To replace boiler or not?

SELondonLady

We just bought an old Victorian conversion with what looks like an old Vaillant boiler. We had a boiler man come and inspect it when we moved in who said it was high time we replace it with a newer model. And lo and behold, three weeks later, the boiler is broken -- the ignition won't come on. We hear the clicks and the whirring noise but no heat/hot water. We have no experience with boilers having only rented in mansion blocks with central heating systems. Should we just get this repaired or fork out for a new boiler?

boliston

best to find out the cost of repair and what has gone wrong before deciding

Grenage

As above. The cost of a new boiler and installation will buy you a lot of gas; the repair cost will probably be trivial if the parts a available.

parking_question_chap

Why exactly did he suggest a new boiler? was he recommended?

Changing a boiler because its old isnt really a reason.

southcoastrgi

It's difficult to be sure but from your description it doesn't sound an expensive fix

Sicard

If you decide on a new one go for a combi-boiler. It will save you money in the long term.

benten69

The main problem with old boilers is that sourcing spare parts can be difficult or even impossible if they are really old. Other than that, older ones with less electronics have less things that generally fail and can go on for years.

JP1978

Sicard wrote: »

If you decide on a new one go for a combi-boiler. It will save you money in the long term.

Will it?

When BG did our servicing, every year they said that a new combi boiler is cheaper to run, blah blah blah and we should replace our old normal boiler as it costs more to run and parts are not always available blah blah blah.

Even looking at the costs of a non british gas installation, it would take 10 to 15 years of savings on the gas bill to pay off the cost of the boiler - even more if you have to pay for replacement pipework or a relocation. Yet the average life of a combi boiler is 10 years (the BG engineers words)

So, if thats the case, how can it be cheaper to replace a boiler that is working fine (assuming yours may just need a service / minor fix and then regular services thereafter) with one with an average lifespan of ten years?

Get a quote for it to be fixed, as long as it doesnt break every few months it will be cheaper to keep it until it dies or the parts need to fix are not available (even from ebay). Mind that a lot of old boilers have cast iron heat exchangers - they dont break often!

Sicard

JP1978 wrote: »

Will it?

When BG did our servicing, every year they said that a new combi boiler is cheaper to run, blah blah blah and we should replace our old normal boiler as it costs more to run and parts are not always available blah blah blah.

Even looking at the costs of a non british gas installation, it would take 10 to 15 years of savings on the gas bill to pay off the cost of the boiler - even more if you have to pay for replacement pipework or a relocation. Yet the average life of a combi boiler is 10 years (the BG engineers words)

So, if thats the case, how can it be cheaper to replace a boiler that is working fine (assuming yours may just need a service / minor fix and then regular services thereafter) with one with an average lifespan of ten years?

Get a quote for it to be fixed, as long as it doesnt break every few months it will be cheaper to keep it until it dies or the parts need to fix are not available (even from ebay). Mind that a lot of old boilers have cast iron heat exchangers - they dont break often!

Have a read of this https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/249325