Advice on new boiler and re-siting

[Ithinkofawittyusernamethenforgetit]

My parents’ boiler is not repairable. It was in the new build when they moved in, in 1969 (it’s older than my youngest sister!) and - due to the layout - is sited in the middle of the house. They have been told for years that, should they need to replace it, it needs re-siting to an outside wall. A recent service showed the flue in the loft has degraded, parts aren’t available so this has become a big job. Frustrating as I’ve been telling them to have it done pro-actively (and was happy to research options, get different companies in for quotes) but here we are. They currently have no heating or hot water (ok it’s April). A British Gas surveyor is looking at it on Thursday but is there anything to be aware of? Either to do or avoid? I feel a little on the back foot here and am keen that they get the most suitable option. On the plus side the removal of the beast will open up the kitchen and I’m sure their bills will come down. It’s probably G-rated. I’m tempted to call Guinness Book of Records.
Thank you.

Wow, it’s significantly older than me.

I imagine it will be a bit expensive - safely dealing with the old set-up and getting all the new pipea and boiler etc. in place.

I like Worcester boilers, but I’m not an expert in any way!

I am guessing they still have a hot water tank and a loft header tank. You will need to change to a combi or system boiler. You will need to think about the number of bathrooms and radiators and that should help you work out whether you need a combi or system boiler. Combi heats on demand and systems heat water for a hot storage tank.
Would also be sensible to think about how the pipes get from the boiler to the current hot water tank because there will need to be a similar route to the new boiler.
The boiler will want to be on an external window and the vent needs to be a certain distance from an openable widow for safety.

I relocated my boiler, was not difficult as long as you have a suitable position to do so, they then patch into the pipe work. I paid £2400 though this was quite a while ago, 10 years maybe so double it I suspect. Get quotes from other contractors too, I used a local independent company

I moved my boiler to the loft, swapped it for a combi and had the tank removed. Cost around £4k 3 years ago. Much better set up

I swapped my boiler from an old one with a water tank to a combi boiler and the horrible water tank removed . I also had it moved from the kitchen downstairs to a cupboard next to the bathroom upstairs and the flue leading out of the loft. Had it done in October and it cost me £3.5k. Best thing I’ve done as the boiler was ancient and probably condemned.

We had a combi in our previous bungalow. Our boiler is probably going to be changed in the next couple of years and we will not be having a combi. We have 2 bathrooms (1 shower 1 bath) and we know that you cannot have a decent bath with a combi, it is too slow as the water pressure is not enough. Also, we do not find them economical either.

Thank you for all your replies - really helpful. I've spoken to my mum and the surveyor was there for nearly four hours! There seems to be two options according to him, one sounds just like @BeeHive909 had, I will let my mum know @Walig54 's thoughts on combi boilers although they only have the one bathroom and my mum can't have baths anyway (the nephew likes deep baths though so I think this will matter!) The other option is as @Geneticsbunny suggested as it would be on an outside wall. There is a LOT of re-routing of pipes to do (so carpets and floorboards up). My mum wants to get a couple more quotes but she's worried they may want half up front, as does British Gas but she trusts them.

Be warned that British Gas will be much more expensive than a decent local plumber.

How about trying BOXT? You can do a quote online so you get a ballpark figure for comparison.

Combi boiler will be fine for a bath. The only reason to get a system boiler and a tank with one bathroom is if the water pressure is crap.

I know it will push the price up, but consider replacement radiators as well, modern ones are much more efficient, at the least get TRV's installed if they do not already have them. When I had a boiler replaced, the old water tank was disconnected and left in the loft, as there was no way to get it through the hatch without cutting it up.

Thanks @Somersetbaker I asked my mum about radiators and she said they’re not in the quote - I’m in two minds as I think they should have them too, especially as there’s going to be so much upheaval (furniture moving, carpets and floorboards up) but I’ll keep it in mind and mention again when they get other quotes.

Sounds like a back boiler, which is what we still have, just a shy 7 years younger than your parents one! Proper work horses in their day.

Personally I would suggest a combi, which will do a bath no problem. My son who lives a couple of roads down from me has a system boiler and has had nothing but problems and is now getting it replaced with a combi.

I’d also suggest Worcester boilers and avoid Veismann, they get lots of bad reviews.

If existing radiators aren’t being re-sited, they can always be done at a later date to keep costs down.

We recently purchased a cottage with a 56 year old boiler that died shortly after completion. The quotes we've had to replace with a combi and relocate to a different room range from 3.5k to almost 8k (all local independent plumbers). I looked at Boxt, but understand if you're wanting to relocate the boiler this complicates matters as they just quote like for like replacement in the same location.

If you put a boiler in the loft, you need safe, easy access. Worcester-Bosch said I would need a safety rail round the hatch and proper boarding, or their engineers would not be able to service it. I had my boiler re-sited from the middle of the house(airing cupboard) to the kitchen. I'm glad I didn't opt for the loft as the water in the CH system needs topping up from time-to-time and that would have been an enormous faff if it had been in the loft. It took 3 plumbers a day and a half to install a combi boiler and remove the old boiler, flue and hot and cold water tanks.