Reply With QuoteI have quotes from last month starting at £1700 inc VAT for Potterton, up to £2,200.
Worcester Greenstar (Bosch) is probably the one we need to go for at £1,838.
Has anybody had a new boiler recently?
Boiler has broken down again - Potterton rubbish. I think it could be the end.
I’m interested in finding out current, actual costs so that I have an idea of what I’m in for. £1,000 for the boiler, £1,000 for the installation, £1,000 for pipework modifications, system flushing, extras?
Bad couple of weeks: boiler, car reached it’s end, front door lock broke and long standing problems with conservatory vents and to cap it off, it’s nearly Christmas.
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I have quotes from last month starting at £1700 inc VAT for Potterton, up to £2,200.
Worcester Greenstar (Bosch) is probably the one we need to go for at £1,838.
Many thanks, so around the £2,000 point, maybe nudging up say 1/3 as I’m in London.Originally Posted by Reeny
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We got one a couple of years ago - went with Vailant. I'm sure I actually asked for advice on here too at the time.
Anyway, cost will partly depend on the size you need for your house. Installation may depend on what actually needs doing - if its just the boiler and not much else, it could be a day or two's work so say £400-£500.
System flushing can take various routes as well. One of the things we did years ago was to get each radiator removed and flushed with water and then refill the system with inhibitor etc. That was actually cheaper than a power flush.
Also, with the new boiler its worth getting a magnet cleaning system - quite cheap and easy for the plumber to install. (Reminds me I need to clean ours!) Other than that, you might need a thermostat / controller but then again you might not.
My mother-in-law had hers replaced in her flat last year and it was about £1,500 all in.
Hope that helps.
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Whereabouts in London are you by the way?
Yes many thanks for taking the time to reply. I’m SW. Richmond/Kingston.
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I’m in the south east and paid £2k fitted a couple of months ago.
Great could be better than I thought it would be.
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What a coincidence, just had issues with our Potterton 120 boiler, kept locking out (done it before ...years ago). Annual contract service engineer from Scottish Power (altho we live in London) said it was the main pcb, but they are not allowed to replace just this item anymore, the cost of repair would therefore be very high...so recommended new boiler.
I thought this is ****ocks....so sourced a pcb and a local heating engineer to fit it. He checked everything, after fitting the pcb, but the problem continued.....turned out to be dirty sensors inside the boiler and nothing a wire brush couldn't handle !!
Similar story with an oil fired boiler my mother had problems with.......the moral of the story.....get a couple of opinions as to whether or not it is "fixable"...before replacing a boiler.
Having one fitted in the New Year - mine is on the verge of being condemned, it's currently held together with insulation tape and British gas have now refused to do any more repairs due to its age!
We looked at Valiant and Ideal - nothing between them really. Quoted £1700 supplied and fitted and that includes a little bit of work on the pipes too (something to do with upgrading 10mm to 20mm if I got the gist of the conversation...)
I thought that was pretty reasonable, we budgeted £2000 so considering it needs a little bit of extra work I'm pleased.
Paid £770 for a BNIB Worcester Bosch earlier this year and paid a plumber mate to fit it - all in was around £1200 (including the boiler)
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Yep... personally I’d source the boiler my self and pay a plumber on day rate to fit it
Worcester Greenstar is the way to go...
Mine died in my flat earlier this year- replacement was a whisker over £2k. But that was in insalubrious SE London- it wouldn't surprise me if tradesmen added a premium when they turn up to you posh SW London types.
So many variables , the size of the boiler needed . The quality of boiler fitted . I've known some get them supplied and fitted for £1k . I fitted one to a big house I own / rent out last year and that was 2k ish . A lot of the prices are not far out and it's the quality of fitting too as there are some very dubiously fitted boilers
My oil boiler failed 3 years ago, cost 4K to replace....
And of course there will be a champagne socialist surcharge
And I’ll pay the VAT, honest.
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Last edited by BillyCasper; 15th December 2017 at 20:23.
I had my 14 yr old Potterton replaced last year with a WB Greenstar and upgraded the power. All in about £1100.00 plus fitting. The boiler was highly recommended and top in the 'Which' reports. Had all the radiators flushed and a Magnaclean fitted too.
