[Closed] Boiler broken on bank holiday, arrrrgh! Advice please

Depends on flue and regs , powerflush needing, combi conversion ? etc. How big it needs to be size wise.

Just replaced a broken Ideal boiler that we inherited with the house. It wasn't worth the cost of parts to fix. We decided on upgrading to a combi and got a few quotes, we decided on a valiant Eco tech pro with wireless thermostat which got fitted yesterday. It cost. £1880 and went in the same place the old one was in. We got quotes off 4 people on this model ranging from £1800 - £2000 but went with a guy recommended by many on Facebook and rated people.

Edit, British gas quoted £3k on a lesser boiler and the engineer himself said it was a rip off and to go with someone local...

could buy myself or let engineer supply. I know that they get commission.

If you buy it yourself, is it going to be any cheaper?
And who's going to guarantee it if it goes wrong?

could buy myself or let engineer supply. I know that they get commission.
If you buy it yourself, is it going to be any cheaper?
And who's going to guarantee it if it goes wrong?

Of the 4 (non British gas) quotes I had all engineers could get the boilers slightly less than I could find them online via trade accounts.

Thanks guys

Reuben good point, hadn't thought of that.

king-o what power/kw was that valiant you had fitted?

Flue wise it's staying in the same place and it's next to the external wall in the kitchen so straight out.

Was told to go for the biggest 40kw model as it will be less strained and we are going into the loft in the next couple of weeks.

http://www.vaillant.co.uk/products/domestic-boilers/combi-boilers/ecotec-pro-24-28/

It's the pro 28 on the link. 28kw. Were in a 3 bed with a ensuite in the loft (longest pipe run) and it's worked fine.

Why WB or Vaillant? To get a 40kw one from either of those two you're talking close on £1200+vat (42CDi or Ecotec Plus 837). Both of those you'll get maximum 8yr warranty on the WB and 7yr on the Vaillant (iirc on the Vaillant may be more).

You could get an Ideal Vogue for a few hundred less than that with a 10yr warranty. I know people are put off by the Ideal name and horror stories about the old Isar but they are good boilers. The Vogue was actually designed by ex-Vaillant tech guys who were poached from them to design it. Plenty of other options out there but I really don't see the fuss about WB and Vaillant as they aren't any better than any other manufacturer out there.

Why do you need a 40 kw combi? Heat only and unvented if you need 40kw for the hot water side.

Plumbnation will be as cheap as most merchants if you want to supply.

Wasn't sure if I needed such a big boiler really. That's why I mentioned it.

I'll check out the Ideal Vogue Matt if you say it's alright, cheers.

We have a 3 bed mid terrace, not massive and are going into the loft with another 2 small beds for the kids and a small shower room. Think the Alpha that we have is a 33kw

I think that about 32kw would be adequate for water and heating but my only worry is running the shower in the loft. Can't stand the electric ones so getting a thermostatic mixer type.

Unless you're getting it serviced every year you will invalidate the warranty. So in my book warranties are worthless. Last week I changed the boiler in a terraced house. I dragged the rads outside and hosed all the crap out then reconnected them and ran cleaner round the system. A bit cheaper than a power flush and I suspect more effective. Check out Baxi main for good cheap boilers. Fitted mine yesterday.

Not sure if you can compare kW like for like. The ideal we took out was a 38kw but if was approx 12 years old and not efficient by today's standard.

The thing you'll find is that every engineer will want to fit what they are used to. Most will only fit a couple of makes of boiler on a regular basis as the more they fit the quicker they can do it and the more perks they get from the manufacturer for doing so. They don't get commission btw. Get a few guys in and ask them to quote based on what your needs are going to be when you have the loft finished.

Unvented hot water tank and a system boiler sounds like it might be a good idea for you especially if you're adding another bathroom. It'll cost more but the hot water flow from a cylinder is better than you'll get from any combi boiler.

You can expect plenty of problems with Valliant. Ours was installed by previous owners less than a year ago and has been temperamental from the outset (randomly shutting off with a couple of supposed "faults", now turned down to less than 50% of rated output it mostly works but is of course slow to heat the house). My parents have a slightly older model and it's been a litany of breakdowns over the past few years, in fact they are awaiting yet another fix right now as it seems to lose pressure intermittently overnight, though not if kept running...

Unless you're getting it serviced every year you will [s]invalidate the warranty[/s] possibly miss a fault that could endanger the lives of you and your family.

Carbon Monoxide poisoning is a bummer. Imagine how you'd feel being £40-50 worse off knowing that your family is safe and as an added bonus if your boiler breaks you don't have to pay to fix it.

Shame nobody gets them serviced then.

Who doesn't get them serviced? The warranty covers lots and looks good value at £4.75 a month.

You can expect plenty of problems with Valliant. Ours was installed by previous owners less than a year ago and has been temperamental from the outset (randomly shutting off with a couple of supposed "faults", now turned down to less than 50% of rated output it mostly works but is of course slow to heat the house). My parents have a slightly older model and it's been a litany of breakdowns over the past few years, in fact they are awaiting yet another fix right now as it seems to lose pressure intermittently overnight, though not if kept running...

Hopefully ours will be ok. When I was researching I heard horror stories about every brand but fewer about BW and valiant.

King-O what warranty are you talking about, manufacturer or insurance style?

I'll get ours serviced, agreed with the CO poisoning.

Don't know if we'll have room for a hot water tank really.

Good point on the efficiency btw. The Alpha was pretty old tech me thinks

Part of the boiler info pack has a 'benchmark' page with details on and a place for the person servicing to record details. There's a number to call to set up the guarantee and warranty, warranty is effective only with an annual service. The current price on my boiler is £57 a service

service by the manufacturer appproved engineer I supppose.

Thanks for all your help King-O and all

I have a Vaillant combi in my other house. The shower from it is brilliant, much better than the pumped shower off the massive tank I had in my old house. It all depends on your water pressure.

Yup system boiler and unvented, Gledhill do horizontal ones now if space is tight.

You will pay for a 40kw combi, not quite as much as cylinder and system boiler but better reliability from boiler and cylinder and better flow rates too so no brainer.

BigJohn - Member
I have a Vaillant combi in my other house. The shower from it is brilliant, much better than the pumped shower off the massive tank I had in my old house. It all depends on your water pressure.
POSTED 4 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

Or your water pump. I have just put a new Stuart & Turner pump in my flat as the tennent was complaining about it. The difference is amazing from a low pressure system.

How much was the water pump mate?

mirage - Member
How much was the water pump mate?
POSTED 6 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

£200 inc fitting. Highly recommended if your shower is fed off a cylinder and the pressure is low. Makes a humming noise when on so if the cylinder is in a communal area this may be annoying. Not too bad in the flat as it's in the only bedroom.