Condensing boiler - recommendations and cost please

[deedeelondon]

Has anyone recently had a new condensing boiler fitted? Please can you recommend a good one and how much it cost to fit? Mine is on the blink and won't last another year - the hot water is sometimes barely warmer than tepid. Time to replace and bracing myself for huge expense. Need a ball park figure please... Also, did you buy yourself and get someone to fit, or did you go for supply and installation package?

We got the boiler replaced in July (best time to do it). We got a Worcester Bosch boiler for our vented system - 24kW rings a bell. We got an enormous new hot water cylinder and needed a new gas supply running as the other one was only 16mm(?) and didn't have enough pressure.

We paid 2600 (south east but not London).

I always buy Worcester Bosch - very reliable and good after-sales care. How much you will pay depends on what size you need - they have a useful website to work out which model might suit. I had to put one in a flat I was doing up a few months ago and the plumber had good things to say about Ideal boilers but I ended up with WB anyway. I always ask the heating engineer to quote to supply then see if I can get a better price, generally I do (about £850 for a boiler for a flat with one bathroom). To put it in the same place as your old boiler, in London I would expect to pay about £500.

Thanks both - that's very useful. I've been looking at Worcester Bosch as thay get great reviews and have a good warranty. lala £500 sounds very reasonable. Has anyone in London had one fitted as cheaply as that?

Ask around personally for recommended local installers. Don't rely on websites where the advertiser may have paid to be listed and could have written his own reviews. The installer will not guarantee any parts he did not supply and fit. He must of course be registered on Gas Safe and must show you his photo i.d. and let you read it and nite the name and number, and the face on the photo. If it is "in the van" or "left at home" smile sweetly and say you will wait while he fetches it, before you allow him in. If he moans or gets aggressive at being asked, shut the door. If you use an unregistered person, you're on your own.

Quality of installation makes a big difference to reliability of the system. For example if you are replacing an old boiler, the old radiators and pipes are probably full of corrosion sediment, which can block your boiler or wear out the pump. Breakdowns caused by dirt are not covered by the boiler guarantee, and the manufacturers installation instructions will specify that the system must be clean. To perform a powerflush takes about half a day's work. Adding a system filter is very worthwhile and adds about £100.

Look for approved installers on the manufacturers website, and see if you get a longer guarantee if you use one.

You may consider having a good installation rather than a cheap one.

Thank you so much pigletjohn. Invaluable advice which I'll follow to the letter. for you!

Hi deed - if the pipework doesn't need to be moved, it's not a huge job. My price includes a power flush but not the filter that PJ recommends.

Thanks lala - pipework doesn't need to be moved so that should cut down on the cost...