Learning to walk before I run

pavlovs_dog

I thought modern boilers are supposed to have a lifespan of around 10-15 years?  I'm assuming that you must be out of warranty to be considering a replacement.

We have a Vaillant on recommendation of our plumber.  10 year warranty so long as it is registered and serviced annually.  £2300 supplied and fitted in Dec 2020.  *Touch wood* it has been trouble free so far

edinburgher

@pavlovs_dog - yes and yes to your questions and ours is also a Vaillant! 

Suffolk_lass

I don't have a better suggestion than putting the cost of a replacement on a 0% CC. I do have some advice from our heating engineer who (now) looks after our (oil) boiler. 

• He advises that my attempts at frugality by using only hot water for most of the year, causes parts to seize up; specifically and repeatedly the heating pump and some fan part related to this. I am told that summer or winter, I should trigger the heating once a month.
• I also have to check the pressure level once a week or so to ensure it stays over 1 but ideally under 1.5. Under 1, there are two valves I open to re-pressurise the boiler, over 1.5 (usually over 2), I go to the radiator outside the downstairs loo (the lowest valve) and using a radiator key, a jug and a cloth or three (one to direct, one to mop, one underneath the jug) I depressurise the system by releasing the radiator valve
• Our expansion vessel perishes every 5 years (maximum)
• Our boiler has suffered mystery electrical issues over several years since an engineer attempted to replace the expansion vessel without first depressurising the system (exploding very hot water over himself and the exposed electrical panel of controls, the inside of the cupboard and the floor. It was a Friday afternoon and he was obviously trying to get it done more quickly to get away but he caused (probably, but not able to prove it) over £1500 of damage when subsequent parts and labour are combined. I no longer use that company, I use a private, nearing retirement, oil engineer, and between us, we nurse it forward. 

Our boiler was installed in the spring of 2011 and (was) a top of the range Grant Vortex. I'm not impressed. If we could move to underfloor heating and a water cylinder, I would. We will look at a modern wood pellet burning system if we have to replace this boiler, one that heats water and runs several radiators. With the aga in the dining room (that has an open staircase running off it) this may well be enough to heat our home, and the modern emissions filters mean that although the wood is a burnable fuel, its environmental impact is minimised.

Thinking of you all x

Watty1

No advice other than the 0% CC but total understanding.  Suffolk Lass has some very good points. My underfloor heating has seized up again because it has not run in ages.  It burns through LPG  Gas as though the stuff is pennies not pounds so I stopped using it. Plus the control system is beyond me.

I'm wondering what to do as I cant really face a winter of just the wood burning stove again and am thinking I need a heating engineer to explain options.  Possibly a bit late as I've undertaken major renovations but hey ho.

South_coast

Have you tried Vaillant direct to see if they can fix it? They have their own engineers, who might have a better idea of what can be done

KajiKita

Might be a daft suggestion but are there reconditioned heat exchangers for your boiler on eBay or some such?

We accidentally came across an older guy who really knew his way around our boiler - he managed to track down the after market parts when others couldn’t, because he really knew the details sof the parts. Might be worth asking around neighbours and friends?

If the repair is £900 rather than £3K for a new boiler, I would go repair. 

Sorry to hear it’s bringing so much stress down on you. DD2 will forgive and forget I’m sure. 

Hugs,

KK x

beanielou

Keep plodding

edinburgher

@South_coast - current firm of boiler engineers contacted Vaillant twice during their attempts to resolve the issue. Vaillant offer a fixed price repair but it specifically excludes the heat exchanger.

@KajiKita - Last engineer out to visit (20+ years' experience) said he'd never seen a heat exchanger fail on a Vaillant boiler in this way, neither had his boss, neither had Vaillant (apparently). As such, there's no guarantee that replacing this part will definitely resolve the issue. Minimum spend on repairs if we don't get anything back via credit card company will have been £1,450, that's unacceptably high on a product that cost £2,340 (over 60% of the cost). Silly comparison but I wouldn't pay £3,000 to fix our cheap car. Add in the cost of the servicing over the last 8 years and we'd have paid for a new boiler.

@beanielou - Think I'll be plodding into an asylum at this rate! 

LadyWithAPlan

Sorry re the added stress and decisions re the boiler - do you have any time to try to save up for some of it by doing an extra online job for a few weeks 

if it’s an emergency replacement I would just accept it - do your research, cashback as I know you will plus see if there are any competitions on purchasing a new boiler and then pop it on the 0 cc … maybe do a fun little chart or excel and do extra surveys or what you can to pay it off as a game asap - I think gameifying it makes it a visible obstacle to win over and feel some control - so any pennies you find in the coach, maybe slight cut in grocery spend for a few months etc 

KajiKita

edinburgher said:

@KajiKita - Last engineer out to visit (20+ years' experience) said he'd never seen a heat exchanger fail on a Vaillant boiler in this way, neither had his boss, neither had Vaillant (apparently). As such, there's no guarantee that replacing this part will definitely resolve the issue. Minimum spend on repairs if we don't get anything back via credit card company will have been £1,450, that's unacceptably high on a product that cost £2,340 (over 60% of the cost). Silly comparison but I wouldn't pay £3,000 to fix our cheap car. Add in the cost of the servicing over the last 8 years and we'd have paid for a new boiler.

Ah … pretty much where I got to with my previous car! I’m guessing your new boiler won’t be a Vailiant! 😳😉

LWAP has come up with some interesting suggestions. 

KK