When to actually decide to get a new boiler ..

another_casualty

Howdy!
Rather than rehashing an older thread on here , I just want to see what the best way to go regarding the above .

Briefly, My boiler is around 12-15 years old . I have a monthly policy where it gets serviced annually plus any other time .
I have had replacement parts put in ( diverter valve& heat exchanger from 2 other companies prior to finding this company .)
I had an emergency engineer come out who basically condemned it
He spent a few hrs fixing heat exchanger and put in another part which I cannot remember right now.
He never got back to giving me a quote for new boiler approx 3 weeks ago

I thought it best to get a new boiler , due to the emergency engineer condemning it . However ( fingers crossed) , everything works fine

I've been told by friends not to buy a new boiler until it actually packs up for good, and that the last guy was scaremongering .

Being November , and times being hard, what's the best way forward ?

Thanks

RelievedSheff

The boiler in our old house was 30 years old. (Potterton Suprima) it plodded on with very little attention needed. It was one of those things that was always on the list to replace but we didn't do it while it was working.

If yours is now working fine I wouldn't replace it until it does fail.

All that said though the brand new boiler in our new home is far more efficient than the old one and runs on fresh air in comparison.

dunroving

If it's working , I wouldn't replace it. You won't recoup the costs for decades, so unless it needs constant repair, it's not worth it.

Another thought is that you may want to move it at some future date. Better to replace it then, rather than replace now, and have to pay to have the new one moved in a couple of years.

G_M

another_casualty wrote: »

Briefly, My boiler is around 12-15 years old . I have a monthly policy where it gets serviced annually plus any other time .
I have had replacement parts put in ( diverter valve& heat exchanger from 2 other companies prior to finding this company .)
I had an emergency engineer come out who basically condemned it
He spent a few hrs fixing heat exchanger and put in another part which I cannot remember right now.
He never got back to giving me a quote for new boiler approx 3 weeks ago

I thought it best to get a new boiler , due to the emergency engineer condemning it . However ( fingers crossed) , everything works fine

So he condemned it, and yet he fixed it! It now has new heat exchanger + 'another part'. Sounds like it has life left. Maybe another year, maybe another 10 years. Time will tell.

chrisw

Probably worth starting to put some money aside every month so when it does need replacing you've at least got a chunk towards it.

missile

Any boiler can be repaired, as long as the spare parts are available.

The heat exchanger started leaking on my unit. It still worked and would have been more cost effective to repair, but I decided to replace the unit. I am very pleased, the new boiler is more efficient and makes MUCH less noise than the old one did.

Mutton_Geoff

another_casualty wrote: »

I had an emergency engineer come out who basically condemned it

If it was "condemned" then he should have shut off the gas and put a sticker on it. Not sure how it can still be running.


Clearly not an "engineer" since engineers have degree level training and qualifications. Why plumbers etc are called "engineers" when really all they are is a "technician" with a much more basic skill set. The title engineer implies some higher level of skill than you might be getting for your money.


What make/model of boiler is it? Some of the older Potterton cast iron jobs can go on for years with regular maintenance. If you have one of those contracts and keep calling the firm out, there will be a point they do the hard sell on a new boiler to avoid them losing money. Best to get a local independant heating technician out to look at it and quote for a new boiler. If you wait til it breaks, you'll be opening yourself up for a higher cost for an urgent replacement in the winter.

Lgas

Mutton Geoff whilst you might find the term irritating, you will find that is a standard job description for a gas qualified "person". The Oxford English dictionary's first definition of the word engineer is 1. A person who designs, builds, or maintains engines, machines, or structures.

I maintain machines, I am a gas engineer, that is what we're called.

Edit: I am also definitely not a plumber!

another_casualty

The boiler in question is a glow worm flexicon 30cx
Thanks for your help everyone .
Mutton Geoff , you have got me thinking , regarding heating technician
I'm not sure I can ask for one in my present situation , which is me paying a monthly fee to a company for annual service etc
Must admit I've never seen one advertised when looking for assistance with the boiler . Something to consider further down the line maybe

Weighing things up now , it is still confusing that the emergency engineer who was basically slagging off this machine , has not got back to me to give me a quote for a new Worcester ( which is what he sells)
Maybe he was scare mongering. If so he could have made a sale. Odd.

Lgas

another_casualty wrote: »

The boiler in question is a glow worm flexicon 30cx
Thanks for your help everyone .
Mutton Geoff , you have got me thinking , regarding heating technician
I'm not sure I can ask for one in my present situation , which is me paying a monthly fee to a company for annual service etc
Must admit I've never seen one advertised when looking for assistance with the boiler . Something to consider further down the line maybe

Weighing things up now , it is still confusing that the emergency engineer who was basically slagging off this machine , has not got back to me to give me a quote for a new Worcester ( which is what he sells)
Maybe he was scare mongering. If so he could have made a sale. Odd.

You can still get the parts for that boiler, it's an A rated condensing boiler and if it's had a new heat exchanger it will have years left in it! You won't have seen "heating technician" advertised because literally NO ONE is called that. They can have problems with the plastic sump/flue collector cracking and leaking but I would assume that has already been replaced.

bris

Obviously he didn't actually condemn as he wouldn't fit the new parts if he was capping it off.


If you have a cover that fixes it when it breaks then don't buy a new boiler. The replaced parts could be good for another 10 years so leave it until it really is properly condemned.