Boiler help

bobbyblade

We have a standard gas boiler that we are looking at changing and after having a survey we qualify for a grant so to replace with a combi boiler we have to put £600 towards it ,our hot water supply is rubbish anyway taking several minutes to run hot , we are not on water meter so was wondering should we go ahead and have if fitted , thoughts please

fifthofwhisky

I switched many years ago from an old gas boiler to a combi. There wasn't much wrong with the old (1964) boiler for central heating but lack of instant hot water and demand from family swung the decision. The hot water had been gravity fed so water pressure for a shower was another consideration. I cannot recall what the gas bills were back then though I'm sure they were a lot lower.

We had a no-name combi installed back around 2001-2. It worked fine until 2015. The problem was mainly with the diverter valve (switching between heating and hot water) but we decided to replace it since we also got a grant (part payment) and it was the best part of 15 years old. The new boiler is a Vaillant, which I'm guessing is more energy efficient than the previous two (I think this was mentioned by the installer as another reason to upgrade than repair the old combi). It has been fine in 5 years of service but occasionally (in winter) I notice a very slight weep from the diverter valve (which gets fairly heavy family use). A kit is available to replace the diverter cartridge and seal cheaply (a 30 minute job). This is a weak point of some combi boilers but considering the use and age I think of it as a service item.

The downside of a combi is the drop in water pressure when someone turns on a hot tap and you are in the shower (or vice versa). Generally it's not a big problem since people adapt to that limitation.

Not sure if you had a timer on the old boiler but that was another change with the combi having a fully programmable timer.

I'd probably go with one of the main brands and take out a service plan (which can be had for about £50 p.a.) and that is probably necessary anyway for warranty purposes. The boiler we purchased only had a two year warranty though it's been fine aside from the minor problem I mentioned.

Hope that helps.