Worcester Bosch seems to be well regarded.
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It is the most reliable and attracts lower insurance premiums... it is the way to go
Give the rads/ pipes a quick flush though too... have an inhibitor in the water and a magnaclean if you’re in London
I've just fitted a Vaillant EcoFit Pure 30kw with magnaclean filter and hive wireless controller.
Also fitted a 600x1600 single radiator and a few new valves.
The approximate cost was £1900 which included an electrician.
He is a mate and he bought most of the materials through my merchants account.
If people are having a Worcester fitted make sure the engineer fits a mini shock arrestor.
I was only talking to my plumber the other day as he was fitting a new boiler to our neighbours house. Asked him how much for a new one fitted, he quoted £1100 fitted. That was for a Viessmann 100-W. I had a Viessmann in my previous house and more than happy with it, German with a 5 year warranty. I think it’s quite an easy swap for him, I’m still mulling it over but it does seem like a good price.
It sounds too good to me.
Went through all this in February with no heat or hot water for nearly two weeks after the 15-year-old Saunier Duvall finally packed in.
We went for a WB Greenstar 30si, with full system flush, magnetic filter, water softener, wireless thermostat, carbon monoxide alarm. It cost us £2100 all in and took about 6 hours.
The difference from the old Saunier Duvall is night and day. The WB is so quiet and heats the house so much quicker, and if the bills are anything to go by, it's way more efficient.
We've just had its first service done to comply with the 5-year warranty terms. The plumber didn't even charge us for it, but he didn't actually have to do much.
EDIT: just to say, this is in London. If you're east London PM me and I'll give you the guy's details. He's a really nice bloke and has been fitting for years. They left the place spotless after the job.
Last edited by Onelasttime; 15th December 2017 at 23:47.
I’ve had WB fitted in all my properties from a 10 year old 24i to 1 year old WB Green star, my plumber says they are the best. He’s fitting green store unvented in our new house.
That’s nine boilers to look after ( ten with mine) and all 10 have had nothing more than a yearly service and gas test, we start In January and it runs through till October.
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Last edited by Volvomanuk; 15th December 2017 at 23:31.
Recently had a combi boiler swap for a Worcester Bosch 30i with a remote thermostatic timer, £1800, which was a pretty typical quoted price for my area, Trafford, Manchester.
I got quoted £2100 for a Vaillant 31kw boiler.
I had a Worcester Bosch in my old place . Mums got a Vaillant . I would go for Vaillant because they come with a 7 year warranty. 3 plumbers I know all recommend Vaillant .
I hope you've knobbed Scottish Power off now then ?
Consider a look into a Baxi Platinum, around a grand plus a oner for a Magnatec.
Expect £ 300 for a done in a day swap out.
Oh, and 30 Kw too.
Last edited by reggie747; 16th December 2017 at 00:37.
i am having one fitted next week convert from conventional to a combi £2050 fitted ,went with a firm that was reccommeded on here from an old post, cheapest quote was £1750 dearest was £2400 , if you have a look at help link and boxt they will give u a online quote ,
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Had a Worcester Bosch fitted 2 years ago - various issues with the original wiring (the boiler serves underfloor plus 2 floors of radiators) and it needed an expansion tank fitted, system flushed etc, remote thermostat fitted - and it all came to £3k once fitted. To be honest it was a lot more than a simple swap and I’m really pleased with the boilers efficiency and performance. Ours came with a 10 year warranty and whilst I hear good things about vaillant, Worcester Bosch seem to win every ‘which’ award going.
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This is the kind of job where Murphy's Law comes into its own.
Five years ago my original floor-standing boiler with built-in hot water tank gasped its last, and a replacement boiler was the only solution. I remain convinced that when the apartments were built the developers bought a job lot of boilers and built the apartments around them. Mine was situated in the airing cupboard, in the middle of the apartment in plan view, and I had already had to have inspection hatches installed along the line of the flue, which passes above the lounge ceiling.
I had a few quotes, which ranged from outrageous (British Gas, £7k) to something more sensible from a reliable local company with good reviews on t'internet.
