Reply With QuoteWas on my ideal, think they've changed virtually every part in it twice
Are boiler service plans worth it ?
My Worcester Bosch 4 years old now out of warranty -does it actually need servicing ?
(Quoted £170 ) and if so how often ?
Or worth taking out service plan £17 month ?
Any thoughts appreciated
Thanks
Was on my ideal, think they've changed virtually every part in it twice
I think you can get it cheaper than that. A service these days is little more than a check.Originally Posted by eddie1
I was told by our boiler engineer that a service every two years is fine - I was a bit surprised at that.
Put a Carbon Monoxide sensor in your house.
That said, if they break down they can be expensive, so some kind of protection plan can be useful. We had everything covered at our last house and one Christmas morning we woke to find water from a the header tank pouring through the ceiling. An engineer was there within an hour or so. I hate to think what it would have cost, if we could even have got someone, had we not been covered.
So clever my foot fell off.
Absolutely Eddie. We've had our British Gas service plan for years and it has been amazing for us. We have young kids in the house so need our heat and hot water to be there when we need it.
The only thing to mention is that any repairs you have in the year will increase the monthly payment for the next year - no such thing as a free lunch but the convenience of having them there is worth it.
David
We've had a British Gas Homecare plan for several years and the engineers have been out quickly when needed, give us a tighter timeslot than seems usual with service visits, and best of all they keep mending the existing boiler. On occasion we have had visits from non-BG engineers (I think one from the insurance company was when we had a flooded kitchen) who have gone as far as sticking Hazard tape around the boiler and condemning it.
Delighted to say that when the BG engineers arrive, they tell us it's a fan or fan bearing needed or whatever and replace it f.o.c. They have pointed out that the (then) boiler cabinet wouldn't meet current installation standards. No attempts at jobsworth or hard selling.
Cost about £300 p.a. I think (SWMBO's task) Recommended.
Graham
£300 a year for a service plan, christ alive..
I've got a Worchester Bosch and they are very reliable. It didn't get serviced for about 5 years (!) and when I had it serviced recently it was fine. Personally I'd put £15 in an account each month to eventually cover a service. Mine although a smaller boiler was serviced for £75..
I'm another fan of the British Gas plan - it's not cheap, but unless you've got a very relaible engineer who is on call 24/7, it's very difficult to get someone a short notice. BG have come out same day, several times and got our boiler up-and-running. (This was after the boiler broker down in -5 temps a few years ago. The guy who had serviced the boiler took 2 days to come out, and two days to get the part and fit it - we were freezing. The wife insisted on a plan after that, and TBH I didn't take much persuasion!).
That's crazy money for a service. I paid £45 because he was plumbing in a new bathroom, but it was only supposed to be £65 normally. As boilers are a lot cheaper than even a few years ago, I cannot justify a service plan of a few hundred a year, unless it actually broke :-)
I've got British Gas homecare for peace of mind, gets bolier serviced every year and call outs 24/7, I think plans start at £12 up to £20 I think depending on what level of cover you want. i.e: just boiler or full central heatimg system.
Im with you on that, these companies still take time to come out anyhow, my brand new boiler took the bloke 3 days to come out, then about a week for the new updated circuit board to arrive in the uk so having a plan wouldn't really make any difference. If it breaks, ill just sign up for a service/extended warranty then, and pocket the cash in the mean time ;)
I'm paying £50 p.a. for an accredited engineer to service my Ideal Logic and stamp the log book; this keeps the 5 yr parts & labour warranty alive. After that I think it will be a service every other year and a new boiler when it expires, which will hopefully be after I do. Not connected I hope!
I usually believe in keeping things well maintained, but I`ve made an exception with the heating boiler.
It's an Ideal and it's been in place for over 13 years, during which I haven`t had it formally 'serviced'. It has had 2 replacement fans (one after 10yrs, the other last week....why did the replacement last only 3 years?) I have a very good local heating/plumbing firm who come out quickly if I have problems.
I check to see that it's burning cleanly (correct blue flame, no smokiness or traces of yellow), but that's all. Provided it keeps working OK I spend nothing on it, accepting that one day it'll cost a lot to replace. As it's sited in my garage it's easy to see the colour of the flame when it's running.....simply put the garage light off and observe.
