New boiler advice? Help to pay? PIP/disability

supersezzie

Hi, I'm in a real quandary and hoping folks can help. My 15 year old condensing boiler has broken. The engineer thinks the new valve it needs will cost around £500 fitted. It feels hardly worth it when the boiler could go at any time, they say they don't last much longer than 15 years. Plus he can't guarantee that's even the part that's faulty, he just thinks it's most likely.

We don't have the money to pay for a new boiler right now and are debating using the immersion heater and waiting until September or something. I have seen there are schemes around that might help pay for one but most telly on you being a low income family or on benefits. 

Meanwhile, I've been off work since March following a recent diagnosis of ME. I'm planning to apply for PIP and I know this could open up schemes but I'm bracing myself for a long drawn out process that could lead to appeals /tribunals etc before an award is made as I have very little faith in the system. I'm not on any other benefits as my income and my partners is above the threshold, but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to go back to work and I drop to half pay soon. 

I just don't know what to do. Spend out a little and hope my boiler makes it another couple of years? At risk of it being a wasted £500 fix? Wait and see if I can get some kind of grant, potentially having no heating right through until October or later if pip takes that long, and again running the risk that I will be rejected and will have waited for nothing? Or just go for broke and get a new boiler now, and find the money on a credit card deal? If I do get a new one, do I stick with a condensor or is it worth paying extra for a combi? 

I really didn't want more debt right now, when I could lose my job and all of my money is going on treatments :-/ Any guidance welcome! 

supersezzie

Bump! Can anyone help a girl out?! 

Gerry1

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tacpot12

I would suggest you get a second opinion from the boiler manufacturer. Most manufacturers have a engineering service, and they will be better able to diagnose the problem and supply parts at a reasonable price. A valve shouldn't be £500. It should be about £250 fitted at most. A new boiler is going to be c£3000. I would get your old one repaired until it is beyond economic repair. You need to start saving for a new boiler now, just in case you are never awarded PIP. 

MWT

Also a lot of the manufacturers have a 'no fix no fee' flat rate insurance backed repair option that would usually be cheaper than the quote you've been given...

macman

Exactly what 'valve' has failed? I think you need a new GSR engineer, not a new boiler. You need someone who can do proper fault-finding, not just a parts swapper who is happy to charge you £500 for a fix that he says may or may not work. Make and model? There are plenty of boilers that will last more than 15 years.
A combi boiler is a condensing boiler: all new domestic installs must be condensing boilers. A combi will be more expensive to install because you will need to do the extra plumbing work needed to remove the existing hot tank. No one can advise if a combi is suitable without knowing more about the property, water flow rate, gas supply etc.

supersezzie

Thank you for all your responses. The boiler is a Worcester greenstar 24RI installed in October 2006. I want too give the gas engineer his due, he seemed to know exactly what he was talking about and not try to be making excess money out of me (I know that doesn't prove anything!). But I went off local recommendations and he initially went and got new spark bits and fitted them because it wasn't firing up and he said this was the best place to start as it's a cheap quick fix if we're lucky and they would be changed in a service and our service was overdue. So we went with that first but when they failed he said its almost certainly the valve because he can see no issue with the control panel, he's just not guaranteeing that because there is the risk that if he replaced it and it still doesn't work so he's covering his back that he can't be 100%. He hasn't even charged me for coming to my house twice and changing the whatdyamacallits as he said if he comes back to do the main repair or for a new boiler he can take them back if not needed. So he's been the opposite of making money out of me. If anything I owe him right now.

He also told me several times about where it might be better to call Worcester for the callout and was helping me to decide the cheapest option. The trouble was the valve was no longer made and the new one that fits was over £300 plus VAT, and then he said it depends how long it takes to fit, it could be quick but can be a few hours if balancing emissions or something is an issue.

Thats the best I can understand and recall what he's said. I have brain fog at the best of times! Maybe I should call Worcester. 

ciderboy2009

Who says that boilers don't last much longer than 15 years?  I can understand that for cheap, unknown manufaturer ones but there's no reason why a regularly maintained Worcester shouldn't last at least 20 years.

I'm another one who thinks that you need a new engineer!

[Deleted User]

ciderboy2009 said:

Who says that boilers don't last much longer than 15 years?  I can understand that for cheap, unknown manufaturer ones but there's no reason why a regularly maintained Worcester shouldn't last at least 20 years.

I'm another one who thinks that you need a new engineer!

I would put money on my 3 year old WB boiler not lasting that long. It has already had three key components replaced including the fan.