The main issue which invoked Murphy's Law was, predictably, a change in specification for the flue - instead of separate intake and exhaust, they now need to be concentric pipes with an overall diameter greater than the available space to run it between my ceiling and the floor of my neighbour above.
The only solution was to position the new boiler on an external wall, which required additional pipe runs to link in to the existing pipework. To retain some warmth in the airing cupboard I've had a heated towel rail installed.
Three days work, the first being to remove the original cumbersome and heavy boiler and reverse flush the system.
£3,500 later, and I have a Vaillant boiler with a seven year warranty, which uses 30% less gas than the original, and a Siemens controller which appears to be infinitely programmable. The company who did the work have fitted three more boilers in neighbouring apartments, but they now charge rather more for the same job that they did for me.
Our heating system started losing pressure quite quickly this week. Had a heating engineer out to take a look and said no problem with the boiler, must be a leaking pipe under the floor somewhere as no visible wet patches.
Before pulling up floors to check I decided to get a second opinion and called Worcester Bosch to get their opinion. After a bit more investigating (isolating boiler and still seeing pressure drop in boiler) they diagnosed a failed primary heat exchanger which they said comes with 10 year warranty. They are sending someone on Monday to replace it, I just have to pay labour charge of a hundred quid or so.
Given the boiler is 7 years old I was pretty happy with that for customer service, and other than this it has been fault-free so I would happily replace with another when the time comes.
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Flue could be a problem. Boiler on second floor (town house in terrace) and vents up through roof. Roof access isn’t easy.
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You also need to consider whether the gas supply pipe to second floor is adequate for a new boiler. I have 22mm pipe running to the boiler on second floor and the gas supply is only just in the acceptable range for the boiler. Ideally it should be replaced with 27 or 32mm but that would be quite disruptive to do.
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My quote from British Gas included scaffolding hire, as my apartment is on the second floor, and they insisted that scaffolding would be required in order to instal the new flue through the wall.
If your flue has to be changed, and access to the roof is needed, "working at height" regulations may require a couple of days worth of scaffolding hire.
Worcester Greenstar fitted May this year, to existing pipe work, including a large magnetic filter and a fliter on the mains water supply to the boiler £1600.
I think these magnet type filters are par for the course these days, I removed mine after 5 months running couldn't believe how much it had collected in that time, by fitting a recommended type it put an extra years warranty on the boiler, 6 years parts and labour from memory.
Many thanks to everyone for their useful tips and experiences. Thankfully, it’s fixed. A well known fault with this Potterton boiler. Anyway, this thread will be a good resource to come back to when it finally gives up. It was manufactured in 2003.
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Should still have plenty of fight left in it…. Don’t replace a boiler unless you really have to
1 - it’s an interminably dull thing to spend money on
2 - they are more complex now and consequently more prone to issues
Vaillant are excellent boilers.
If it were my boiler I would get a local small time plumber to look at it first, telling him that you think it's a small fault and that you may be facing unnecessary expense....
Worked for me !
Cost me £90 instead of 2k.
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My house was built in 1979 and still has the original Ideal Mexico cast iron boiler which services a large 4 bed House.
Every time I have the boiler serviced, I ask the engineer the same question - "should I replace it with a newer model. The advice has always been the same - keep it because it is ultra reliable and the cost of a new one will never recover the cost of energy saved.
Also parts are still available.
Boiler in our previous house was ancient.....and faultless.
Anyway Potterton fixed yesterday and has already shut itself down several times. No chance getting this sorted before Christmas! Hope somebody gives woolly jumpers and socks!
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Valiant Ecotec £2000 fitted last friday with all new controls etc.
WB engineer (and his apprentice) came yesterday and replaced the primary heat exchanger and besides some mutterings of obscenities whilst trying to dislodge it, it was all done very professionally. I would not normally think to contact the manufacturer directly but in this instance it paid off - I am pretty sure a less scrupulous heating engineer would have written it off as uneconomical to repair. Apparently the WB engineer apprenticeship takes 2.5 years to complete!
WB might cost more at the outset but I think they are worth it for the durability and customer service.
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