Baxi Bermuda Whooomphing

[marpate1]

Hi all,

My Baxi seems to nearly explode on start-up. On numerous occasions too,
black soot type deposits fall from the unit. On examination of this,
the soot appears to be some kind of paper material.

Are these symptoms related? Is there anything within the boiler which
could create this paper like soot?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Roger Mills]

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,

Hi all,

My Baxi seems to nearly explode on start-up. On numerous occasions
too, black soot type deposits fall from the unit. On examination of
this, the soot appears to be some kind of paper material.

Are these symptoms related? Is there anything within the boiler which
could create this paper like soot?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,
Mark

Sounds like a service is long overdue! Turn it off until it's been seen to.

Among other things, it sounds as if the heat exchanger is at least partially
blocked by soot, and needs a thorough clean. Chances are that the air intake
is also blocked, causing the flame to be too yellow - which will add to the
soot. Vicious circle!

At very least, it needs servicing. Ideally it needs replacing. Baxi Bermudas
are hopelessly inefficient compared with modern condensing boilers. The
feasibility of replacing it will depend on how easily you can find an
alternative suitable location for a new boiler.

We replaced our Bermuda with a new boiler elsewhere about 15 years ago. It
will soon be time to replace the replacement boiler!
--
Cheers,
Roger
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[marpate1]

Hi Roger,

Thanks - it is already turned off

I'll get it serviced and see what the outcome of that is.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[David Hearn]

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,


Sounds like a service is long overdue! Turn it off until it's been seen to.

Among other things, it sounds as if the heat exchanger is at least partially
blocked by soot, and needs a thorough clean. Chances are that the air intake
is also blocked, causing the flame to be too yellow - which will add to the
soot. Vicious circle!

At very least, it needs servicing. Ideally it needs replacing. Baxi Bermudas
are hopelessly inefficient compared with modern condensing boilers. The
feasibility of replacing it will depend on how easily you can find an
alternative suitable location for a new boiler.

We replaced our Bermuda with a new boiler elsewhere about 15 years ago. It
will soon be time to replace the replacement boiler!

When we replaced our old boiler due to failure I looked at the cost of
replacing it, the replacement's expected lifetime and the reported
reductions in gas usage.

Even allowing a relatively low efficiency of the old boiler, and a 20
year life of the new one, it made no financial sense to replace an old
boiler just for gas efficiency reasons. I think £2k is a reasonably
fair price people quote on here for a boiler replacement (often higher
actually). Over 20 years, you'd need to save £200 per year (£17 per
month) in gas bills to recover the cost of the boiler, by which time
you'll then need to replace it!

In fact, many people dispute whether modern boilers are more
reliable/have as long a life as older style boilers. Are new boilers
expected to last 20 years, or more likely 10-15 (requiring a £300-£400
annual saving to recoup costs)? With all these PCB/fan failures you
hear of costing £100+ to fix each time, you wonder whether they're
actually saving people money.

Then you're ignoring the environmental cost of making the new boiler
(metals, energy, transportation, disposal of old boiler...)

Of course, if the boiler actually needs replacing due to failure/serious
old age etc, then it makes perfect sense to replace with a model which
is as efficient as possible. It just doesn't make sense the adverts you
see about "Replace your current boiler today and start saving!" if the
boiler still has some years left in it.

D

 

[David Hearn]

When we replaced our old boiler due to failure I looked at the cost of
replacing it, the replacement's expected lifetime and the reported
reductions in gas usage.

Even allowing a relatively low efficiency of the old boiler, and a 20
year life of the new one, it made no financial sense to replace an old
boiler just for gas efficiency reasons. I think £2k is a reasonably
fair price people quote on here for a boiler replacement (often higher
actually). Over 20 years, you'd need to save £200 per year (£17 per
month) in gas bills to recover the cost of the boiler, by which time
you'll then need to replace it!

In fact, many people dispute whether modern boilers are more
reliable/have as long a life as older style boilers. Are new boilers
expected to last 20 years, or more likely 10-15 (requiring a £300-£400
annual saving to recoup costs)? With all these PCB/fan failures you
hear of costing £100+ to fix each time, you wonder whether they're
actually saving people money.

Then you're ignoring the environmental cost of making the new boiler
(metals, energy, transportation, disposal of old boiler...)

Of course, if the boiler actually needs replacing due to failure/serious
old age etc, then it makes perfect sense to replace with a model which
is as efficient as possible. It just doesn't make sense the adverts you
see about "Replace your current boiler today and start saving!" if the
boiler still has some years left in it.

D

Please ignore my poor maths in that post! Halve all the savings I
mentioned! £200 = £100, £300 = £150 and £400 = £200.

Even so, the concept is still sound - there is little savings to be made
replacing a *perfectly working* boiler with an energy efficient model.
If you have to replace a boiler, then yes, replace with the most
efficient one you can.

D

 

[marpate1]

Hi David,

Completely agree. Added to this, it is very unlikely that we will stay
in this house for a long period which makes replacement less
attractive.

Thanks,
Mark