CHERTSEY

BOATS, BRIDGES, BOILERS ... IF IT'S GOT RIVETS, I'M RIVETTED
... feminist, atheist, autistic academic and historic narrowboater ...
Likes snooker, beer, tea, rivets and solitude, and is strangely fascinated by the cinema organ.
And there might be something about railways.
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Thursday 29 December 2011

Una Paloma blank blank blank


When Ed visited yesterday he brought with him a spare Paloma from his shed. Although it was tatty on the outside when we got the cover off its innards looked like new, and certainly in much better condition than the leaky one we've got, so it was with high hopes that Jim set about swapping them. No easy task of course, with both gas and water connections, and the flue to line up, and the whole thing mounted with very awkwardly placed screws. On top of that, the water connections were slightly different and had to be adapted. Still, after a couple of hours it was done, and with some trepidation Jim opened the isolating valve and I switched the water pump on... to find even more water pouring out than the old one, in exactly the same place. Bugger.

It'll have to be a new one then... Deja vue here; exactly the same happened with Andante. As Palomas are no longer made, pipes will have to be moved to fit a different model. On Andante we went for a Morco, but I never liked it; it never lit straight away when you turned the tap on, but after a brief delay, caught with a little whoomph outbof the hole in the front case. I never liked that for reason. On Tarporley they have a Vaillant; until I saw it I hadn't realised that this company, who make high quality domestic boilers (I've had one and was very impressed with it) also made LPG water heaters. But I've had no luck tracking down stockists - can anyone help me with that? I imagine that a Vaillant, if I can track one down, will, like its domestic counterpart, not be cheap, but could be worth paying extra for. Failing that it looks like a Morco or a Rinnai - does anyone have any recommendations?


8 comments:

  1. Limited to model numbers but might be a possibility

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PALOMA-WATER-HEATER-BOILER-CARAVAN-CAMPER-BOAT-PART-EX-/320807460687?pt=UK_Campervan_Caravan_Accessories&hash=item4ab19d5f4f

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  2. I should have added that if you look at the sellers "other items" he has Vaillant boilers for sale as well. With two defective Palomas you might come to some arrangement as I note he buys defective Paloma units.

    Best of luck!

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  3. I also had to replace my Paloma with a Morco and for the same reason. Compared to the Paloma it's rubbish so if thete is an alternative - and I was led to believe there wasn't - then I'd consider it.
    Jim

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  4. Have you considered this one
    http://www.leisureshopdirect.com/caravan/gas/Bosch_Water_Heaters.aspx
    Have no experience of the heater, but have used the company for spares

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  5. I wouldn't touch a Rinnai with YOUR barge pole! Vaillant have stopped manufacture but still supply some spares if you can find a 2nd hand one. Someone on Ebay refurbishes Palomas.
    AAh just checked anon post - thats the bloke.

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  6. I believe the Mike who has just posted is not the only one of the gas professionals to say that the Rinnais are a heap of droppings.

    I know some seem happy with them, and have no experience myself, but the people who's judgement I would really trust say "don't go near them", and that would be good enough for me.

    I think for new ones, your only option, really, is a Morco, but obviously people do recondition Palomas satisfactorily too....

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  7. Happy New Year.
    Vaillant [a German company I think] certainly have gas powered water heaters that can be fitted with stock parts to run on bottled propane. There isn't much point in sending you the Dutch pdf's but you should be able to find out more on www.vaillant.com where there is an English language option.
    Cheers, Andrew

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  8. appropos of nothing above, can you drop me an email (brentford at gmail dot com), as I have something insignificant you might like?

    ta

    Simon, tortoise

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