combi boilers - what should I know?

[Gavin]

Probably lots. We bought our house new 18 years ago this coming January. When teh boiler has been serviced, the engoneers have generally said "ooo, they only last 10 to 12 years".

We have a leak from behind the boiler, we called the engneer who had serviced the thing out, he had a look, we couldn't get it to leak, I managed to send pics of it leaking, he said boiler out job. I asked how much and when (this was 6 months or so back) and he never replied.

So, beyond finding someone who will reply, what would peeps do? I am thinking the cost to take out and put back would be a fair chunck of the cost to just replace it, and presume when you get a boiler you get a new thermostat, as the one in the house is a simple on/off temp so would be nice to have one I can have it go off overnight.

Having never bought a boiler, what would people advise as to make, approximate cost, features etc?

Any help much appreciated.

[duncs500]

I'm certainly not qualified to give you an answer but logically it sounds like you've had 50% extra out of it already. Any significant spend on it at this point seems like a gamble.

[Jobbo]

Can you take out a warranty on it now? I know Domestic & General will allow you to do that when there is a fault, so you pay for the warranty not the repair. And then you’re covered for the next year.

[V8Granite]

We installed a Glow Worm Ultimate 30C 12 years ago, the controller, thermostat etc are all as installed. We had a new flow switch as ours failed but otherwise it’s just had a yearly service.

The only thing we do is run it hot every month in summer so the central doesn’t sit stagnant.

Can you get a mirror in to see if it’s a connection leaking or something more costly ? Our previous boiler died as there was no stock of the heat exchanger available.

I spoke to my friend who was building houses at the time and he hadn’t had any warranty claims for fitting the Glow Worm stuff so I went with that. I think ours cost £1400 to install but that was without needing to move any pipework, just make up the last lot of connections and to drill for the vent. He was here 2 days I believe.

Dave!

[Swervin_Mervin]

We went for a Viessmann 111W which is both a higher flow combi and has an internal 40l (ish) how water storage tank. It's not small though

Totally depends what you want from one really.

[Ascender]

The exact model will depend on various factors including how many rooms and bathrooms you're going to want to heat and supply (simultaneous) hot water to. Depending on how/where its fitted, taking it out might not actually be that ruinous if you have a good engineer, but given its been in there for 18 years, sounds like its a good time to get a replacement. And yes, you'll get a smart thermostat etc with it.

Is it a combi boiler you have at the moment I take it?

[Gavin]

Cheers all, I thought it was a simpler question than it appears to be. We live in a 3 bed semi, two showers.

It is a combi we have at the moment, no water tank at the moment, physically it is decent sized suitcase, a Worcestershire I think, may just be Worcester though.

[Swervin_Mervin]

Do you run both showers regularly at the mo or want to be able to? And if you run them together at the mo do you have any issues?

[Gavin]

We don't ever run both showers together, just been reading up a bit and looks like a newer combi with better control would suit. a quick google suggests anywhere from £600 up which is helpful right enough!

[Ascender]

If you have a combi already then it should be a pretty simple swap out job. Worcester are very good, reliable and have decent warranties.

[Gavster]

We had an issue with an old boiler years ago. Plumbers weren’t interested because parts were a pain to source and expensive. Also throwing money at an ancient boiler doesn’t make sense unless it’s a simple plumbing/pipework fix. I heard Vailiant brand were good too, so that what I had fitted to my place.

Having said that, the idea that a boiler only lasts 10 or so years sounds like marketing bs. Mine’s 8 years old and still feels fresh and works perfectly.

[jamcg]

Worcester or baxi. Worcester after sales is better. In terms of Worcester combis they’re one of the dearest boilers- best to look for an accredited installer as you get a little longer guarantee. If you look on the Worcester website you can find your local guys in there.

1000 is their cheap boiler, 5 year warranty, seems decent enough but not been around long enough to comment on lifespan. Available 25/30kw. Don’t get 25.

2000 is the next up with 7 year, the early models of this were shite. Not bothered with them since, but apparently much improved. 25/30kw

4000 is their most popular boiler. It’s pretty decent and quiet with 10 year warranty. 25/30. Fit loads, Been around about a year or 2, don’t see any issues as yet- they’re also a development of older boilers so more time proven stuff in them than others

8000 is the big daddy, goes from 30 right up to 50kw. In reality a domestic supply of gas starts to struggle at 35-40kw. Has 12 year guarantee and just in process of changing to 8000+ instead of life and style models. Available in snazzy black colour.

There’s also the compact, which has compromises based on its size so I tend to use them when you need the smaller physical dimensions

[Barry]

My Worcester Bosch is 26yr old (28cdi) and still humming along nicely. It's had a pump, new tank, couple of minor issues. I get a slow drip when its been run and its very cold overnight, otherwise it loses a tiny bit of pressure over a week or two. I just top it up. I don't run it for showers (swapped to elec a few years back) but it does get woken up for washing pots/car. Main issue I have is the low water pressure at busy periods, its enough to cut it out on water demand.

When it does s*** the bed I'm torn between coughing for a newer boiler (not hearing great things about the newer condenser types) vs finding some money for ASHP, as that's a massive job.

[jamcg]

You can get pumps that go on your cold mains these days, may be worth looking at if you’ve got genuine pressure issues

[Delphi]

We went for a Viessmann 111W which is both a higher flow combi and has an internal 40l (ish) how water storage tank. It's not small though

Totally depends what you want from one really.

Viessmann all the way. Superb units. Even my plumber who isn't affiliated with them, said he's never had a call out to one. He also says Worcester Bosch are garbage. The old stuff was great but the newer stuff is built by accountants, not engineers.