Having seen what's involved with 'servicing' I can`t help thinking it's a bit of a con. Regular servicing wouldn`t have prevented the fan failures.
One day it'll pack up and my local firm will fit a new one whilst taking a chunk of cash off me.
Paul
eddie it will cost you around £50 for a good plumber to service it
I would never take out a rip off service plan.
My boiler was approximately 16 years old when we moved in. It looked a bit old, but solid. Decided that anyone servicing it was likely to condemn it and insist I got a new-fangled condensing boiler with a short lifespan. So made the decision to not have it serviced and just replace it when it finally conked out.
12 years down the line, still going strong. When it finally goes I'll be happy to pay for a replacement, but suspect it will not last as long.
It is in the garage, so I don't have to be that concerned about CO poisoning.
I've got a British gas service plan. They do the annual service and do come out pretty promptly. Think I pay £37 a month. If I could find a reliable engineer who would come out ASAP when something went wrong I would happily switch. Also get the hard sell at every service - new boiler, carbon monoxide detector, water descaler magnet etc etc
It's basically an insurance policy for if something goes wrong.
Thats a hell of alot of money! Nearly £450 a yr - take off £75 tops for a service thats £370 a year on something might go wrong. Can a boiler go wrong every year, I haven't know it - and you get the hard sell for spending MORE money come BG are taking the **** All my dealings with BG have been very poor and they couldn't organise getting my bill right i just wouldn't let them near my boiler.
I'm in a similar situation. I moved in 11 years ago and have never had the boiler serviced - it would be instantly condemned anyway. I'm fairly sure the boiler was installed when the house was converted into flat's in the mid-80's, so efficient it ain't, but it's never gone wrong - I've never even had to re-light the pilot. So I can't see any reason not to stick with it until it dies - and then deal with the cost of replacing it.
I do have a carbon monoxide detector sat on top of it though.
N
I've got a BG service plan that also covers electrical & plumbing.....i tend to go long periods without needing anything and then all sorts of things happen in a fairly short space of time!
Personally,i think it's worth doing. If,for instance,your cold water tank starts to fail (mine did...luckily caught some signs before catastrophic failure) then out comes the plumbing arm and Bob's Your Uncle,one new tank fitted and working tout suite. It was on a saturday...try calling a plumber out on a saturday and see what sort of bill you get! I've also had to call them at 5am and they've been at the house by 7am to fix a heating issue.
In my opinion i would much rather spend a small amount each month rather than have to find a whopping amount in one go.
I would definitely recommend getting a service plan for piece of mind. Shop around for competitive price though.We have an oil fired boiler that only needs a clean out and new injector thingy once a year. When our old boiler froze and packed in we got a new one for free as the engineer was 'on the ball'. I could service it myself but I have no knowledge of the ins and outs and when you have a family then you don't want it to brake down during the winter !
All a service used to involve seemed to be a dust inside. Modern boilers don't even get this - just a few readings are taken. We have a Vaillant and only bother with the service to keep the (5? year warranty alive). Ours cost £65 + VAT (£78). After this don't think we'll continue.
These service plans do seem expensive. When our last boiler packed up we survived a (very cold) winter with just a gas fire in the living room and a few electric radiators. I'm sure a couple of days without heating now would be no major problem (admittedly we did have an electric immersion heater then which we don't now).
BG for me. No hard sell. They always recommend a new boiler and a power flush (been saying that for the past five years!). Mine's had two new circuit boards which would probably have cost three or four years of charges alone.
And a "service" on a modern combi involves...what exactly?
A quick brush out and a cuppa. That will be 50 quid please love.
Ill take my chances I think.
My old boiler (13yo) went during the bitter part of last winter. Doing without hot water for a couple of days was deeply unpleasant (okay, so I'm soft). An independent came out, installed a new Vailliant on a Saturday for £1800.
I do not have a service plan just put some funds away my self. Current boiler serviced after 6 years about £75. Mainly done because the port valve had gone total was £150.
its an ideal boiler about 12 years old runs fine. It is not a combi.
