Fumes and humidity from boiler

Discussion in 'Engineers' Talk' started by ChasEdge, Sep 3, 2020.

  1. ChasEdge

    ChasEdge New Member

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    Good evening.
    I hope this is the right place for some advice.
    I’ve been having issues with damp and air quality in the house. So much so when the boiler was running (before it got turned off by Cadent) the bedroom above the boiler smelt really bad and the air was putrid like stale air.
    It caused health issues as the boiler is in the kitchen below the main bedroom.
    so much so I contacted the guy who installed it twice but he postponed yet again so I called the gas service.
    They switched it off.
    I have checked the flue and there seem to be two issues that stand out to me.
    1 - there is no making good of the brickwork outside or the plaster inside. You can feel cold air above the boiler in the kitchen. Also regular brick dust on the tiles inside the kitchen below the boiler. It looks like rain could seep in between the rubber gaiter and the tube into the hole.
    Whilst it is an old house it has a small air cavity in the brickwork for ventilation all round. So water could get into it.
    2 - the flue is about 2.5 m high from the ground outside and the gases impinge on the rendering so much so there is a hole in it now and the waste pipe paint is peeling off.
    Also there is damp in the attic directly in line with the location of the boiler and flue below.

    Should the hole be sealed with mortar or the brickwork where the bricks have had the face chipped off be replaced?
    Should the inside be plastered or filled?
    Also regarding the render and pipe work I looked at the regulations or guidelines and it says that care should be taken about areas of the outside that may be damaged by frequent wetting. The vapour is quite warm though so could it cause damage? Someone suggested it should be vented to the roofline as shown in the images in the building regulations.

    Can anyone advise?
     
  2. ChasEdge

    ChasEdge New Member

    The issue I have is I am suffering from terminal cancer with not long to live.
    The installer isn’t helping and the boiler company say there is nothing wrong.
    But the whole house stinks of fumes but only when the boiler is on.
    I got an air purifier and it says that NO2 dangerous but the boiler person says that’s irrelevant.
    I think because I’ve got cancer and I’m going to die soon that no one is really bothered because it’s not worth the effort and I might die before I pay them.
    I’m really not sure what to do what I have found out is if you do have cancer a lot of people dismiss you as incapable and irrelevant.
    Everyone talks about dangerous fumes from boilers but when you complain about it it’s not taken seriously by the people who did the job in the first place and the manufacturer of the appliance.
    Thanks for listening
     
  3. nigel willson

    nigel willson Screwfix Select

    What did the ppl that turned your boiler off say was wrong with it to turn it off
     
  4. ChasEdge

    ChasEdge New Member

    Fumes in house (not natural gas) and CO.
    Inspector here says that the outside seal should be weather proof. He showed me the installation instructions that said the seal on its own is only acceptable if it provides a seal. If not it needs to be made good.
     
  5. nigel willson

    nigel willson Screwfix Select

    Do you have paperwork for this new install. If the guy won’t come back , contact gas safe. They will inspect and rectify problem
     
  6. ChasEdge

    ChasEdge New Member

    Yes. Thank you.
     
  7. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    Chas, the main issue with relying only on the rubber flange around the flue pipe to seal is that the flue exhaust gasses may be drawn back into the building by negative pressure inside the building, also if the wall is a cavity construction, the gasses may spread throughout the building in the wall cavity. I am an electrician not a gas safe type, but if I make a hole through a wall for a cable or duct, I make good around it. Relying only on flanges may work if the wall is smooth and level, yours is not, also the flange may be displaced and become ineffective.
     
    ChasEdge likes this.
  8. jonathanc

    jonathanc Guest

    It’s the installers problem. Do you have any report as to why cadent turned the appliance off? If so send that to gas safe now. Then write to the installer saying he has 14 days to rectify otherwise you will employ someone else and recover the costs from him.
     
    ChasEdge likes this.
  9. ChasEdge

    ChasEdge New Member

    Thank you everyone.
    Good answers.
    I posted on DIYnot and people telling me building regs were nonsense no need to fill it etc
    I won’t trust that site.
    Gas safe inspector was here today and put a defect on the installation because the hall hadn’t been filled and wasn’t weatherproof and he could stick his finger in it without any problem
    Gas safe inspector was here today and put a defect on the installation because the hole hadn’t been filled and wasn’t weatherproof and he could stick his finger in it without any problem.
    He said I don’t have to have the original installer back all have to do is email gas safe and then claim back.
     
  10. jonathanc

    jonathanc Guest

    fair enough. Crack on with gas safe and keep us posted
     
  11. ChasEdge

    ChasEdge New Member

    Yes I definitely will.
     
    Muzungu likes this.
  12. I am sorry for your circumstances, really horrible but now at least, the problems will be hopefully be resolved, it should never have come to that though.

    I agree with you about the other forum, I would never trust anything you read there, replies often contain the wrong advice, either because of ignorance or dam stupidity. This forum on the other hand has a fair splattering of assorted trades and DIY'ers with a lot of valuable experience that has at times got me out of a fix a few times just by reading the topics and replies.
    --
     
  13. ChasEdge

    ChasEdge New Member

    Hi everyone.
    Gas safe report says that the rubber grommets are not an adequate seal on my property. If it was a flat wall then maybe.
    He says he has seen many cases of exhaust fumes coming back into the building as well as weather problems.
    An MOD site in Northern Ireland is a well known case.
    The installer said it wasn’t required but recommended. So they’re not coming back to fix it! I already have someone else to do it.
    Also fitting a plume kit to roof level as 3.2 of Doc J says about wetting and this has not been considered either. Render and paintwork damaged.
    Unfortunately the manufacturers instructions can be vague. What is adequate for a poor quality installer isn’t adequate for a good quality installer.
    Add to that I found the brick core waste behind a kitchen cabinet. The waste from the installation hidden under insulation in the loft and floorboards hacked to pieces after lifting the carpet because I heard creaking noises. Floorboards resting on pipes, boards cut and not supported on joists or with any packing.
    A shoddy job.
     
  14. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    I find it a great waste of money, the consumer's money, having all of these 'Accreditation' schemes in place. They were meant to stop cowboys such as the installer you found. However, all they do is increase costs for the consumer, paperwork for the installer and generate a load of cash for the accreditation bodies who it seems, are not policing the schemes properly. It is not good enough to be reactive when quality control in these issues is required. The Scheme providers must be proactive, actively testing blind samples of members work. Only then will issues such as the one you are facing be eliminated.
     
  15. ChasEdge

    ChasEdge New Member

    Self certification doesn’t work.
    It’s open to abuse as I have found out.
    Along with many other ‘gas safe’ technicians who sign off their own work.
    It’s all very well gas safe talking about illegal gas workers when the ‘legal’ ones are installing illegal work.
    I wrote to my MP about it but they said it’s nothing to do with them speak to citizens advice bureau so I wrote back to them again and they said I should try trading standards which is the same place so not very helpful.
     
  16. The Happy Builder

    The Happy Builder Screwfix Select

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