Condensing boilers "multi-billion-pound con-trick"

oldandhappy

My brochure says wall mounted combi compact VCW-GB 242EH OR 282EH wonder what type that is?
Just found the 'bill' is says VCW 242E RSF combi for quote on 18th August 1994...£2935 that was including a whole new system and removing existing storage heaters as well:D

keith_r59

amcluesent wrote: »

Did your central heating break down in the big freeze? Here's why...

The recent cold snap has revealed a major problem with condensing boilers. Tens of thousands of people found themselves shivering as their shiny new boilers cut out without warning. In cold weather, the pipe that takes waste water from the back of the condensing boiler — which isn’t there in a normal boiler — freezes solid, shutting down the system and in many cases causing permanent damage.

British Gas is understood to have had 60,000 call-outs in Yorkshire alone. And the cost to call out a plumber? It can be between £200 to £300 on a bank holiday. And don’t forget about VAT.

You might get 20 years out of one of the old ones, but it is more like three to six years out of one of these new ones. In fact, if it goes wrong after four years, you are better off replacing a condensing boiler altogether because of the horrendous cost of the parts.

So the message is clear: if you have an old boiler, provided it is working properly and is serviced regularly, you are almost certainly better off keeping it until it is beyond economic repair. Parts will be cheaper, it will be less likely to break down and there is no danger of it stalling on the coldest night of the year.

I have a few observations on this Daily Mail article:

1) The problem with the condensate pipe freezing is down to poor installation standards so all this has highlighted is that there are a lot of cowboys installers out there
2) People calling out British Gas have probably purchased their Homecare product so it hasn't cost the customer a penny
3) Top end boilers will have a minimum of 5 years parts and labour guarantee as long as they are serviced each year so I fail to see where this three to six years life span figure comes from
4) It will generally be cheaper to fix a boiler as opposed to replacing it due to the labour costs involved

However, they do make one valid point which is don't replace your existing boiler until it is beyond economic repair. If you have money to spend then I recommend using it to insulate your home first.