Need a new boiler as current one is 17yrs old

B Gas have quoted us over £3k ffs whilst AN Other just £1.5k ... my dilema is that ANO has suggested we get a condensing boiler whilst B Gas says it's not suitable - is it or not

House is (an average) detached 4 bedroom place, 2 toilets, 1 en-suite.

Cheers, TX.

 

I'd get freindly with a plumber / gas man mate, BG are crooks, my brother got a whole new system for 750.00 off his plumber mate and it wasnt the cheapest make either.

not a clue about a condensing boilers tho

 

a decent boiler is £1000 plus £100 for a filter, so £1500 sounds cheap

I just paid about £2k but that included re routing the gas and pipes and moving the new boiler to the loft it was Worcester Greenstar 42CDi Combination Boiler

 

Trouble is you have to factor in a power flush as well. Most boiler manufacturers warranties will be void if you don't.

 

£1500 is not too cheap.

See here Mr Central Heating - Worchester Bosch 30CDI for £1,147.00 plus fitting which will include power flush. So £1500/£1600 i'd pay.

I've got the above boiler and it really is a cracker, comes with 5 year warranty if fitted by an approved installer. You can search the Worchester Bosch website for an installer.

This is providing you want one of the better makes. If not you would get a Glow worm or the like installed for about £800 / £900

 

Here you go - 17 year old boiler














I'll get ma coat....

 

99% of boilers are condensing.

 

You will more than likely have to upgrade the gas supply to the newer boiler, and as said above you will need a powerflush. Some boiler manufacturers are happy with a filter now, but those are not cheap either.

Can you actually buy boilers nowadays that aren't condensing types?

 

Shame I don't know you TX. Other half could have got you a Boiler, staff discount. He works for Myson as Tech Services Manager

 

Ah, he might have said combi boiler rather than condensing?! He did mention that there is no need for a tank in the loft which suggests combi too

Would a combi be ok for a large ish house?

Cheers, TX.

PS. Is that pic from your personal collection Trout

 

I've heard combi boilers are crap for large houses..... I dunno why though

 

Combi will be fine as long as you get a good one.

The Worcester Bosch i recommended in my previous post would do the job but if i were you i'd go for the 42CDI (top of the range and about £2k) as that will be better for multiple bathrooms.

Don't whatever you do get anything smaller as it will not be powerful enough for the size of your house.

When choosing an installer, ask how long it will take and base your price for installing on this. I pay £160 a day for a plumber and wouldn't expect it to take any longer than a day for a straight swap.

 

Since the subject's come up, how does anyone rate those new energy-recovering boilers, that generate 'free' electricity from the flow of exhaust gas out of the boiler, as it burns fuel?

 

If you know a good local engineer that will fit good quaility equipment, do a good job, and come back if there are any problems, then go for it.

BG are expensive but they fit the best stuff, fit it well, and you get backup should there be any problems.

As with most things today, you get what you pay for!

 

Technology is too new and untested right now - give it 10 years and they might be worth a go?

Bit like with condensing boilers - Trisave turbo anyone!?!

 

This is partly down to the boiler but also I feel in many cases also due to how the existing pipework has been adapted by the installers when converting from a tank fed system to a mains fed system. This is because most boilers run a 15mm supply and feed pipe and if this is shared with the same 15mm supply for the cold taps it causes problems. Simply put there not enough flow to serve more than one bathroom (or hot water appliance) at the same time. Bearing in mind in most tank-fed installations, an existing 15mm cold feed was originally meant to serve just a few cold taps, not the whole house!


There are other factors too - the pipe work layout....if the cold feed pipe into the house is also 15mm, you end up having a 15mm pipe service both hot AND cold for the entire house. Add a factor that many 15mm isolating valves and stopcocks have a 10mm internal diameter and you have a heavily restricted flow rate, even if it is at mains pressure.

My mum's house was like this, despite high mains pressure, it was hopeless. Shower was great. One tap fine, two taps ok. One tap plus shower = a shock for anyone in the shower (even though it was thermostatic).

It seems that every plumber that worked on the house over the years (which included new heating systems, kicthens and bathrooms etc) just kept tee-ing everything off existing 15mm pipe. Of which was originally only intended to run the kitchen cold tap and fill a cold water header tank (i.e two taps!).

I've ended having to rip half of it out and and get it all manifolded in one place with seperate branches to serve each area of the house from a 25mm supply. This has vastly improved the situation.

 

No, No, No!

British Gas simply overcharge. A local reputable firm is a much better bet and you get the warranty from the manufacturer anyway, so don't have to worry about backup and you will get it done at a much more realistic price.

My whole central heating system was only £3k fitted and that was completely new pipework throughout the house for water and heating and a Worcester Bosch 30CDI Combi with 5 year guarantee.

No need to get ripped off by British Gas

 

brittish gas put my boiler and 7 radiators all new pipe work charged me £5000 then sent in a sub contractor who put a double radiator onto a plasterboard wall with no support woke up one day with it hanging off the wall robbing f+ckers

 

British Gas use a lot of sub contractors for central heating work

 

British Gas only give the standard 2 year warranty on Worcester Bosch, if you get a CDI or Si fitted before Xmas from an accredited installer there is a 7 year warranty.

Mog

 

I had a condensing boiler fitted a couple of months ago to replace our old normal combi boiler, I paid £800 for an all singing and dancing boiler that has the LCD wireless thermostat and I'm sure if you asked it to it could walk the dog and hoover the car and we went for a higher flow rate than what we had originally and the because it was a family friend he then fitted it for £300 which was only a days work which included the installalation of the need vent pipe thingy and the power flush.

Cost us £1100 for a job that BG quoted £3000 for and Npower quoted £2800 for and the guy we used was fully gas safe insured and I have no complaints at all with the boiler he installed.

 

£300 a day mates rates

 

I assume from the post that included materials, but £300-£400+vat per day is the norm, the £160 mentioned earlier is a joke or typo.

Mog

 

No, it was me who mentioned the £160 a day. That's what I pay for labour only on my properties whether it be gas work or plumbing. 300-400 a day labour only? Are you on drugs? That is not the norm at all unless your taking about 2 men.

If you pay a plumber the equivalent of £100k a year you are seriously foolish

 

Is that £800 fitted!?!

If so then I don't think it will be singing and dancing for very long!

What is it?

 

Something exotic he picked up in a club?