Combi Boiler

[alwayswrighty]

Sounds like the pump has gone on the boiler. We'll need to replace because it's a 10 year old boiler. Can anyone recommend a decent make of boiler please. We know we need 30kw.

I'm not an expert but a boiler pump is pretty replaceable and a ten year old boiler is practically a baby!
I've only ever had one replaced and it was second hand and I think I paid about 80 quid.

@plumpylumpydumpy we've looked. For the model we have its £250 for the part, and then there is the cost of labour. When we had it serviced the plumber said it's likely to last only a couple more years as the make and model aren't brilliant. So by the time we've paid it out we might as well get a new one (plus I don't trust something else not to go wrong with it straight after).

I am not an expert but most builders I have spoken to have said Worcester brand is the best in terms of boilers

Thanks @Orchid789

@alwayswrighty.
We have just had mil’s boiler replaced 16 years old we’re very definitely told Worcester. Luckily it was in stock and was fitted over the next few days.

Valiant.

Think I'll get it booked tomorrow. My plumbers able to get a Worcester fitted in 2 weeks, so I think we'll just do it. I can't do winter, or even some of it without heating and hot water chronic illness

Worcester Bosch are excellent. Alternatively Baxi, Vaillant, Ideal also okay. (I used to work for a government grant dealing with boilers)

We went for Vaillant when we replaced ours

And it replaced an Ideal boiler that was over 20 years old

The brands mentioned so far all have a decent reputation. I hear good things about Viessmann, too.

We have a Worcester Bosch. Our plumber describes them as "the BMW of boilers" - not a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, but probably more reliable, better understood by technicians, and certainly not a 1980s Lada!

Another vote for Valliant. My mum has got Worcester and is happy. Not sure if it’s still the same but they had decent guarantees too.

@hannahcolobus Quick question for you if you dont mind please, I've bought a smart thermostat, do I need a heating engineer or an electrician to fit it ?

Sorry to hijack OP.

we've just had a Worcester installed a week ago. It comes with (IIRC) a 10 year guarantee if you have the annual service done.

Definitely go for something not too super modern. We had ours replaced a few months ago with an all singing all dancing Worcester Bosch with WiFi thermostats on the radiators etc.
It's been a pain in the arse. There's always updates being made in Belgium that they haven't made account for in the UK. We thought it was broken as it kept turning off but it turned out that it was turning off because it was sunny in Belgium so it decided we didn't need it to be on and it was being 'efficient'.

All the issues have been sorted pretty quickly by the helpline or by a very quick and efficient engineer service, but it is a pain not knowing that updates have been made and then spending ages trying to speak to someone.

@hannahcolobus thanks for that. I'll ring my electrician.

We had a Baxi fitted last year, it has a 10 year warranty that is apparently worth the paper it is written on, so fingers crossed for it. A year in we have no complaints.

Thanks everyone. We're booked in for Worcester week after next now.

Good news, winter without a working boiler is grim.