Boiler cover dilemma

s45

Hi, I have a Valliant boiler installed 2016 which is coming off warranty early 2024.  I am worried what to do.  Being an elderly  I don't want to have any boiler issues in the winter.  During the warranty period with Vaillant, I have had to call for boiler issues ( 3 times I think)  and at one point they had mentioned that I should get power wash to have the sludge removed, although the system was flushed when I had the boiler installed in 2016..  

I was told by the Valliant call Centre that the way forward could be to have Domestic & General cover me for something like £287 pa.  

When I read the chat below, that really scared me.

Any advice/help from the learned experienced people here will be greatly appreciated. 
THANK YOU.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/78737027#Comment_78737027

Back in the day my father was a commissioning engineer, he had spent his life designing, installing boilers in mega factories. Then he retired and got a 'little job' servicing boilers in peoples homes. It lasted three weeks!

The boss told him he was too thorough, mending too many and taking too long. The boss said, 'he should take off the front, shine a torch inside, wipe with an oily rag, replace the front leaving a few oily marks so the customer knew he had been' If the customer was watching he was to unscrew a couple of simple bits, clean them and put them back. He should never mend anything but tell the customer it was unsafe and to phone the boss who would sell them a new one

They parted company, surprised he lasted three weeks.  

Browntoa

I use a small local company, £17 a month parts and labour whole system. Always come out promptly and no quibble repairs.

Bg wanted 50 ( but had abandoned me for a week with a leaking boiler as they couldn't supply an engineer) . 

ThisIsWeird

Browntoa said:

I use a small local company, £17 a month parts and labour whole system. Always come out promptly and no quibble repairs.

Bg wanted 50 ( but had abandoned me for a week with a leaking boiler as they couldn't supply an engineer) . 

That's interesting, Browntoa. This is a small local independent company? And they offer a service contract like this? Sounds great!

ThisIsWeird

s45 said:

Hi, I have a Valliant boiler installed 2016 which is coming off warranty early 2024.  I am worried what to do.  Being an elderly  I don't want to have any boiler issues in the winter.  During the warranty period with Vaillant, I have had to call for boiler issues ( 3 times I think)  and at one point they had mentioned that I should get power wash to have the sludge removed, although the system was flushed when I had the boiler installed in 2016..  

I was told by the Valliant call Centre that the way forward could be to have Domestic & General cover me for something like £287 pa.  

When I read the chat below, that really scared me.

Any advice/help from the learned experienced people here will be greatly appreciated. 
THANK YOU.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/78737027#Comment_78737027

Back in the day my father was a commissioning engineer, he had spent his life designing, installing boilers in mega factories. Then he retired and got a 'little job' servicing boilers in peoples homes. It lasted three weeks!

The boss told him he was too thorough, mending too many and taking too long. The boss said, 'he should take off the front, shine a torch inside, wipe with an oily rag, replace the front leaving a few oily marks so the customer knew he had been' If the customer was watching he was to unscrew a couple of simple bits, clean them and put them back. He should never mend anything but tell the customer it was unsafe and to phone the boss who would sell them a new one

They parted company, surprised he lasted three weeks.  

Hi s45.

So Vaillaint fitted this boiler? And Vaillant serviced it annually as part of their warranty period? I presume you had to pay for these services in order to maintain the warranty?

After Vaillant's supposedly-compliant installation*, and 8 years of servicing, it still needs a power-flush?! If so, Vaillant has been remiss somewhere along the line, imo.

When a new boiler is installed, the existing system should be cleaned to a certified standard (can't recall what it is).

*Found it: https://www.vaillant.co.uk/downloads/vaillant-water-quality/vaillant-water-quality-leaflet-1915494.pdf

https://www.installeronline.co.uk/new-british-standard-bs-75932019-installers-need-know/

All you need to know is that, when the boiler was installed, Vaillant should have ensured the rest of your system - the rads and pipes - were made suitably clean. They should then have added 'inhibitor' chemicals to prevent further corrosion (which is what creates 'sludge'). Since they were also servicing and warranting the boiler each year, this level of protection should have been maintained imo; you effectively passed all the care and maintenance to them, so if corrosion has returned - or if it hadn't all been removed to begin with - then I would suggest they are liable.

Having said that, to get them to sort it now would be quite a task...

