Dead Worcester Celsia 24LE - what now?

pithakos

Hi all,

Husband and I recently purchased our first flat (1 bed, period) and 2 months in, our 13+ year old boiler has gone abruptly kaput. Our M&S Home Insurance policy covers home emergency repairs so has paid for the engineer from Kier to pronounce it DOA but wont pay to replace it or install the new one.

Being the pragmatic soul that I am, I have taken to the internet to get a number of quotes from local engineers/plumbers and the variance between the quotes so far is huge (£1400 all in-£2250+VAT).

We've been recommended the Vaillent Eco-Tec Pro 28 and that's what most of the quotes are for. We're told that it's a pretty straightforward job - old out, new in. But the more expensive quotes mention power flushes and compulsory thermostatic valves, not to mention that it's clear that most of the engineers we've spoken to have a cashback relationship with Vaillant so we're not even sure if that's the best one to go for or just the one they'll get money back on?! Feeling a bit overwhelmed and cranky at the thought of being taken for a ride at a time when we really can't afford it!

I'm not even sure what the best way to pay for this is - it is silly to get credit cards involved? We can afford to pay off in full, it just would give us some room to breathe. If we pay cash we'll have to dip into savings and that's not something I wanted to do as we're saving for a bathroom renovation.

Any tips, tricks, advice or engineer recommendations for SW London would be hugely appreciated!

EXBGENGINEER

Your boiler is very old. As an ex-engineer, i have heard a good honest company in South London..... Capital Gas Services Ltd... i have heard good things about them and they work for BG

alleycat`

What is actually dead on it?
Was it condemned or just outside what your insurance company are prepared to deal with?

You can still get parts for this boiler (quick google shows that).
It might not be economical to repair but I'd expect them to have told you exactly what is dead on it?

It appears (doing some reading) to be a rebadged Worcester 24 Cdi.
Can someone else confirm this for the OP?

Off the back of that you can work out what a repair might cost and if it will get you another year (and into a better financial position?).

pithakos

Good questions and thanks for responding.

Actually, Capital Gas Services Ltd did a gas safety inspection and servicing for us in April at which time they certified it as A-OK. We're actually following up with them as the engineer felt that the problem which killed the boiler could easily have been months old and whoever missed it was falling down on the job...

The engineer who came today opened up the casing and found that the heat exchanger had been leaking and had completely corroded and rotted away everything beneath including the burner and combustion chamber. He actually condemned it as totally unsafe and has cut it off from the gas completely, as well as pointing out that it had been posing a serious risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

M&S would have paid up to £1000 and then it would have kicked back to us which seems a reasonable amount - since Kier weren't on the hook for any of it it seems unlikely that he'd have condemned it and advised us that there was nothing we could do? Engineers have seen it since and said the same thing.

Thanks again - any further advice is more than welcome!

alleycat`

I suspect that changes the game and you are going to need a new one.
Was worth a thought.

Edit:- I'd suggest a carbon monoxide alarm installed with next boiler (more costs)...

Canucklehead

OP: get three full spec. quotes from RGIs recommended to you by a source you trust. If you go with a Vaillant, opt for the ecoTEC Plus rather than the Pro. Your installer should be able to offer you a 5 year P + L warranty. More advice here.

Canucklehead