then the best strategy is to market it at a price that attracts buyer interest.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertyadvice/jeffhowell/7072722/Jeff-Howells-DIY-advice-combi-boilers.html