chilli Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Guy came around to service my boiler today, but condemned it instead - doh! Just wanted some advice. It's a Potterton Prima (quite old, but was working and never gave any trouble) - but he condemned it instantly because of a corroded flue - the inner pipe has a small hole near the very end (outside), so leaking into the outer so the boiler was sucking it's own fumes (not good). He said the flue was obsolete and so the whole boiler had to be replaced. I had a quick look on the net and there is a remedial flue kit for this common problem that people seem to use with success. So - seems a shame to spend large £ to replace a working boiler for a hole in a pipe. i.e. if a car exhaust had a hole in it, you'd replace it, not the whole engine too... I could use some advice. The boiler is a number of years old, should I just replace it anyway? If so, how much should a new boiler and fitting cost? Or, should I get the remedial pipe kit fitted and get it serviced as per normal? It's a wall hung open boiler. The guy mentioned 15kw, is that fully sufficient for a 3 bedroom semi house? I'm not especially questioning what the guy said, just want some second opinions - especially as he was so quick to condemn when a quick look on the net seems to suggest it can be repaired, if I wanted to go that route... If anyone is corgi and covers the Sussex area, well let me know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyT Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I would have said that was too low a rating. Then read this http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=105 The Montreal fella. The remedial flue option. Contact your local energy commission to see if it's ok. There are loads of regs now. HTH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesmark Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 If anyone is corgi and covers the Sussex area, well let me know! 2 points. 1 - Do not get a quote from British Gas (I work for them and can tell you they are very exspensive) 2 - Make sure the engineer is registered under the new 'Gas Safe Register'. Corgi is no longer recognised by the HSE and insurance companies for work done after 31st March 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liam1 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 had the same problem a few weeks ago when mine got serviced the guy said the same thing he managed to track down a replacement flue so its now working fine however he said the bolier could pack up at any time, we had british gas out yesterday the quote for a new boiler was four thousand and 300pounds told the wife we better buy a new goat and get used to cold showers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyT Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 £4300 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 thanks for the advice guys, I got quoted 1600+vat to supply and install a gloworm 15kw unit - could be worse, but how much is the flue? A boiler can pack up any time, on the other hand it might continue working for a few more years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 £4.3k! My boiler which was fitted last year (25kw for a large 2 bed semi) cost £500 to buy and £800 to have fitted and commisioned (the guy did it in a day so not a bad earner for him). It's cut heating bills in half too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmer Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Im an installer for british Gas, every job is very different so quotes will vary massively in similar houses depnding on what needs to be done. Get it replaced tho. Your old boiler will proberly be 60ish percent efficient where as the new ones we fit are 91%. you will notice the house will be alot warmer and your bills alot lower. BG are expensive so if i were you i would use a well recommended local firm, shame your not closer i could have done it for you:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesy W Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 £4.3k is absurd. Like Homer just said, a decent quality boiler can be picked up for around £500 and I'd be looking for £400 for fitting, so it just depends how pricey your' tradesman is. If it where me I'd bite the bullet and replace it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 any recommendations for new boilers, or ones to avoid? this guy was selling gloworm ones, no idea if they are any good or not. I'd be happy to replace for around 1k, but 1600+vat is closer to 2k than i'd like, maybe I should shop around a bit more then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmer Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 any recommendations for new boilers, or ones to avoid? this guy was selling gloworm ones, no idea if they are any good or not. I'd be happy to replace for around 1k, but 1600+vat is closer to 2k than i'd like, maybe I should shop around a bit more then I'd go for a Worcester. Gloworms are ok ish. Seem very cheap and nasty. However i just install them so no idea on long term reliability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesy W Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Never liked Gloworms myself either. Temperamental f00kers. I'd vote for a Vokera Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitz Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Cost effectiveness, go for the remedial flue kit but 15kw is not really sufficient for a 3 bedroom semi house though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian W Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I'd go for a Worcester or a Vaillant boiler. I work for a Housing Association's maintenance department and we only install Vaillant boilers now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edge Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 shame your not closer i could have done it for you:) I think he would want it done properly and not risk death Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli Posted April 29, 2009 Author Share Posted April 29, 2009 had the same problem a few weeks ago when mine got serviced the guy said the same thing he managed to track down a replacement flue so its now working fine however he said the bolier could pack up at any time, we had british gas out yesterday the quote for a new boiler was four thousand and 300pounds told the wife we better buy a new goat and get used to cold showers. just out of interest, how much did it cost to get the flue replaced in total, parts and labour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIJ8631 Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Not always neccessary to replace complete boiler - depends on the general condition of boiler , ie how often it is serviced etc. If the boiler was in not to bad condition then replacing flue is probably the cheapest option. We replace 20yrs + flues regularly because the boilers are in reasonable condition for age. However if you are going to replace boiler then you could go down to B&Q and get yourself a Heatline combi for about £400. Being a service engineer for Heatline (plus other manufacturers) these are very good boilers for the price - the parts used are exactly the same as more expensive boilers ie Honeywell gas valves, Grundfoss pumps. The difference is that they are put together cheaply - in Turkey and are owned by Valliant. For reasonable mid range priced boilers, we use Sime. Have been using them for about 12 years now and havent had too much trouble with them. Also the Halstead boilers are not too bad a bit more expensive though , but like everything else in life are easy too repair if you know what you are doing. Cheers Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevansio Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Can't you just buy some jumpers & get some more mods for your Supra? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liam1 Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 just out of interest, how much did it cost to get the flue replaced in total, parts and labour? didnt cost anything to replace the flue we pay so much a month to have it serviced and the flue was covered under that policy, your right jay i will keep money for supra mods it has a fully working heater too lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tannhauser Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 We've just been quoted 4.7K for replacement boiler, relocating it, system flush (£600 ish!) and thermostatic controls in each room. The neighbours used the same company and said their quote was considerably cheaper than British Gas! Sounds a lot to me, but what do the heating guys think? It's a 5/6 bedroom detached house, if that's relevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGav Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 What about a biomass boiler, cheaper running costs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevansio Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 You guys aren't listening, the number of bedrooms is irrelevant when you buy extra jumpers, you can take them from room to room with you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesmark Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 You guys aren't listening, the number of bedrooms is irrelevant when you buy extra jumpers, you can take them from room to room with you Also hot water bottles, failing that just sh!t and pi$$ yerself that will keep ya warm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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