Repair or Replace? New Boiler Question

MrsChips

Hello - I have a Worcester 240 Boiler which is over 10 years old. The Boiler has been playing up now for over a year and I think it may be time for a replacement.

Can somebody give me a rough cost of a replacement boiler and also an idea of where to buy one from - I've seen an offer on the British Gas website that says you can save up to £400 - but i'm guessing you may be able to get cheaper elsewhere?

I would also need one on finance as I doubt I'd be able to afford to pay out right - Is this possible?

Or should I just get it repaired? The problem is that when I have the CH on and then run a bath or shower I can hear loud banging noises in the boiler pipes and then it seems to over heat and switch itself off. Once the Pilot light is out I cant re-light it. I've tried the bleeding and topping up method which works for a while, but this time I've not been able to re-light it now for 3 days...
i'm in desperate need of a hot bath and a warm house :eek:

Can any one advice?

catkins

Hi,
Ten years is not that old really if it has been looked after. I would have thought it would be an idea to get it looked at by a qualified person. Beware ads in yellow pages as some of the less reputable maintenance companies use them to advertise, usually charging by the half hour. There is a chance that your existing boiler can be coaxed for a few more years service. What area are you in? Good Luck.

MrsChips

What area are you in? Good Luck.

Catkins - thanks for your advice, I'm in north wales.

I've just done some calculations and we think that the boiler could be 13-15 years old, cant be sure as We've only lived here for 5 years.

I'll call our regular plumber to come and have a look at it again because I've just been looking at the cost of replacing a boiler and I dont think we could afford it right now anyway

Pssst

Repair-do a google,Worcester have their own repair network.

david29dpo

If you have a new boiler, the last people to use are BG!!

Ettenna

BG quoted me over £6000 to replace my old boiler with a new one. Local plumbers have quoted between £2500 and £3000. Just a bit of difference. BG also got really stressy when I wouldn't sign there and then to ahve the work done.

MrsChips

Thanks for your comments about BG - I thought that might be the case so i think i'll avoid them, it was just their finance offer that attracted me to them.

I think weve decided to get it repaired, got the plumber coming out tommorrow. In the meantime I am sitting here wrapped in 3 layers of clothing and a scarf - Why do they always go wrong at the coldest time of the year!!

steve-o_3

New boiler fitted should be anywhere around the £2k+ mark from an honest plumber.

However, there isn't really much to a boiler and they're fixed relatively easily if you know how. Unfortunately most people don't know how and so this is how Mr.Plumber earns so much money!

Worcester actually have a very VERY good helpline service. They'll talk you through all the tests and help you find the faulty part to replace yourself. So it might cost you £5 or whatever if you're on the phone for an hour, but its worth a shot before you go spending ££££'s!

I had a problem with my Worcester 24i a few months back, used the phone helpline (available from their website) and found it was a loose ignition transformer on the main circuit board which meant intermittantly it would lock out and not refire.

If you want to use their helpline, I'd find your downloadable service manual (also very VERY good and have lots of step by step fault finding guides and flow charts of how the boiler should work) off their site, print it off, and have some tools ready before you call.

Worth a try!

Steve.

coolagarry

I was in a similar position and had a private central heating engineer replace it with a Valliant Ecotec plus. It cost just under £2000. It is such an improvement and so efficient that I wish I had done it years earlier.

With something like that I would always go for the best boiler possible as the labour (which is over half of the cost) is the same whether you have an excellent or a rubbish boiler fitted.

mike_the_bike_2

Either the diverter valve needs replacing (not a big job) or
heat exchanger (expensive)....however if you can find a decent one man band to fix it ..it will be a lot cheaper than a new one!

MrsChips

Hi all..... Well the Plumber has just left....

Hers's a list of the parts that need replacing (Ouch! Sounds expensive)

Expansion Vessel, Pressure Release Valve, Over Heat Thermostat and (aplogies for not knowing the correct term) a small pipe at the top of the boiler that has been damaged from overheating and has lost its thread?

He's giving us a call later today to tell us the cost involved in replacing these parts.

Any ideas how much they should be so we know what to expect?