With 130 events taking place at merchant trade counters across the UK, Ideal Stelrad’s ‘Installer Connect’ training vans are giving hundreds of installers the chance to learn new skills or refresh their existing knowledge on the company’s market leading range of HE boilers and designer and panel radiators.

Here, Rob Dexter, manager of Ideal Stelrad’s technical support team, addresses the top five commonly asked questions that installers are asking the team out on the roads on a daily basis. This is also reflected in the questions being asked by installers via the ‘Ask the Orac AL’ service on the Installer Connect website. ‘Ask the Orac AL’ is a unique questions and answers service at www.installerconnect.com that enables installers to ask Ideal’s technical advisors any question they like on a range of heating issues, from installation and commissioning, to servicing and fault finding.

1. There is much speculation in the trade about servicing since the move to condensing boilers in the domestic sector. Do I have to service a high efficiency (HE) boiler more than once a year?

No, servicing a condensing boiler is no different from carrying out a service on a standard efficiency appliance, apart from on a HE boiler you will have a condensate trap to clear out. You should therefore always advise your end-user customers that if they want to keep their boiler working to its maximum efficiencies, an annual service is required.

2. I do not have an exit point for my condensate waste that is in a reasonable distance of the boiler I am installing, what options do I have?

There are a number of options for an exit point to look for, including the sink, waste, soil and vent stack, soak away or a drain/gulley. If an exit point is not in a reasonable distance, a solution may be to fit a condensate pump. Ideal’s condensate pump for example has a maximum horizontal length of 30m and a vertical head of 4.5m. Utilising the excessive run available with a condensate pump may then mean an exit point from the list above will become available.

3. I am roof flueing an appliance and have to avoid a rafter, what solutions are available?

Ideal’s extensive range of boilers benefit from a wide variety of flueing options, making it possible for installers to fit each boiler safely and unobtrusively in almost any situation. The Ideal HE range for example comes with a choice of concentric and twin pipe flueing options, giving excellent siting flexibility. To complement this, a selection of bends are available in 45o and 90o. These account for different restrictions and should be checked against the total resistance for the flue.

4. I have the symptoms for flame failure on a regular basis with condensing boilers, what should I be checking to eradicate this problem?

The first thing you need to check is if you have gas available at the appliance. If you do have gas available at the appliance, then has the boiler been serviced recently? If not, you need to check a number of areas, including – if the sump is clear and clean, has the condensate system been cleared and has the combustion area been checked for condition and clearance of ignition and detection electrodes.

5. Can I run my condensate into a cast iron pipe?

Yes, as long as it’s a pipe that is regularly flushed.

For more information on Ideal Stelrad ‘Installer Connect’ scheme visit www.installerconnect.com.