Whilst may here are happy with BG - i have plenty of mates who were not. This usually comes from finding they are told parts are not available then getting huge quotes for replacement boilers- nearly all of them have saved a grand by going to a local gas safe plumber
I use Corgi now. I did have BG but was unhappy with their engineers attitude during the last visit.
I was paying £20 a month with BG for just the boiler cover (with an annual service included).
I now pay £19.98 a month for boiler cover with annual service, all pipework, radiators, hot and cold water tanks, electrical outlets, fuse box, internal AND external drains and pipes to the border of my property.
Seemed like a BLOODY good deal to me.
No contract term, stop and start as you wish!
Regards,
Si
If you can find a good reliable plumber then you are sorted as he will service it for a fraction of the cost of these rip off cover plans! If it goes wrong then ring your relible plumber that you have found, these plans make no financial sense at all it might give people peace of mind but you can peace of mind with a local plumber it's like taking out an expensive extra cover policy on a new TV you are being overcharged! Don't do it.
To service plan or not ? That is the question ........
Older boilers without all these new fancy circuit boards and condensers used to run on forever and more reliable as there was less to go wrong and parts were cheaper !IMHO these new condensing boilers are more efficient but ultimately less reliable .
I personally would not take out a service plan and just call out a reasonably priced plumber to fix as and when. If it breaks down more than 3 times scrap it and replace as trough my own bitter experience once parts start failing its like a dominoe effect . Saying that however , there is an element of luck with boilers .One may get one that lasts years without problems or one that breaks down from new. I've had one like that too .
My only advice is to make sure you have a good cleaner/inhibitor in your central heating system to keep all the valves and pumps cleaner .It's not a matter if they break down but when ,unfortunately !
Good luck .
Been with BG for over a decade but monthly charge has slowly crept up - looking at the corgi website it states that they exclude drains at £16.99/month - did you opt to pay extra to get the drains cover?
have you had to call them out and if so how efficient were they dealing with your issue?
regards
I didn't initially take the drains cover but after about a month Corgi rang and offered me the extra drains cover for £2.99 fixed for 2 or 3 years (cant remember).
I have called them out and they use local firms and plumbers as opposed to having their own guys. It then depends on the individual but i have had no problems.
Regards,
Si
Our boiler broke last week, I did not have cover despite working for BG and getting 25% off any plans. I got amazing service from a local plumber but he did shaft me for £523.
I was billed for all his time getting parts and driving to and for my house. Actual work was 1hr 15minutes charged 3hr 30mins on the bill. Expensive lesson
Took boiler cover out this week
I take out Yorkshire Water's Homeserve drains cover. I've need them out three times in the last few years have no complaints about speed of attendance.
Bear in mind that shared drains; drains that lead out of your garden to the neighbour's manhole etc, are now the responsibility of the water company, not you. You're only responsible for drains from your kitchen/loo to the shared pipe.
http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/consumerissu...lities/sewers/
That's very interesting. My neighbours drain comes onto our property (we're a pair of semi-detached houses), joins with ours and then exits to the main drain in the road. In the past I've had to rod the communal drain (because it's on our property) - will the sewerage company now sort out any blockage?
I got my BG Homecare renewal notice today. Annual service only and its gone down from £82 a year to £78. Pretty close to what a local guy would charge but I get the convenience of monthly dd at no surcharge and an email reminder to book a slot online.
If it's not on the part of the drain from your house to the joined pipe, it's worth asking. The diagram is clear. It may take a day or two to get them out though. That's why I keep drain rods, a pressure washer with drain attachment and a contract with Homeserve - two hour attendance though they won't deal with a blockage that's not on your property even if it's the shared pipe.
My place was built in 1963 and there's an oddity about the drains that has kept problems recurring. I'm paranoid about the all-too familiar bubbling in the loo that indicates it's just blocked again - and I shove far more water down there than is normally necessary (I'm not metered!).
Thanks, the way ours is constructed there is unlikely to be a blockage on the non-shared pipe. If our drain-cover lifts and sewage flows down the road (as it has done) I'd hope they'd be quicker than a couple of days. I've bought a set of rods and it isn't too difficult but it's not pleasant when the neighbours s**t is in there alongside our own! More importantly in the event of (say) a collapsed shared drain on our property there isn't hassle with the neighbour as to whose responsibility it is.
