Replacing Potterton 'Neataheat' boiler?

matelodave

You probably wont get your boiler changed for less than £2k, probably more. Even if you save £250 a year it will take you at least eight years before it starts to pay back.

IMO keep it going for as long as you can and start saving for a new one so you are prepared when it eventually goes.

teddysmum

Cardew wrote: »

The principle of 'if it ain't broke etc' still applies!

With a boiler that old, a modern boiler might save 30% - 40% as your boiler will have a pilot light which can consume a surprising amount of gas.

Also you need to get quotes for both the boiler and fitting. The regulations have changed a lot over the years and it will not be simply a case of slotting in a new boiler in place of the old boiler. There will be changes to the flue, and it might need bigger diameter gas pipes.

Some of the new boilers have a 10 year guarantee, subject to correct servicing.

Very likely to need new piping , as our Potterton was not as old as the OP's and we had to have replacement.

FullForce

omnipeta wrote: »

Thank you all for your valuable advice, I'd like to keep my 'Neataheat' going and have a brand new 'Grundfos' pump which I purchased years ago when I thought the original had broke( friend said 'give it a tap' it's worked ever since) :-)
Problem is I believe that if it wasn't the pump then other spares are 'impossible' to find?

I guess you mean the Potterton Netaheat boiler.

Whilst there have been a number of later versions of this boiler that carry this name, some spares are still available for the original Netaheat boiler that was introduced in the 1970s
e.g. Flue fan, spark generator, thermostat, etc

There are some components that cannot be sourced as new any longer, but even here you can sometimes find them offered secondhand on ebay or use a generic alternative (some may say doing so is not in line with todays gas regulations, but what I would say is that those regulations didn't exist when this boiler was first installed!)
e.g. Air pressure switch, relays, etc

Short of a crack or extensive corrosion of the heat exchanger (which is usually curtains to any boiler), then the 2 main culprits that could cause you problems are a faulty solenoid gas valve or a faulty mercury vapour valve switch, neither of which are now available new, there is no known generic alternative that can be used, and it's very rare to find these 2 components offered second hand.

But until your's fails (and it may not for many, many more years to come) then don't worry about it.

What I would also say is that this is now an old boiler, and as such operates quite differently to modern boilers. Young gas engineers are not specifically taught about this old boiulers and may be quick to condemn due to their lack of understanding. As you know, it's a boiler from the 1970's and I would urge you to seek out a qualified gas engineer that was also around at that time and so hopefully remembers these older boilers and accustomed to how they operate ... in case you ever need to call them, although you've not appeared to have needed to for the last 40 years..