Hello everyone, I managed to interview a representative of a large service center serving gas boilers of famous brands. In the middle of winter, the information is useful to owners of heating equipment and a wide range of readers.
I took the interview in a conversational format, I tried to compose the material, highlight the very essence of the conversation. Getting started:
1) Introduce yourself, please, readers are interested to know who enlightens them.
Hello, my name is Arthur Akhatov, I am the Head of the service center "Heating Center Service". He began his career at the age of 16, repairing cell phones (4 years). Later he worked in the oil industry, servicing commercial oil metering centers. Fully conducted automation of oil metering (viscometers, density meters, turbines, mass meters). Carried out their verification and repair (3 years). Then I went to work with heating equipment. At the moment, already 7 years in this field. I started with the repair of gas equipment, I had to intensively study this topic, I went to training from different brands, I educated myself.
2) For many years of work in this field, you have met many boiler manufacturers. What are the most reliable
Now there is a huge selection of gas boilers on the market. Each country of the manufacturer of gas equipment has internal requirements, be it Germany, Italy, Korea or China. You also need to understand that many brands have moved production from Europe, for example, to Turkey or Russia, in order to somehow stay on the Russian market. The quality will accordingly differ, although the components are supplied from Europe. An important point, manufacturers calculate the service life, MTBF calculations and tests are carried out. None of them are interested in quick breakdowns, negatively affecting the brand name.
If you display a resume, I can say this, all boilers are reliable, the most important thing is in what conditions it is used, whether it is properly started and configured. This is the main factor that implies reliability. Naturally, there will be times when any elements of the boilers fail prematurely, often they associated with improper adjustment and frequent switching on of the equipment, which reduces the service life components.
Attention.
The article is quite long, but very important, I recommend that you save it to your bookmarks right now or send it to the person who owns the gas boiler, so as not to lose important information firsthand.
3) Which companies are the most economical boilers in terms of gas consumption?
The most economical boilers are "Germans". In their designs, volumetric heat exchangers are used, which allow good heat removal from the burner flame. In electronics, algorithms are used to maximize blue fuel economy. In general, the pedantry, the mentality of the Germans is reflected in their own developments. Gas boilers are no exception. Today, based on my experience, I can say that the German equipment is the most economical.
4) Economical condensing boilers are more and more recommended, are they worth it or are they expensive to maintain?
In Europe the use of condensing boilers is legally established. This is due to the high efficiency of the equipment and lower harmful emissions into the atmosphere.
In Russia the situation is completely different, many choose floor-standing, with a cast-iron heat exchanger or wall-mounted. Often their price is identical with condensing ones, or even cheaper, but the efficiency is not the highest. For condensing boilers, the advantages are obvious, they can operate at low power when needed, unlike traditional ones. Almost all boilers of this type use a frequency pump, which saves energy for it. work, as well as efficiently, more "sensitive" heat energy is distributed depending on the mode work.
Powerful the condensing boiler is smaller in comparison to the same conventional units. I would especially recommend boilers of this kind for rooms with high heat energy consumption. In addition, the price of gas is not getting lower and every year this issue will become more and more acute. And in terms of maintenance, as a specialist of the service center, I will say that it is easier to maintain such equipment, less time. Yes, skill is required. Don't worry about parts if maintenance is done regularly.
It's like cars with a turbine, people were afraid of them at the beginning, but now they take them with pleasure, the consumption is small, and it drives confidently. And here it is not clear how much those who have chosen an atmospheric engine, with the same power, will overpay for fuel when the price of fuel is constantly rising in price.
5) Maintenance of boilers must be performed at least once a year, what kind of work with the equipment can the owner perform and is it worth doing?
An important point, gas equipment is a complex technical device that requires high qualifications from the specialists working with them, the boiler does not forgive mistakes. In addition, not every technician can take and service the device. To do this, you must have an authorization and a certificate from the manufacturer, gas and electrical safety approval.
By setting gas boiler, commissioning is carried out by specialists who have permission for this type of activity. The manufacturer of the equipment gives a guarantee for its equipment only if the first start-up of the boiler was made by specialists whom they authorized (checked qualifications, trained). In addition, authorization is given only to those companies that have purchased a spare parts warehouse for a large amount (for warranty repairs). To always have an emergency stock of parts on hand.
So an authorized center are serious highly qualified specialists who are responsible for your equipment with their reputation. Performing maintenance of complex gas equipment on your own will not lead to anything good, therefore, once a year, especially the first time after commissioning, you should invite authorized specialists. Where to find them? Contact the hotline of the gas boiler manufacturer.
