Knackered boiler! I think I need a new one - British Gas any use??

[LineRunnerCrouchingReindeer]

My combi boiler is 10 yers old and has just given up the ghost again. I think it may be repairable, but really it's old, it's not terribly efficient any more, and I need to think about getting a new one.

I'm a British Gas customer. Are their new boilers a rip off? They seem awfully keen to do 'finance deals' which to me suggests 'very expensive'. I would love to hear from anyone with any experiences of British Gas or others.

What should I be paying for the boiler and installation? I need to run heating for a small 3-bed terrace, plus hot water.

Suffice to say, I am skint. This is not what I wanted to deal with at Christmas!

Get a British Gas quote, then look up the appliance manufacturer (e.g. Worcester Bosch) on the web, find the list of their approved suppliers in your area, and get another quote from one of them. They should come in at least 20% cheaper than BG (the supplier I used didn't at first, but when I told them the BG price they just knocked 20% off it and did the job for that much).

BG are always the most expensive option, for no good reason that I can see!

PS I paid about £2.5k in the end for a 3-bed house. It's not cheap, sorry!

yes, around £2.5k is about normal.

Crikey.

I think BG may be pricey because they let you pay over a number of years.

Yes, that might be right - you're basically paying about 20% for finance (so maybe worth checking out whether you could get a long-term loan on better terms somewhere else?)

Thanks for the info, DamnYOu and donnie. I appreciate it, even if it did come as a bit of a shock!

Consider getting your system magnaflushed and having one of those magnet thingys attached to it if you get a new one too - it should extend the life of the new boiler.

I'd recommend exactly what damnyouautocorrect has - get a few quotes from local suppliers/installation companies for your preferred boiler rather than just going with BG.

If it makes you feel any better LineRunner, my new boiler is so much better than my 15-yr-old thing that I had before, and I'm assured I'll save about 20% on energy costs with it. Plus my thermostat actually works now

Well, life ain't all bad. Just as I though Christmas was buggered ... The boiler man who came round this afternoon and got it going again in about ten minutes was (a) gorgeous; (b) didn't charge me anything; and (c) offered me an option of a £250 all-in part replacement to keep it going for a while longer in the medium-term; or install whatever BG can offer but for £1600 all-in. He said he'll wait for me to call him when I've had a good old think about it. He should star in his own Alternative Universe Watchdog.

themildmanneredjanitor The reason I was tempted to go with BG was because I assumed their after-sales service would be good. What on earth happened to you? It sounds like a horror story. Tell all.

midnightexpress I've been told about the magnet thingys - to collect all the crap in the system, right?

Also you can fit a descaler?

pooka Does £1600 sound good?

DamnYou The gorgeous boiler guy said 20% energy savings was about right. BG basically say, pay of the cost of the new boiler over ten years by what you save on your bills. But it's not a good deal for the householder, it would seem.

The guy who gave me the second quote for my job was bloody gorgeous as well. I thought it was only tree surgeons who were professionally required to be complete foxes.

£1600 sounds like a good deal to me!

I hope someone executivey from BG is reading this. So they offer finance but a shit service?

Re: foxy boiler guys. This one is calendar material. Is that sexist and demeaning to boiler guys?

I think BG must vary across the country.We had a new boiler from them (not sure if it was the cheapest option, DH dealt with it and looked into all sorts of options, but we didn't need finance) and we have a service contract with them - they've always come out and sorted it quickly. We had two blokes round yesterday who found and fixed an intermittent fault.

I could do with a new boiler too. The plumber who came to fix the leaky loo (!) said to avoid Potterton, and try Vailant or a Worcester boiler instead. He was nice but far from foxy.

The £1600 is for a Worcester. (Sounds like a breed of cow.)

Like themildmanneredjanitor I'd not touch BG with a bargepole - there are lots of local plumbers/heating engineers who will do a far far better job.
Get a few quotes and go with the one who talks the most sense!

BG are generally more expensive than anyone else.

Getting a swap by a reputable company for £1600 sounds quite reasonable. A typical boiler might retail at £800 in the suppliers and take a couple of days to swap. No doubt BG buy them cheaper due to the volume. Worcester Bosch and Vaillant are two quite good brands so you can expect to find spares easily available and people familiar with them.

If you find your own installer (1) get an Approved Installer off the manufacturer's website (2) when you phone, ask "do you repair XXX brand boilers?" Some people just sling them in and are off to the next customer. It's less trouble and more profitable than giving a full service.

Some manufacturers, like Viessmann, give a 5-year parts and labour guarantee, except for the heat exchanger, which is made of stainless steel anf guaranteed for ten years against corrosion. I have one in my own house. It is a bit dearer.

If the boiler is not installed on a clean system per manufacterer's instructions, the manufacturer will not stand by the guarantee.

As for powerflush and magnetic filters, these are essential on an old system that has had an open-vented iron boiler and steel radiators on it. If it is a modern, sealed system, then it may not be necessary. It will add some hundreds to the cost.

Combis are more complicated than conventional boilers, and have more parts in them, so go wrong more often.

Thanks ElbowFan. Another one in the BG non-fanclub!

PigletJohn, thanks for that advice; it's excellent. I currently have a ten year old Worcester 24 CDi which seems to be hanging in there tonight, bless it.

BG employ a variety of people, some are better than others. I hear that some local managers push the menders to get lots of sales leads. The less skilled engineers sometimes try replacing various parts until they hit on the right one. This is OK if you are on a fixed-price contract but not if you are paying while they tinker.

I was formerly on a BG service contract, and I had a man come out on Boxing day once and spend several hours getting my old system going, which I thought was good service.

I no longer have a service contract, as the new boiler is still under its long guarantee; is supposed to be very reliable, and is a simple conventional boiler with not much inside to go wrong. I can replace the external parts like pumps, valves and controls myself, but am not qualified to work on the gas side.

Obviously they expect to make a profit on their service contracts, so if you can afford an occasional repair bill, you will do better to tuck the money under the mattress. If you are more comfortable with a regular cost than a random, possibly big, one, you may prefer a service contract. At least with a big reputable company you have someone to complain to if you have poor service. Other utility companies also offer boiler installations and service contracts, your gas or electricity company might be keen to have you.

Some of the older combis have problems with corroding aluminium or blocked heat exchangers, the later stainless models with plate exchangers are better.

It is important to have a good anti-corrosion chemical like Sentinel or Fernox added to any CH system whenever it is installed, drained or leaks.

Do you know if BG stop covering elderly boilers under their service agreements? I think mine is about 9 years old now, and I will be wanting a new one within the next couple of years, but will my hand be forced when it reaches it's 10th birthday do you think?

£1600 sounds good (barginous when you add in the Foxy Boiler Man) and the magnet thing is good. Our plumber recommended it - added about £100 to the overall cost I think.

BG cover boilers until either they become dangerous, or it becomes impossible to get the parts. There is occasionally dispute when an independent gas fitter can find a part at the back of some store-room, and BG say they can't obtain a new one from the manufacturer and have none left in their warehouse. There is a list of old boilers that contain asbestos, and nobody wants to work on them.

I think they covered my old Potterton until it was over 20 years old and the flue rusted through.