Time for a new boiler?

missingink

I would really appreciate some advice on out boiler; Vaillant VCW GB 242 EH/ 282 EH

Our CO2 detector went off Tues night. Emergency engineer came & suspected a faulty detector but as they don't carry CO2 monitoring equipment, he suggested I call out an independent engineer to give the boiler a service. He said the boiler looked fine.

Engineer came today. Looked at the boiler, said 'oooh, that's an old one', noted that it was leaking & the pressure was high. He let some water out the system by opening the rad valve downstairs & got me to hold a bowl to catch the water.

He then said the pressure was lower, but that he wouldn't service the boiler. He said if he did & replaced seals, it would just cause more problems. He asked if I could smell rubber in the water & I told him I could. He said this was because the diaphram wasn't working/had gone. He also said something else 'had gone'. Forgot what he called it, but it's located on the left hand side. I've looked in the mannual but can't make head nor tail of it in relation to the boiler!:o

Basically, he said he can't get the parts as the boiler/parts are 'obsolete'. I told him that when we bought the house in 2005, we were told that the boiler was new. He told me we'd been lied to & that the unit is at least 20 years old!:eek:

He tested for CO2 & said it was fine, but told me to budget for a new boiler. I asked approx cost & he said he would fit 'like for like' for £1500.:eek:

He left saying he wouldn't charge me anything for coming out, which I was v grateful for.:)

Couple of points;

Is the boiler really obsolete or can it be repaired?
Is it worthwhile getting a second opinion?
Can we claim for a new boiler on the house & contents insurance?
If we do have to have a new boiler, is the price quoted fair? Seems like an awful lot to me & we really can't afford it!

Thank you in advance.:)

BaldPlumber

missingink wrote: »

Is the boiler really obsolete or can it be repaired?
Is it worthwhile getting a second opinion?
Can we claim for a new boiler on the house & contents insurance?
If we do have to have a new boiler, is the price quoted fair? Seems like an awful lot to me & we really can't afford it!

Thank you in advance.:)

1. It's pretty old, but I am sure it can be repaired
2. Why not, but you should expect to pay for it
3. No, of course you cannot
4. Price seem reasonable, work out the cost over 10 years

Mankysteve

£1500 being a good price depends on what the boiler is and how much work is required. If its a rubbish boiler from B&Q and is straight swap with minimal pipe work it could eb rip off. If its a good quality boiler such as a Worcester then it could be good price.

I would get a second opinion on repair though.

ormus

there are companies around here, advertsing bosch/vaillant boliers fitted, for that same price.
you dont have to have a cheap and cheerful boiler.

gas4you

You need to try to find a time served old Vaillant engineer. They could fix this with thier eyes shut!

Luckily my mate is one, in fact he only takes on Vaillant boilers now, old and new.

moonrakerz

You've had the "cowboy" in to have a look at it - I would suggest you now find a trustworthy "indian" !

I bet when he said "oooh, that's an old one" he also sucked his teeth !
He asked if you could smell rubber and you agreed. A common trick on lots of things - I can smell bovine manure too ! Can you ?

missingink

moonrakerz wrote: »

You've had the "cowboy" in to have a look at it - I would suggest you now find a trustworthy "indian" !

I bet when he said "oooh, that's an old one" he also sucked his teeth !
He asked if you could smell rubber and you agreed. A common trick on lots of things - I can smell bovine manure too ! Can you ?

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

He DID suck his teeth..AND shook his head!lol

Those kind of thoughts did cross my mind to be honest, but I'm trying not to be my usual cynical self, which is why I came here for advice.:)

missingink

andrew-b wrote: »

Small point but ..it's CO (carbon monoxide from incomplete combustion) not CO2 (carbon dioxide) ...sorry as a chemistry graduate i can't let that go lol!

Before you do anything go get a new carbon monoxide alarm. Then get a second opinion from either Vaillant themselves (they do servicing) or from a local installer who fits them.

What a doofus I am!:o Never did like chemistry, much prefered biology!:)

Don't know what sort of alarm to go for. This was an audiable one by Kidde which has good reviews, but emergengy engineer said he didn't rate any of the audiable ones much!:eek:

Looked into calling Vaillant & I know they charge a flat fee of around £175 just to come out, or so I've been told.

missingink

gas4you wrote: »

You need to try to find a time served old Vaillant engineer. They could fix this with thier eyes shut!

Luckily my mate is one, in fact he only takes on Vaillant boilers now, old and new.

I know. Unfortunately, this guy was not one of them.

missingink

BaldPlumber wrote: »

1. It's pretty old, but I am sure it can be repaired
2. Why not, but you should expect to pay for it
3. No, of course you cannot
4. Price seem reasonable, work out the cost over 10 years

3. I figured as much myself, but I have been told by others that it is possible to make a claim, this is why I asked.

missingink

Forgot to mention in first post, although the engineer released the excess pressure in the system, after he left & the heating came on, the pressure went back up to 2.5-3 bar. When the heating goes off, it only goes down to 1.5-2 bar, which is above the red needle.

Can't understand why the pressure is so high when the boiler is leaking. Would make more sense for the pressure to be too low, surely.