Page 4 | How old is your gas boiler?

LifeIsTooFlippingShort · 2025-12-22T15:49:21+00:00

AIBU for expecting my Worcester combi boiler to last 20 years? Just getting it repaired now (terrible timing financially 😑) and wondering if I should fork out for a new one this summer after 13 years?

TalulahJP · 23/12/2025 13:13

DeftGoldHedgehog · 22/12/2025 20:17

20 years+. We moved in 18 years ago and the boiler was "fairly new". Potterton Suprima. We replaced the circuit board a few years ago.

Edited

mine is the same!

im afraid to say “it’s still working fine” in case i jinx it!

it’s now over 25 years old and has had the circuit board replaced (pcb) around 2002 as a batch were faulty, and the water pump replaced in 2008, and diverter three way valve replaced in 2021 along with the fire up bang thing whatever thats called.

last serviced by by trained now independent engineer prior to lockdown. i figure gas is so clean now ‘if it ain’t broke dont touch it’ with regard to servicing!

he advised bg are rip off merchants who want you to get new boilers and there’s no need the old one is fine. he could have offered me one himself and made money from me but chose to give that advice to keep it so i think he is honest.

i have no interest in changing for an environmentally friendly one. i make other sacrifices to reduce my carbon footprint.

CuteOrangeElephant · 23/12/2025 13:18

Mine was 12 years old when I replaced it with a new one two months ago. I had it serviced last year and the engineer recommended starting to look for a new one in the summer. It was a Nefit with a very dodgy (read: no) service history.

Right now I have an Intergas, really happy with it!

Lowlandgirl · 23/12/2025 13:23

Our boiler was out I. When the house was built (glo worm), and once it hit 15 years old it started needing regular repair - had it replaced at 17 years, from boxt (can’t remember the make of it)….but their service was great ordered on the Monday Wednesday they were there removing the old one and installing the new one.

TheWytch · 23/12/2025 16:04

GasPanic · 23/12/2025 09:51

That sounds like an installation issue, for example the return temperature is not low enough for the boiler to start properly condensing, normally evidenced by large emissions of water vapour coming out of the flue.

Modern condensing boilers should be 20%-30% more efficient than ones from the 70s at the minimum.

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It's working fine and installed correctly.

I am by no means convinced that the old boilers are as bad as we are led to think. Certainly the carbon footprint of this new installation was high and the environmental payback may never happen.

My mother is similarly underwhelmed by the "savings" in having her old 1990 Baxi replaced last year. Again there has been very little saving in the gas bill.

BorgQueen · 23/12/2025 16:30

It really depends on the house and gas useage.
A six bedroomed house with 18 rads + 3 bathrooms , needing a 40kw boiler, with a current £2k gas bill is going to see a big reduction in gas use.

DH has quoted up a job in such a house today, costing £4k, it will pay for itself with 5 years, less time if gas prices rise.

ItWasntMyFault · 23/12/2025 17:41

Mine’s 40 years old but parts are still available so I have no intention of changing it.

TheWytch · 23/12/2025 20:01

BorgQueen · 23/12/2025 16:30

It really depends on the house and gas useage.
A six bedroomed house with 18 rads + 3 bathrooms , needing a 40kw boiler, with a current £2k gas bill is going to see a big reduction in gas use.

DH has quoted up a job in such a house today, costing £4k, it will pay for itself with 5 years, less time if gas prices rise.

You see - that's the sort of bracket I fall into and my own real life experience is very different. The only difference we've really noticed is that bedroom 6 on the end of the run does actually get slightly warmer!

Southernecho · 23/12/2025 20:09

TheWytch · 23/12/2025 16:04

It's working fine and installed correctly.

I am by no means convinced that the old boilers are as bad as we are led to think. Certainly the carbon footprint of this new installation was high and the environmental payback may never happen.

My mother is similarly underwhelmed by the "savings" in having her old 1990 Baxi replaced last year. Again there has been very little saving in the gas bill.

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A friend was advised to replace an old early 80s boiler, he spent a fortune replacing it, his gas bill and heating is exactly the same.

The industry (any industry) has a vested interest in selling us new stuff.

carbonelthecat · 23/12/2025 20:16

Our boiler is early 80s and we've had not a single issue with it since we moved in 3 years ago. Reluctant to change it just for the sake of it as if we do a loft conversion we'll have to completely redo the water and central heating system to move the hot water tank and the cold water tank in the loft.

It may not be the most efficient, but its a proper workhorse and we spend no more on gas than we did with a condensing boiler in our old flat. And we have hotter water and radiators.

CC1991 · 23/12/2025 20:19

Had a new condensing boiler (at least 90% efficiency, I think) installed in summer 2023, when the previous non-condensing boiler was roughly 21 years old or the same age as the flat itself. I'd lived here for 7 years before getting the new boiler and the old one had 2 or 3 breakdowns in that time.

Bjorkdidit · 24/12/2025 04:29

carbonelthecat · 23/12/2025 20:16

Our boiler is early 80s and we've had not a single issue with it since we moved in 3 years ago. Reluctant to change it just for the sake of it as if we do a loft conversion we'll have to completely redo the water and central heating system to move the hot water tank and the cold water tank in the loft.

It may not be the most efficient, but its a proper workhorse and we spend no more on gas than we did with a condensing boiler in our old flat. And we have hotter water and radiators.

Plus you have the issue that nothing is built to last any more and is full of electronics that break.

We replaced our old (still working but internal fittings disintegrating and very inefficient so cost a fortune to run) fridge freezer after 25 years.

The new one has developed a fault after literally 25 months (still works but has something that needs fixing). So far I've had a week arguing with an AI chatbot, two engineers visits to diagnose the issue and to change a part that didn't solve the problem and another engineer booked to visit next week. I've also had to pay nearly £200. I'm waiting until they fix it and I'm going to complain and ask for all the repair money back as the way its been dealt with is shocking and the law says I have a right to a free repair or replacement, but these companies cite their 2 year 'guarantee' so its hard to get them to comply with the law while you have an essential appliance that is faulty.