Worcester Bosch 32CDi Compact Condensing Combi Boiler questions

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  • bery_451
    bery_451 Posts: 1,795
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    WB have never touched the pressure vessel when servicing my boiler, it's one of those "if it isn't broken, don't fix it items" according to the technician, as long as the working pressure is in the normal range it is not touched.

    Apart from a gas check at the boiler, flue gas analysis and a run a full output, not much is actually touched


    On their website they are charging £120+ just for an emissions test. Biggest scam going on ever! :eek:
  • Talldave
    Talldave Posts: 2,002
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    edited 11 November 2019 at 10:35AM
    You're wrong to assume that boilers are like cars. Cars have oil that gets contaminated, filters that get clogged, brakes that wear, brake fluid that absorbs moisture and antifreeze that has a finite life and so needs changing. That said car manufacturers don't suggest stripping down the engine for no reason. If your boiler doesn't have any service parts requiring replacement then you don't need to replace them. Disassembly for no reason will in itself probably lead to unreliability.

    So ask the manufacturer what the recommended maintenance schedule is and do that.
    bery_451 wrote: »
    On their website they are charging £120+ just for an emissions test. Biggest scam going on ever! :eek:

    Then purchase the necessary test equipment and do the job yourself? You might find yourself more than £120 out of pocket.

    You seem to be overlooking the £thousands of expenditure required to obtain all the necessary equipment and tools, purchase and run a van, pay for training/accreditation/insurance before there's any prospect of any income for a potential boiler engineer.
  • bery_451
    bery_451 Posts: 1,795
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    Talldave wrote: »
    You're wrong to assume that boilers are like cars. Cars have oil that gets contaminated, filters that get clogged, brakes that wear, brake fluid that absorbs moisture and antifreeze that has a finite life and so needs changing. That said car manufacturers don't suggest stripping down the engine for no reason. If your boiler doesn't have any service parts requiring replacement then you don't need to replace them. Disassembly for no reason will in itself probably lead to unreliability.

    So ask the manufacturer what the recommended maintenance schedule is and do that.



    Then purchase the necessary test equipment and do the job yourself? You might find yourself more than £120 out of pocket.

    You seem to be overlooking the £thousands of expenditure required to obtain all the necessary equipment and tools, purchase and run a van, pay for training/accreditation/insurance before there's any prospect of any income for a potential boiler engineer.

    Can you explain the loads of boiler breakdowns? A boiler is similar to a car that is a internal combustion mechanism unlike electrical mechanisms that require little or no servicing.

    Boilers definitely require servicing, to suggest no servicing is very dangerous with carbon monoxide or risk breaking down.

    Wow pay £thousands of training just for some dude to put his emission prong into the boiler vent for 2 mins to get a reading and bye bye with over a £100!
  • Talldave
    Talldave Posts: 2,002
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    A boiler is nothing like a car! No pistons, no camshaft, no wheel bearings, no pistons in the brake calipers, etc etc.


    The only tenuous analogy would be the gas valve, which is probably a regular point of failure, as will be pumps.


    I am not suggesting no servicing, I think I suggested asking the manufacturer and doing what they say? Personally, I don't think £100 for a safety check is a crazy price to pay for peace of mind from a fully qualified gas engineer.


    How much do you pay to fill your car with fuel? £60, £70, £80? And that money's gone in no time. I think a safety check on a boiler is well worth paying for.


    As you appear to be belittling the training of gas engineers, I am not sure your posts are worthy of further comment.


    I am not a gas engineer, I just think they deserve some respect for the job they do.
  • Mister_G
    Mister_G Posts: 1,923
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    Not forgetting the life or death responsibility they take on if they get it wrong!
  • paulcam
    paulcam Posts: 54
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    On the servicing costs consumers often have created their own problems.

    If you asked a local gas-safe plumber how much to service your boiler and he said, "It depends on whether I need to fix, replace anything..." and spun off a load of different prices depending on what turns out to need done, a lot of people will end up confused and avoid that plumber.

    So a smart company sets a fixed price that will cover a range of different services. If your boiler passes all their tests and doesn't need anything fixing or any consumables replaced then it's a win for the company. They charged you too much for what was done, but you accepted it up front with your eyes open. If however your boiler needs this and that and needs tweaked and recalibrated then the company takes it on the chin*. Averaged out the company makes profit, some people pay more than they should, some people pay less.

    * obviously there are limits and at some point they will say it's "not covered under the fixed price service"

    On whether to get it serviced.... come on... it's a contained, pressurised gas fire stuck in a cupboard somewhere. What could possibly go wrong while you are the kids are asleep?
  • bery_451
    bery_451 Posts: 1,795
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    Talldave wrote: »
    A boiler is nothing like a car! No pistons, no camshaft, no wheel bearings, no pistons in the brake calipers, etc etc.


    The only tenuous analogy would be the gas valve, which is probably a regular point of failure, as will be pumps.


    I am not suggesting no servicing, I think I suggested asking the manufacturer and doing what they say? Personally, I don't think £100 for a safety check is a crazy price to pay for peace of mind from a fully qualified gas engineer.


    How much do you pay to fill your car with fuel? £60, £70, £80? And that money's gone in no time. I think a safety check on a boiler is well worth paying for.


    As you appear to be belittling the training of gas engineers, I am not sure your posts are worthy of further comment.


    I am not a gas engineer, I just think they deserve some respect for the job they do.

    When you say pumps its not just 1 pump is it?

    So you suggesting the boiler servicing market pricing should follow the oil market pricing that we all already know the oil market is worth trillions owned by the filthy rich few.

    So you dont mind paying £100+ for a 2 mins emissions check? If I fill my car with £100 fuel it will drive longer than 2 mins!

    This thread is becoming a rant where there is a hint of biased replies who wont admit they are in the boiler service market to try justify the outrageous biggest scam boiler service charges.

    I have a feeling this scam will come on watchdog soon ;)
  • bery_451
    bery_451 Posts: 1,795
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    paulcam wrote: »
    On the servicing costs consumers often have created their own problems.

    If you asked a local gas-safe plumber how much to service your boiler and he said, "It depends on whether I need to fix, replace anything..." and spun off a load of different prices depending on what turns out to need done, a lot of people will end up confused and avoid that plumber.

    So a smart company sets a fixed price that will cover a range of different services. If your boiler passes all their tests and doesn't need anything fixing or any consumables replaced then it's a win for the company. They charged you too much for what was done, but you accepted it up front with your eyes open. If however your boiler needs this and that and needs tweaked and recalibrated then the company takes it on the chin*. Averaged out the company makes profit, some people pay more than they should, some people pay less.

    * obviously there are limits and at some point they will say it's "not covered under the fixed price service"

    On whether to get it serviced.... come on... it's a contained, pressurised gas fire stuck in a cupboard somewhere. What could possibly go wrong while you are the kids are asleep?

    Uhh boiler breakdowns or deaths in sleep caused by carbon monoxide poisoning.
  • daveyjp
    daveyjp Posts: 12,468
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    I've already stated how long it takes and how much I pay. An hour and its £50.

    The local car dealer charges £150 an hour just to tell you the rattle under your car is due to a missing screw costing 3p, but its £1000 in labour for them to replace the screw.
  • paulcam
    paulcam Posts: 54
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    bery_451 wrote: »
    Uhh boiler breakdowns or deaths in sleep caused by carbon monoxide poisoning.

    I was being rhetorical or sardonic. I would add gas leaks and potential fire or explosion in the confined space. Having a service discover a minor gas leak due to a perished seal might save you from that.
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