New combi boiler and tank removal

DominicH

I'm in outer London and last year had many quotes from independent RGIs and one from British Gas, for replacing a conventional boiler with a combi, including the option of relocating it to various locations such as the airing cupboard or the loft.

Cheapest was £3,000, BG wanted £5,000, most were approaching £4,000. I would love to know how people are getting it done for £2.5K. My quotes included things like running larger gas pipes (combis generally need 22mm, I had 15mm), adding piping for disposal of condensate, etc. There always seem to be extra costs like that.

Gemma83

thank you for your replies, I think they can see us sat here with no heating and hot water (and I've got a two year old) and think we will pay whatever out of desperation but I don't want to do it. we will just manage until we think we've got a reasonable deal.


Another question comes to mind, will a gas supply have to taken up to the airing cupboard or is there already one there? we were thinking that running a supply from downstairs where the old back boiler/gas fire is up through to the bathroom might be whats bumping the price up? I assumed there would already be a gas supply up in the bathroom but my husband disagrees.

glentoran99

DominicH wrote: »

I'm in outer London and last year had many quotes from independent RGIs and one from British Gas, for replacing a conventional boiler with a combi, including the option of relocating it to various locations such as the airing cupboard or the loft.

Cheapest was £3,000, BG wanted £5,000, most were approaching £4,000. I would love to know how people are getting it done for £2.5K. My quotes included things like running larger gas pipes (combis generally need 22mm, I had 15mm), adding piping for disposal of condensate, etc. There always seem to be extra costs like that.

mine included all that, London prices probably somewhat different though. Although could fly someone in put them up in a hotel for a week and still come out less than the OP quote

glentoran99

Gemma83 wrote: »

thank you for your replies, I think they can see us sat here with no heating and hot water (and I've got a two year old) and think we will pay whatever out of desperation but I don't want to do it. we will just manage until we think we've got a reasonable deal.


Another question comes to mind, will a gas supply have to taken up to the airing cupboard or is there already one there? we were thinking that running a supply from downstairs where the old back boiler/gas fire is up through to the bathroom might be whats bumping the price up? I assumed there would already be a gas supply up in the bathroom but my husband disagrees.

my house didn't even have a gas supply,

FreeBear

Highly unlikely you will have a gas supply in the airing cupboard or bathroom unless there had been an appliance in there in the past. Even if you did have pipes in place, they would most likely be 15mm - Way too small for a combi.

If your Baxi is anything like mine, it will also be fed with a 15mm pipe, so a bigger one will need to be installed all the way from the gas meter.


Why was the Baxi condemned ?
It could be that the guy couldn't be arsed to do a service and saw it as an opportunity to get a new install out of it. Baxi spares are still available, and those old units just keep on going.

Gemma83

Just had another guy round, seemed much more promising I think. agreed we could leave the cold water tanks where they are and they will just drain them (great, money saved there), will leave the gas fire
but make sure all disconnected and safe, gas pipe will be run from the cupboard under stairs, through kitchen outside up into loft and back down into bathroom. Sounds like the guys who condemned the old boiler saw us as a bit of a money maker and chucked in every job they could think of. I await this quote though so we shall see.

Gemma83

this sounds very very similar to our scenario so I cant see where they are getting 4K from either, thanks for your reply, very reassuring

silvercar

DominicH wrote: »

I'm in outer London and last year had many quotes from independent RGIs and one from British Gas, for replacing a conventional boiler with a combi, including the option of relocating it to various locations such as the airing cupboard or the loft.

Cheapest was £3,000, BG wanted £5,000, most were approaching £4,000. I would love to know how people are getting it done for £2.5K. My quotes included things like running larger gas pipes (combis generally need 22mm, I had 15mm), adding piping for disposal of condensate, etc. There always seem to be extra costs like that.

Same here. I've long given up on thinking that outer London prices bear any relation to the rest of the country.

zoothornrollo_2

FreeBear wrote: »

Why was the Baxi condemned ?
It could be that the guy couldn't be arsed to do a service and saw it as an opportunity to get a new install out of it. Baxi spares are still available, and those old units just keep on going.

This.
I once had a local plumber try to red flag our boiler (and flog us a new one) because he reckoned the end of the flue wasn't 300mm away from an openable window. Which turned out to be rubbish when another gas safe engineer measured it.

Chanes

For removal of an old central heating boiler; hot water - tank and cylinder and 11 old radiators

Replaced with a new condenser boiler (Vaillant) and 11 new radiators.
Building regs and guarantees complete too.

3k

But that is Manchester and I expect you could add more the further South you go?