Please help, 28 year old boiler has died

RenStar

I'm hoping someone can help me.

DH and I own an ex-LA flat which has Potterton Netaheat 10-16 MKIIe boiler. I have googled the boiler and found out it was manufactured in 1978. The boiler was last serviced by the previous owner in Mar 03, we brought and moved in Sep 03 and didn't think about servicing (stupid I know) because we hardly used it. There is a hot water tank in the bedroom along with two switches, one switch is for heating hot water only via electric (this what we normally use because we have a shower and is much quicker to get hot water this way) and another switch for the central heating. There is a lever that you pull up if you switch on the gas switch for hot water only and pull down if you use for heating and hot water (I think that's how it worked anyhow!)

This evening, I go to switch on heating for first time (using the gas switch in the bedroom) and nothing happens - there is no ignition light at all. There is also no 'red' button to start the boiler actually on the boiler (we had one of these in boiler in the flat we used to rent) All there is is a black dial which is lose and I suspect is broken. Also, the boiler used to be very noisy and you could hear it when it came on, but there is no noise now. The last time the boiler must have been used would either have been the depths of last winter or very early this year (Jan/Feb) - we usually wait till it really gets cold to turn on central heating, normally we just heat one room at a time with portable electric radiator but this was quite expensive last year)

We don't have central heating cover and I am dreading costs - I have no idea how much this is going to cost to fix or if we will need to replace the boiler. My husband thinks it will need replacing seeing as it's so old and probably doesn't conform to safety standards or something. I will start phoning around companies in the Yellow pages tomorrow but was wondering if anyone could advice how much it is likely to cost to repair or replace? Would it be better for us to replace it given its age? Please help us if you can.

Thanks in advance,

Ren-x

beanieandme

Well, as from April 2005 if you have to replace the boiler, it's government regulation to have a condenser boiler put in, unless of course it really is impossible to do so. Then there's other regulations to consider - depends on where your new flue is to go, how close it is to an opening window or neighbour's boundary. I don't know if your region does a scheme like for instance the Medway Fair Trading scheme, if they do, try looking up a plumber that way, or try looking up a local Corgi Registered plumber on the Corgi site or use the Institute Plumbing and Heating Engineers website. They will come out for a free estimate for installing a replacement, or advise you on what else might need doing, but of course do try to get several opinions before you go ahead with anything. A lot of plumbers can give you conflicting info, even though they know all the current regulations and are all Corgi registered. You may wish to update your existing system, there's all sorts to consider. Have a good browse of the net to introduce yourself to some new boilers - I know that the Worcester Bosch site - the Installer section - gives you info on the the new regulations.

roger56

Given the age of your boiler, most of the heating system may be aging.
You also say you tend to heat water electrically as it's quicker, that's probably costing and may well be in-efficient. I note you also seem to live in a flat.

As a suggestion consider this:
- Fit a condensing boiler that heats water on demand (combi boiler), this will be very efficient keeping those bills down.
- You can then get rid of the hot water tank and loft storage tank (if there is one), you should end up with further storage space.
- Flush the system out completely and replace old radiators if necessary - however given the systems age, IMHO it would be better to replace everything, take advice - get several quotes for upgrading and full replacement - perhaps apply for a free quote from British Gas
http://www.house.co.uk/cgi-bin/house/house/products/productDetail.jsp?BV_SessionID=HHHH0132532070.1164274220HHHH&BV_EngineID=cccdaddjhfekidkcefecfngdfhidfmn.0&channelId=-1073754745&_txtProdID=campaign_page&intCCNumber=06009400&_linkKey=chi_offers_feb06&_strType=INLINE.
- Make sure you have a good layer of loft insulation (if there is a loft) - you could do this yourself but do wear goggles and glove if handling the insulation.

Good Luck

ftbworried

We had our old boiler replaced with a combi boiler BUT we also had it moved from the kitchen (downstairs) to the bathroom (upstairs) so there was extra costs involved in that- and it came to £2000 (inc fitting and VAT). We also went for a decent worcester bosch boiler. I suspect that you COULD get it done for around £1500 with a cheaper boiler and easy access.

(Also by the way, our gas usage went down from £25-30 a month to £7 a month!!!!)

beanieandme

ftbworried wrote:

We had our old boiler replaced with a combi boiler BUT we also had it moved from the kitchen (downstairs) to the bathroom (upstairs) so there was extra costs involved in that- and it came to £2000 (inc fitting and VAT). We also went for a decent worcester bosch boiler. I suspect that you COULD get it done for around £1500 with a cheaper boiler and easy access.

(Also by the way, our gas usage went down from £25-30 a month to £7 a month!!!!)

Was it a condensing one though? Seems a bit cheap to me, especially for a W Bosch condensing combi.

The cost also depends on if your water feeds are mains pressured etc - you may need various alterations. You may have to have a new gas lead in (22ml)

ftbworried

beanieandme wrote:

Was it a condensing one though? Seems a bit cheap to me, especially for a W Bosch condensing combi.

I dunno, it was a Greenstar 30Si.

beanieandme

ftbworried wrote:

I dunno, it was a Greenstar 30Si.

Sounds like a good deal to me :beer:

beanieandme

I just got quoted £3k for changing from a convensional system to having a combi system and new condensing combi installed - it would be installed where the old one is now (Greenstar 25Si for a 1990s 2 bed semi). URK!

Lstclair55

We use Corgi installers all the time at work and when we have had to have a boiler replaced, the guys recommend Worcester Bosch for their reliability, but also scope for available parts should it break down in the future, plus they are usually less than other boilers sometimes. When we have had conventional boilers replaced with Combi's, it has come out at £2,000 to include flushing the system, re-jiggin the pipe-work, installation and commissing.

If you are close to Leicester I can provide you with contacts for reliable plumbers if needed.

beanieandme

Kent, but thanks anyway