New Boiler quotes

rev_henry

I have thus far had 3 quotes from reputable companies to replace our old boiler which I fear is on its last legs. Its a combi around 25 years old, running a bath is getting more and more difficult and I don't think there's any point spending any money on it.

1. Vaillant Ecotec plus 825. 8 year warranty £2100 OR ecotec pro824 6 year warranty £1900. PLUS magnetic filter £130. PLUS optional powerflush £300.
2. Glow worm ultimate 30, 10 year warranty £1800 or a lesser glow worm 25kw for £1700 with 7 year warranty.
3.Vaillant ecofit 825, 7 year warranty, £1650. Although that will probably be nearer £1700 as that quote only included a basic timer which we've since decided we want a better wireless one.

1 seems expensive, 2 and 3 include the magnetic filter which I understand one would be foolish not to have these days.

The added complication is that apparently we only have a 15mm pipe to the boiler which may or may not need upgrading to 22 or 28mm. All 3 seem to think we will probably be ok without if we stay at 25kw. Only 3 has quoted for upgrading the pipework for an additional £250.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the above. Are we likely to need the pipes upgrading? Do we need a powerflush? Will the 24kw be ok for running a bath, and a mixer/thermostatic shower which I'd like to get installed in the future? We only have 1 bathroom so won't be running both simultaneously.
And are any of the above boilers better than one another?

Alex1983

Is the 15mm pipe the gas, if so it will very likely need to be increased to 22mm minimum. The engineer will need to a gas pipe size calculation to know for sure. How far is the gas meter from the boiler?

rev_henry

Alex1983 wrote: »

Is the 15mm pipe the gas, if so it will very likely need to be increased to 22mm minimum. The engineer will need to a gas pipe size calculation to know for sure. How far is the gas meter from the boiler?

Yes, 15mm gas pipe. Its the other side of the house, of course. :mad: All seem to think they could get away with it on a 25kw boiler but cannot be 100% sure. The existing boiler is that wattage.

Alex1983

No chance.....how many meters is it roughly, I can give you a rough calculation.

rev_henry

Also are these fancy controls with weather compensation any good and worth the money? I.e. would it save any money. Atm we just turn the heating on and off manually when we're cold, so I'm thinking of just going for a wireless thermostat/timer, without apps etc.

rev_henry

Alex1983 wrote: »

No chance.....how many meters is it roughly, I can give you a rough calculation.

About 5 or 6, but its under the floorboards of course. One or two of the fitters have wondered if it only becomes 15mm towards the boiler end and if so this increases the chances of getting away with it. The house is around 25 years old.

bris

Just so you know the even though it's not mandatory to have a magnetic filter warranties are void if the system isn't flushed. It's part of the benchmark now. Any problems and a lot of manufacturers now test the water so bad water, no repair under warranty.


The installer needs to make sure the system is clean for the benchmark so charging an extra £300 is a bit much for something they should be doing anyway.

rev_henry

bris wrote: »

Just so you know the even though it's not mandatory to have a magnetic filter warranties are void if the system isn't flushed. It's part of the benchmark now. Any problems and a lot of manufacturers now test the water so bad water, no repair under warranty.


The installer needs to make sure the system is clean for the benchmark so charging an extra £300 is a bit much for something they should be doing anyway.

Yeah I don't intend to go without a magnetic filter as everyone without exception has said we should have one. I was wondering more about the powerflush. All the fitters will do a basic chemical flush included, but we can pay for a powerflush if necessary. None of the fitters have particularly said we do or don't need that though.

Alex1983

With out knowing if you have any other gas appliances etc and the number of bends etc a 6m run to a 25kw boiler roughly requires 22mm. If you can see the 22mm around the meter area it!!!8217;s likely that it changes to 15mm under your current boiler.

With regards the power flush have you had any sludge issues before? How old are your current rads/ system?

rev_henry

Ah yes now you mention it it's definitely 22 at the meter so changes at some point under the house. So it's not all 15mm just don't know how much.
We just have gas hobs, that's it.
Current system is around 25 years old, no sludge problem AFAIK. The rads get pretty hot throughout. Not been in the house more than about 18 months though.