Boilers, what do they cost?

[TrickyD]

The boiler in a house we rent out needs either fixing, £750 plus VAT, no guarantee that fix will last, or new boiler, £3880 plus VAT.

Is that a reasonable price for a new combi? Haven't had to buy one for years but I was rather surprised at the quote, which the agent obtained for us.

If anyone lives in Norwich and can recommend a good plumber, please let me know!

Ours was £2500 (Inc VAT) including instillation and a 7 year warranty. It is a Worcester and has been fab so far, we are in the South. I would definitely have a look myself and contact a few local plumbers for a quote. That estimate seems very high, especially if you are planning on having the new one in the same place as the old.

The one I put in my rental was over 5k

We had a quote for a new flue approx £500. Or to budget £2500-£3500 for a complete new boiler. That is in Berkshire.

We had a new one installed last month for £2800 (inc VAT). It's a Keston with a 7 year warranty.

Thanks for all your replies.

Yes, boiler will be in the same place, and the quote is nearer £5,000 with VAT. I imagine the agent gets a cut out of their recommended contractor, so using another might save that for a start.

We live 95 miles away, our own plumber is lovely, but won't want to travel that far for a new boiler.

@TrickyD . We rent out as well. The quote for nearly £4K plus vat is laughable. Ever BG don't charge that now.

If the boiler is pretty much a straight swop, ie no extensive re piping but just re doing it around where the old boiler was, ours charged £400 plus VAT for the Labour plus boiler which was a days work.

The Worcester Combi in screwfix is less than £1000 and plumbers get discounted prices anyway elsewhere. www.screwfix.com/p/worcester-bosch-greenstar-30i-gas-combi-boiler/7091h

It makes my eyes water at some of the prices being quoted. Ours is gas safe registered as well

@TrickyD . Just seen your last post. I suggest if your plumber is reasonable then pay an enhancement to get him to fit it. May be reluctant I guess in case anything goes wrong but those prices you are quoting are ludicrous

Thanks MarieG10.
I have been looking for FB recommendations for Norwich installers and am asking for quotes. I am glad you agree the price already quoted was high.
Sadly I don't think our nice plumber will be enticed to Norwich even with an enhancement. He is so good he is always up to his eyebrows with local work.

@TrickyD

No help to you now, but I find the trick is before they finally break down, lol, to replace them. A plumber can then fit them in when they have a spare day to fill. The problem is when to May that call. We have been told one if ours is in restricted parts for 10 years but is going fine and all the critical parts are always available so tempted not to change that one yet!

I work for a heating firm. Unless there is something you haven’t mentioned eg oil boiler, ancient pipe work, massive property that needs a more commercial sized appliance then that’s really expensive.

We just had one fitted last week for £1990 plus vat.

Ours was £2315, installed last week which included -

• Moving the location of the boiler from the kitchen to the loft.
• Swapping a conventional boiler for a combi
• Hive smart thermostat

The boiler will be between 800-1000 + vat rest in installation

Ours cost 2k including moving and two additional radiators.

As others have said... that is an astronomical piss take.. if it's a straight swap then you are being charged about 3500 for a days work for 1 man... and a day is a generous amount of time. I really dont understand how gas fitters get away with those prices.
Boiler and flue 1500 inc vat
A day to fit 300 inc vat ... your fitter seems to have added a 0 to give himself 10 days money for 1 days work
If he gets this job he can take 2 weeks off

I’m Norwich based. Not had a new boiler but we use HGS plumbing and heating for servicing etc. Not sure how they compare price wise but always been very happy with the service they provide.

Thank you everyone, and yes, Yoohoo I will give them a ring tomorrow. I want to get it sorted for the poor tenants., Apparently it is a fault with the pressure which keeps dropping, so they are not totally in the perishing cold, but not much fun for them. The contractor also offered the option of just fixing the fault but that was £750 plus VAT with no guarantee, so we will bite the bullet. Their last expensive 'fix' did not last long. The current boiler is 17 years old.

Depends on the size of your home as well. A bigger house with more people will need a bigger combi to serve it.

Ours is on it's last legs so we had a look a few months ago just in case. 4 bed with 2 people so we need a 35w really. That was around £1800 plus fitting from memory. This will help you define size:

www.mrcentralheating.co.uk/blog/what-size-boiler-for-my-house

Well over. Ours was £2500 for a new one in a new position and reworking the pipes.

I spoke to a different engineer today, recommended by a friend, and he was very helpful.

Apparently because the boiler is old, a replacement will need a drain to the outside to get rid of condensation. A legal requirement apparently - any comments? Are all small boilers condensers?

Because of the position this is likely to be very difficult and might explain the original quote.

You need @Pigletjohn he's the sage of all plumbing knowledge..

I paid £2200 for mine, 34 capacity so large, plus 2 radiators and pipes

Sounds sensible to replace it. Yes I was told we needed a drain as new boilers are all condensing boilers which drip,condensate outside.
When we had work done separate to the boiler I had a drain installed ready. However, it appears that you don't have to have a drain connected to the mains drainage system. Friends have it draining into a small mini draining pit at the side of the house. Basically a hole with stones in it. Can't see it all.

Equally don't let them out long runs of drainage pipe to the nearest drain as in winter they just freeze, block the condenser pipe and boiler stops working

GoKartMozart, very wise advice. Pigletjohn has clarified the plumbing needs of a new boiler - drain vital. Might explain the high quote.

@TrickyD I'm paying a fraction under £3k inc VAT for mine - removing existing boiler and flue and replacing with new regular boiler. New flue, filling in old holes etc, new timer, new pipes, flushing the system, all electrical works etc etc It will take 2 days and includes running condensate pipe into internal drain! . It would have been just over £3600 inc VAT to have a combi boiler fitted instead.

I don't think your quote is out of the way if it includes everything

I got mine from boxt online, was a 2 bed flat, for £1,800. Depending on how much bigger the house is may vary the boiler install cost which you can check online. I can’t see that a drain will be that much. It’s a pipe through a wall, the plumber is there already and will be a quick additional job?