My personal recommendation would be to do as Browntoa said; try and find a trusted local GasSafe, one that comes recommended by others. If it seems as tho' a powerflush is required, then it's worth doing, as sludge will just continue to cause issues. It'll likely cost around the same as one of your annual payments to Dom&Gen. Once properly clean, and inhibitor added, it should not return.

I'm not going to diss' Dom&Gen and they do provide a good service for lots of folk, and I have also used them successfully myself in the past. But nearly £300 is a lot of money each year. It's an 'insurance' policy; if you don;t need them, then it's ~£300 each year for peace of mind. If you do, then it could be money well spent, depending on what is actually wrong with your boiler.

But, first step - I'd suggest - is to ask around for a 'trusted' local GS. See what the person says about system cleaning, and the best way to keep your boiler running over the next 5+ years. If they do a cheaper maintenance contract like Browntoa has, then great. If not, they'll still likely be cheaper overall for most repairs - most should come in at well below the £300, tho' of course a few issues can be more than that.

Marvqn1

Does the Domestic & General cover also include an annual boiler service at no extra cost?

s45 said:

Hi, I have a Valliant boiler installed 2016 which is coming off warranty early 2024.  I am worried what to do.  Being an elderly  I don't want to have any boiler issues in the winter.  During the warranty period with Vaillant, I have had to call for boiler issues ( 3 times I think)  and at one point they had mentioned that I should get power wash to have the sludge removed, although the system was flushed when I had the boiler installed in 2016..  

I was told by the Valliant call Centre that the way forward could be to have Domestic & General cover me for something like £287 pa.  

On Valliant's website it says they do a fixed price boiler repair when the boiler is out of the guarantee period for £365.
That seems more economical than £287 pa.

SaverRate

Why dont you look at home emergency cover? Wont cover boiler servicing but covers boiler breakdown etc (Check T&Cs)

Alternatively Homeserve offer boiler cover which includes a boiler service for £8 a month (£100 excess) or boiler and heating cover for £13.50 a month (£60 excess)

daveyjp

Boiler cover and other home emergency cover can be added to some building insurance policies,  costs me about £100 a year and that includes a boiler service.

I would avoid Homeserve, they were appointed to repair my Vaillant boiler whilst under warranty.  They signed the job as complete and boiler safe, even though at the time they left site the boiler was still isolated from the gas supply.

Jaybee_16

Back in the day when I had a gas boiler, I had a contract with BG. Their annual service was exactly as described in another post.... front off, wipe around, check the exhaust emissions (or whatever the proper term is), covers back on and leave. After a couple of bodged repairs by BG, I had a local man fit a new Vailant boiler. He would turn up each year, strip the boiler, clean burners and other items, and was always available should I need anything done.His attitude to paperwork was also convenient for me as he'd service the boiler in June and around the end of September I'd be messaging him for the invoice. Now I always find a recommended local person rather than a national company.

s45

 

Marvqn1 –

D&G £14.75pm + £60 excess - Annual boiler service, Boiler and controls, Central heating

D&G £17.75 + £60 excess - Annual boiler service, Boiler and controls, Central heating, Plumbing, Drainage

All plans include:

Up to £1500 in boiler repairs per year, Up to £1000 per claim for (plumbing, drains, electrics, security & pest)

Up to £750 boiler replacement contribution, All parts & labour included, Unlimited claims and callouts, 24/7 Support - here for you 365 days a year

ThisIsWeird -

"ask around for a 'trusted' local GS. See what the person says about system cleaning, and the best way to keep your boiler running over the next 5+ years. If they do a cheaper maintenance contract like Browntoa has, then great. If not, they'll still likely be cheaper overall for most repairs - most should come in at well below the £300, tho' of course a few issues can be more than that" -

 

I live in the county of Harrow so will check in the neighbourhood for any recommendation for a local person..

 SaverRate –

You are right – Homeserve £13.50 pm = £162pa (£60 excess for each problem) Gas Boiler & Central Heating & service;    OR £14.50pm = £174pa (£60 excess for each problem)  Heating, plumbing & service.

Just found out that  Homeserve owns Checkatrader

Checkatrade was founded by Kevin Byrne (BCAb) and headquartered in Selsey, West Sussex, for 21 years before relocating to Portsmouth, Hampshire, in 2019 following its acquisition by HomeServe.

s45

Thanks a lot everyone.  Really appreciated your comments/advice. 

southcoastrgi

My question would be how do they know it's got sludge in it ?, no boiler manufacturer will cover a breakdown due to sludge/scale & neither will any of the monthly companies