Boiler quotes and models, which one? PigletJohn, advice appreciated please :-).

[BeYourselfUnlessUCanBeAUnicorn]

Got a crappy saunier duval boiler, no hot water so needs diverter valve replacing at £450. Is also 11 years old so considering replacement instead. Plumber has come back with these boilers and prices:-

Valliant ecoTec plus 832, 7 years warranty £1900.

Valliant ecoTec Pro 28, 5 years warranty £1702.

Vokera Unica 32, 5 years warranty, £1484.80.

Vokera Compact A29, 2 year warranty, £1312.80.

Last one is no good, we have 3 bed 2 bathroom house. Never heard of vokera. Prices are everything, boiler, fitting, flue, draining system etc etc. Long list of stuff. Price is quote not estimate.

These seem like good prices although we hadn't planned on having to replace the boiler at the moment. I'm just not sure whether it's worth throwing a quarter of the cost for a part on an old boiler that they don't make and is hard to find plumbers who will work on them. Parts are notoriously expensive too.

What do you think?

I think those prices are reasonable - I would take the £1900 V with the 7 year
guarantee

If he's offering extended warranties on the Vaillants, he must be an approved installer, and is probably very familiar with them. Popular, so parts and installers are easy to find. The Pro 28 has been around a while but perhaps they have been keeping the design up to date. The 832 is more powerful, so can give a slightly better shower or fill the bath quicker if the incoming water flow is enough, and can also heat the house more quickly if your radiators are big enough. If the flow is poor (run a cold tap to fill a bucket, time it, calculate litres per minute) this could be a good time to look into upgrading the supply pipe.
I have a feeling that if you ask the installer to explain the differences between the options he will say something along the lines of "the more expensive ones are better." Prices look very reasonable. Summer is a good time to buy.

Gasmen are always arguing ferociously over which boilers are good and which are rubbish. Vaillant is most often highly thought of.

I expect he is budgeting for new controls, you should have at least TRVs and a programmable stat. Opinions differ about Weather Compensation which annoyingly has a mind of its own. Wireless controls go wrong more often than wired ones.

if your radiators are older than your existing boiler, or if the system has ever been leaky, it would be preferable to add a system filter since the radiators may be rusty or sludgy inside (even after powerflushing). If the condensate pipe from your old boiler runs outside the house, do whatever you can to have it connected to an inside drain to prevent it freezing. Please don't put it in the loft.

Thanks. Great advice.

Is the system filter the magnaclean hearing filter that would be fitted under the boiler? This is part of his quote.

Not sure about condensate pipe, no idea what it is. Think the thing I'm thinking of that's outside may be the flue? The boiler is in the downstairs study, I don't think anything is in the loft.

heating filter. Stupid autocorrect.

A Magnaclean is an example of a brand of filter, yes. Ask him to show you how to empty out the dirt, it is no harder than emptying a hoover, and feels rather rewarding.

A condensate pipe is a sort of drain, usually in white plastic about an inch diameter, that probably comes out of the bottom of the boiler. It contains water that has condensed out of the steam from the gas flame. It is only about as acidic as tomato juice, but this is enough to erode cement so it normally runs into a house drain. Otherwise it has to be neutralised by limestone chippings or something. Running it into the waste pipe for the sink is usually the best option.