6) Is it possible to trust the work of servicing boilers to specialists from Avito and what documents to ask
With every During the day, there are more and more specialists with Avito, both in the installation and in the repair of boiler equipment. You need to understand that they absolutely do not bear any responsibility. They do not fill out the acts of strict accountability, they often do not pick up the pipes. Working with gas is no joke, if there is some kind of malfunction, a leak of fuel or carbon monoxide after their intervention, then the extreme cannot be found.
Moreover there is a deep misconception that private craftsmen are cheaper, this is not the case. They do not have specific prices, and upon arrival at the facility, his task is to swing the client for a certain amount, to impose additional work that may not be needed. Maybe he will not have applications for the next few days and he needs to earn here and now. Authorized service centers have established price lists. And additional amounts over the price list, no one will ask for.
We haveFor example, there is a six-month guarantee for the performance of work, for which we fulfill our obligations at our own expense. And private traders may not have this, or only in words. And where there is no guarantee, there is no quality of work performed. In addition, the prices for spare parts from the officials will not be higher than the manufacturer's recommended one. If it is higher, then ask yourself whether you are working with the specialist. The prices for spare parts can be found on the official websites of the manufacturers..
7) Can an unqualified specialist, due to his ignorance, adjust the boilers in such a way that there will be an excessive consumption of gas and the equipment will quickly fail?
Yes, this is easily done precisely because of ignorance of some points and features of the equipment, the lack of technical documentation on hand, which is given during training and authorization. Often, when setting the gas pressure, it starts to "clock" (frequent switching on, off the boiler) because of this, the boiler quickly breaks down. And the reason for this is the incorrectly set minimum gas pressure. We use German equipment, the same manometers, are calibrated annually.
Wrong the readings of the measuring equipment from a "specialist" will bring the boiler to an increased gas consumption and rapid wear, from which the owner of the equipment suffers for his own money. Also, a specialist with Avito may incorrectly (by eye) adjust the operation of the boiler through the service menu, without adjusting the gas valve. Thus, the efficiency of the boiler can be minimal, which leads to excessive consumption of gas.
8) Are specialists in boiler equipment maintenance in demand, where will they learn this and what is their salary?
In fact there are few good specialists, those students who graduated from the faculties of heat engineering and the like studied according to outdated programs. Nobody teaches modern boiler equipment in educational institutions.
Good an expert in this matter is certainly in demand. And finding a job in this area will not be difficult. The salary depends on the region and it is paid well. But you also need to understand that such specialists have an irregular schedule. It's normal to come home late. Especially with the beginning of the winter season. The work is not easy, but interesting.
9) Can a gas boiler explode and were there precedents in your practice?
In my practice, there were no explosions, and in principle this cannot be, provided that the equipment is not outdated! Today, many security systems are installed in the equipment. The same thermo-shutoff valves on the gas pipeline in case of a fire in the boiler room. Leakage alarms also turn off the gas supply valve to the boiler. When servicing boilers, we also check for gas leaks with a special Testo device, which sucks in the air mixture and immediately shows a leaking gas pipe connection. Unlike simple Sniffer, which may not notice the leak.
10) Please give me bad advice: How to ditch a new gas boiler in a couple of years?
- Invite a "competent" specialist who, for example, for a house of 150 squares, will assemble a heating system: "Leningrad" affecting the hydraulic characteristics of the system, especially the boiler.
- At the outlet of the 3/4 inch boiler, connect a polypropylene pipeline with a diameter of 25 mm, which is 16 along the inner wall. The flow area of the coolant is narrowed, this causes the pump to fail, overheating of the equipment and excessive gas consumption.
- Invite an advertisement specialist for the initial commissioning and annual maintenance of the boiler
11) Your wishes and recommendations to the readers of the "Plumbing Called" channel
When choosing boiler equipment, do not save much. A cheap boiler becomes expensive for repairs and spare parts. You can buy an inexpensive TV, it will break and break. And the breakdown of an inexpensive gas boiler, in the middle of winter, causes discomfort and nervous breakdown. All the same, reliable boilers are not cheap.
Before the purchase of boiler equipment, find out if there is an authorized center in your locality. If it is very far away, then the spare parts will take a long time or under warranty the spare parts will not be coordinated and replaced. And freezing the system because of this is an expensive pleasure. Therefore, it is important to have a service center around the corner under the brand of your equipment. So that you do not regret it later.
Seriously refers to the heating system, entrust the installation to trusted specialists. Trust shabashniki less. And always make a contract with any wage earners.
Warm everyone!
In gratitude for the provided, comprehensive information, I will leave links to the "Heating Center" on social networks I AM. Zen. Instagram.
Interviewed by Viktor Mikhailov, your author atYa Zen. I hope you have read the article and appreciate my work. Likes show that this format should be continued!