Please tell me about your gas central heating

[Fallulah]

My house, built in the 80s, still has the original gas central heating system - radiators, tank in the airing cupboard, water tank in the loft and boiler downstairs.

It’s getting progressively less reliable. I’ve done all the things like bleeding the radiators, flushing it out and replacing the pump but I think its life may be coming to an end. To be fair it’s done well and when it’s working my house is toasty warm (it’s a two bed terrace so I think I probably benefit from being surrounded). I may also be looking to rent it out in the next couple of years so need the system to be working reliably.

I was all set to reclaim the airing cupboard space, get the tank out of the loft and go for a Combi boiler and radiators with individual thermostats, but a few people have now advised against the Combi, with their reasons being their hot water isn’t as good and it means if the system breaks you don’t have heating or hot water rather than just no heating.

I’m questioning myself now! Got an engineer coming round later in the week to inspect the system and quote for what’s needed so I’d like to be as informed as possible by then!

Have you replaced your central heating? What did you go for and has it been reliable?

Also interested in views on Hive etc. At the moment I just think that’s one more thing to go wrong but it could be convenient!

Thanks

We had our old system replaced a few years back. Out went the old inefficient back boiler, the hot water tank, and the old radiators. In went a new boiler and new larger radiators. Condensing boilers are more efficient if the radiators run cooler but that means needing bigger rads to get the same amount of heating power.

Our gas bills dropped noticeably, and the hot water is now at mains pressure which has made it possible to have a shower (that doesn't need an electrical pump). Ours is quite a small house with just the one bath/shower so the boiler doesn't have trouble meeting demand.

Like a previous poster mentioned there's a wait for hot water when turning the tap on. But Severn Trent have plenty of water and we're not metered so I don't worry about it. If you live in the south it might be a bigger concern.

"their hot water isn’t as good and it means if the system breaks you don’t have heating or hot water rather than just no heating."

yes that's right.

Beware of people comparing their new (combi) boiler to their 40-year old system, and assuming that the reason it's better isn't that it's newer and twice as powerful, but because it's a combi. They're wrong.

A modern boiler can run a cylinder fine. A regular boiler has (a lot) less that can go wrong, than a combi, and is less noisy.

And yes, on the rare occasions it goes wrong, you can switch on the immersion heater and live life untroubled with no panic and no emergency Modern cylinders are generally bigger and much better insulated so you can have several showers or a couple of baths, and they reheat much faster. About half an hour off a modern boiler.

If you have enough incoming cold water supply to run a big combi, then you have enough to run an unvented cylinder, with no loft tank required, and a hot water supply that will surpass a combi.

A combi is very suitable for a small flat with one bathroom and one occupant. The more of each you get, the less suitable. It will be disappointing when you try to run a big bath quickly in winter (unless you like lukewarm baths) or if two people try to have showers at the same time.

Hi can I jump in and ask piglet John a boiler question. @PigletJohn My boiler in my bungalow is the original from the mid 60s, I have really poor hot water pressure (I have to boil a kettle to wash up) and now I’m finding puddles on the work top underneath the cupboard housing the boiler. Do you think that it’s had it’s day and approx how much would a new boiler and 4 rads cost (it’s a small bungalow) and is there any help out there for disabled people on benefits? Tia

@ladybird69

www.newboilergrant.co.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA1-3yBRCmARIsAN7B4H0G1NhCweEjmbrEm9zm6CgaicaZg-u9jlwXyTp4ZnS9OrTqVDlP470aAiM8EALw_wcB

try looking here, there might be a free boiler in it for you

Thank you GoatyGoatyMingeMinge I'll have a look at that.

I don't know that website, but some of them are not actually part of government schemes, but marketing tools to capture your name and address so they can sell it to installation companies.

More info on the government website www.gov.uk/energy-company-obligation which links to www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk/

Often your local council will have a page.

I replaced the 1980s boiler in my terraced house for a combi, a couple of years after I moved in.

Best purchase ever. My gas bill fell by 2/3! Instant hot water is bliss and saved me an absolute fortune on electric too. The house heats much faster so. I only need the heating on for half an hour to get it warm - before we had the heating on for two hours every morning and three every night.

yes, I just tried that "newboilergrant" website and it won't tell you anything, you have to tell them your home details, name and address and they will send a salesman surveyor-

BTW a lot on here don't understand that combi boiler and condensing boiler mean two different things, so most of the info on the thread is useless.

Piglet John knows what he/she is talking about. Avoid combis if you have the space, for resilience.

and think very, very hard about your rental plan. More law changes coming.

Thanks - the rental plan is only a thought at the moment, because I’m likely to be moving in with my partner and am fiercely attached to my house!

Thanks for all the food for thought on this thread. Will update tomorrow when the guy has been.

Thanks @PigletJohn and @pussycatinboots for your advice and links I’ll look into it now. I think boiler has had its day.

Just an update on this. The man came round, I thought he was really sound, talked me through all the options and decided I don't want/need a change to combi.

The issue is that my boiler is very old and the inside is corroded, hence when I installed a new pump, new controls etc, these were fine but the crap from the corrosion is now in those too, hence the problems. My hot water cylinder is also almost half full with scale!

I was expecting about £3k to replace boiler, controls, pump, cylinder etc from what I'd read online. The quote has come in at £3.8k including VAT.

I went back to him to say that was a little more than I expected and could he itemise the parts and labour so that I could see costs properly and his reply was surprisingly curt! Apparently they don't break their quotes down, and he also said that if I didn't want the particular brand of boiler that they recommend and fit (and wear the shirts for so probably get commission) then I would need to look elsewhere. I don't actually feel I was unreasonable in asking for a breakdown, so this has taken me back a bit and I've arranged for someone else recommended to come and have a look and quote.