New boiler... British Gas or someone else?

[Starrynight0]

We want to replace our boiler and also move it to a different part of the kitchen (so it will require a bit more labour than a simple replacement).

We contacted British Gas and two local plumbers for quotes. BG were easy - booked the appointment online, a very helpful man came out, explained everything, and gave us a quote there and then (£4,200 for a Worcester Bosch + all labour).

The other two plumbers have both failed to turn up twice.

I've asked friends/family for recommendations but the only suggestion we got was a company with very mixed Trust Pilot reviews which put us off.

I just searched Mumsnet and saw a company called BOXT mentioned - positive reviews but I'm not sure if they will be able to change the location too given this will require some building work. I will have to investigate!

We'd be happy to just book BG but £4,200 is a lot of money when you've not had other quotes for comparison. No idea if this is a rip-off or about what you'd expect?

That's probably because "other qualified tradesmen" work for themselves and the buck stops with them. Or work for a business that hasn't seen the HSE implications.

As a business a large corporate not only has a responsibility to its customers, but also its employees/contractors to make sure everyone working on a site follows the latest procedures and that the site is secure and safe to work on to the best of its ability. You may find it unnecessary but then again you wouldn't be the one to face the consequences if something went wrong. My guess is that they implement policies like this because of direct experience of things going wrong on site.

I found all the BG guys very good. Their sales guy especially was willing to talk through the quote and discuss the individual items, and the installer was very knowlegeable and took my comments into account on the install. I guess you could have got a bad sales person or I got a good one - it's a big business and a lot of people work for them.

Yes I agree they are more expensive. The question is whether you get what you pay for. In my case I think I did and was happy with it. In your case it does sound a bit over the top, but I guess I'd have to see the install in detail and their justification on the costs to understand whether they got it right or wrong.

The whole thing about having the plaster finished before installing does sound a bit silly. Maybe their reasoning is that they don't want someone else going in and damaging an installation that they would then be responsible for. Does sound a little excessive though.

We replaced our boiler in 2018, but I wish I'd known then what I know now.

I'd definitely buy a Viessman boiler over a Worcester Bosch due to the modulation range. They're not very well known in the UK, but have won loads of awards and spend a fortune on research.

www.heatgeek.com/viessmann-vs-worcester-boilers/

www.heatgeek.com/viessmann-vitodens-200-boiler-review/

I probably wouldn't buy a combi, either. The wait for hot water is a real pain and it causes excessive boiler cycling. Heating engineers consider them to be unreliable junk compared to 'heat only' boilers.

You should really look into controlling it with either a Viessman weather compensation controller or a Tado thermostat. You want something that can control the boilers output, rather than just turning it on/off (relay). Only the EU version of the Tado kit can do this. They sell it via their installer website:

uk.installers-shop.tado.com/products/wireless-smart-thermostat-starter-kit-v3-eu-version

I've fitted one of those Tado kits to my system and it's certainly an improvement compared to the old Honeywell.

Unfortunately, my boiler's minimum output is 6kW, so it can't really modulate low enough except when the outside temperature is a few degrees Celsius or lower. Some Viessman models can go down to 1.8kW, so your boiler can tick along giving off a very small amount of heat and avoid 'cycling' which damages the boiler. In winter, it would be able to stay on 24x7 which would prolong the life of the boiler. That might sound expensive, but 1.8kW would only cost around 20 pence an hour at current prices. It is much more comfortable to have a stable temperature than have the boiler turning on/off as the temperature goes up/down.

Thanks again for the advice, everyone. We've now had 4 other quotes from local plumbers (contacted so many as we thought it was 50-50 they'd turn up after the first two, but they all did!).

Quotes have ranged from about £3,200-£3,900 so BG's £4,200 does now seem very expensive. Now we just need to decide!

I noticed British Gas said they would brick up the old flue (as we are moving the location) whereas two of the others are using sand and cement, and the other two haven't mentioned either way. OH says he's unsure how BG will brick a round hole anyway so cement/sand is fine. Is this normal?

Op, just make sure all the plumbers are quoting for the same boilers and not cheaper models.

I'd expect a half brick to be put in the hole with concrete for the remaining gaps. I think it would be tricky to fill the entire thing with concrete because wet concrete would sag.

You will only get a short warranty with BG as Worcester won’t warranty them.

Go on the WB website and book a fast track installation and quote

I used a reliable local guy who was almost half the price of BG.
Work was done perfectly.
Maybe ask around for recommendations.

Fine if you want to be part of illegal tax avoidance and the black economy!!

Zombie thread

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