I did take out Homeserve(?) this year because it was on offer at ~£10 for the year and planned to cancel after that. Even more keen to cancel now.
The boiler cover is well worth he money as long as you can find a decent option plan. You might end up paying much more if your boiler breaks.
I use BG for a plan that includes a yearly boiler service and provides cover for said boiler, central heating system and drains.
My house is pre 1900 and is a bloody nightmare so with 2 young kids I feel a bit more secure that I can keep the house and water warm with the insurance blanket. The boiler is pretty old and having checked the documents it would be more down to fixing than replacing under the policy, but its a simple no frills one and should hopefully be straightforward to sort it if it goes wrong.
I've called the engineers twice in 2 years. Once was because the heating wasnt working and I simply had the remote thermostat out or range (it was kind of embarassing). The second was due to the heating not working again. The engineer was scheduled really quickly because of the kids being so young and I think I only waited 2 days. He was a top bloke and rebalanced the system, sorted the air locks out that I didn't know were there and fitted a new thermostat valve to a radiator. I expected he would reccomend some sort of expensive additional power flush but he didn't and the system has been great since then.
I look at it as a necessary expense and as the engineer is then essentially free it seems like good value for peace of mind. I have tried using local plumbers before but they seem generally disinterested in small jobs and I've found them unreliable in the past, so have some comfort in using a big and well organised firm (no offence to plumbers of the forum, I'm bloody unlucky with workmen). I appreciatte others may have individual horror stories etc but for me I'm happy.
Steve
Who ever told you the "updated" PCB had to arrive in the UK as having you over, PCB arent "updated" and they are available all over the UK.
Not really, your house is very unlikely to be air tight to your garage, also, it has been known for fume to entry a property via an open window, your boiler may be fine, but is your neighbors?
I have a British home care plan covers boiler all electrics plumbing and the appliances. Had to make a few calls out so can not complain. One number and some one is around it's paid for it self and is simply peace of mind more then anything.
I'm sure GasMan118 will confirm that unless your "plumber" has the relevant gas certification he shouldn't be touching any gas related appliances anyway.
That's why you find a lot most "plumbers" won't entertain boiler servicing or instulation. Now "heating engineers" different breed all together lol.
You rarely find a heating engineer that doesn't take offence at being called a plumber ;-)
B.
Being qualified is one thing, being competent is another. If you know/find a good "old boy" who has been doing it for years and you totally trust him, great, and if he'll have his phone on on Christmas day even better, but unless you really really trust him, well, you wouldnt get your car MOT'd by the local "travelers" community would you?
OK, I was being slightly flippant, but I have no opening windows on the side of the house by the flue, nearest neighbour is 20m+ away on that side and my guess is that any CO produced would prefer to diffuse away through the draughty garage doors (unsealed) as opposed to the two sets of external (draught-proofed) doors that coonect to the main house.
Having said that, I do have a CO alarm in the front room (that has a wood burner).
Good lad, CO is lighter air - just you know
I wonder why my CO alarm placement instructions ay that if it is free standing it shouldn't be more than 3 feet from the ground. Surely putting it higher would be better?
Strange, should be head height or above really
Carbon monoxide is only very slightly lighter than air - a molecular weight of 28 versus 29 for air. By comparison, helium (as used in party balloons) has a molecular weight of 4. This means that CO doesn't float or sink but just spreads out according to the rate at which it is produced and is carried along by drafts. On that basis, the height at which the alarm is positioned is less significant than whether the alarm is in a draft or not.
Much more important though is to place alarms in the rooms that matter - so one in the room with the boiler and one in each bedroom (or on the landing at the very least).
I whole heartedly agree with this statement. And whats more after several years the bg engineer will say that
They can no longer get the parts and will condemn the boiler and get you to upgrade your boiler. And he will most likely
Get a commision.
Ive never taken out a plan of these types as it just a way of increasing the coffers for those that take bonuses .
I get my boiler serviced for 60 plus vat once a year.
We added cover to our home insurance policy. £12 a year so a no brainer really.
My local gas engineer charges £60 for a full service. Think you're getting ripped off a bit there - would try getting some other quotes.
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