Boiler Replacement

[Homeland]

Hello all, this is my first post - please be gentle

My situation is this - I have had 3 different heating engineers giving me radically different advice on options to replace my old boilers (Potterton Profiles). I would like some advice.

Background:
I live in a 5 bathroom 5 bedroom house. Currently there are two conventional boilers and two hot water cylinders. One of the boilers has stopped working but the other one is working fine. All the bathrooms have a shower pump nearby. Living in the house are myself, my wife and my son (I know - the number of bedrooms is too many for us). A couple of times a year we may have friends staying over in the guest room. I say this to point out that normally only 2 of the bathrooms get used daily. The whole central heating system was put in by the previous owner and all the engineers agree that it has been installed professionally. I like the idea of having the 2 boilers so that say in the middle of winter if one breaks down the other one works while I wait for the heating engineer to arrive. Below are the options I have been given by the different heating engineers:

Option 1: Just replace the conventional boilers for similar condensing boilers
Option 2: Put in two powerful combi boilers
Option 3: Put in two standard combi boilers and have electric showers for the less frequently used bathrooms

The issue for me is that each of the engineers believes that their suggestion is the best. The house is a 1930's solid wall detached house and its fairly big and so the heating system needs to be able to feed the radiators well.

Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated.
Regards, Arun

 

[Agile]

Why not just have the Profile repaired?

Most I fix cost less than £220

Tony

 

[Homeland]

Hi Tony,
These are Profile 100e - I was told they are more than 15 years old and not very efficient. The other boiler one had the board replaced last year. So with the inefficiency and the repair costs I thought about replacing rather than repairing. I am keeping an open mind.
Thanks

 

[muggles]

Go for two regular boilers (look at the Intergas OV range - seven year warranty and very solid design). Two powerful combi boilers will bust the 70kW domestic qualifications limit, which means you'll need a commercial gas man (expensive) and probably an upgrade to a larger gas meter. Two "standard" combis are only going to run two outlets at once, so you'll end up disappointed and cold if two people are in the shower and someone turns a hot tap on in the kitchen, for example.

 

[Agile]

They are less efficient certainly but reliable. {Perhaps about 22 % less efficient}

But with a new boiler installation at about £1600 you will have to wait many years to recoup that cost!

In fact you could probably save a lot more be more carefully timing/using your boilers.

Tony

 

[Steelmasons]

But with a new boiler installation at about £1600

I don't recall the OP saying the replacement boiler is being re-located??...in another thread you quoted £1450 to remove a BBU and relocate the replacement boiler to kitchen??..
Why is there a difference of £150?..

 

[muggles]

I don't recall the OP saying the replacement boiler is being re-located??...in another thread you quoted £1450 to remove a BBU and relocate the replacement boiler to kitchen??..
Why is there a difference of £150?..

Friday bonus

 

[dilalio]

Hi Arun, welcome to the forum.

It is impossible to give you a definitive answer via this medium and even if several of us, who frequent here and do this for a living, were to come to you and assess the site parameters, you would still get more differing opinions!

I would suggest that you don't automatically opt for the cheapest solution, although it might turn out that this would be suitable!
Ask the engineers, you have seen, if they would be able to put you in touch with recent customers who they have undertaken similar work for and try and find any neighbour's with similar properties who have recently had an install of the like!
The chosen system has to be designed for the house, controls will determine how it can be restricted to serve busy areas.
Other than that, go with the firm you feel most comfortable with... Gut feeling is not to be underestimated

 

[oilboffin]

A very sensible comment

 

[Razor900]

Go for two regular boilers (look at the Intergas OV range - seven year warranty and very solid design). Two powerful combi boilers will bust the 70kW domestic qualifications limit, which means you'll need a commercial gas man (expensive) and probably an upgrade to a larger gas meter. Two "standard" combis are only going to run two outlets at once, so you'll end up disappointed and cold if two people are in the shower and someone turns a hot tap on in the kitchen, for example.

What he said!!

 

[easyflow]

Hi Tony,
These are Profile 100e - I was told they are more than 15 years old and not very efficient. The other boiler one had the board replaced last year. So with the inefficiency and the repair costs I thought about replacing rather than repairing. I am keeping an open mind.
Thanks

Think of the inefficiency when your newly installed boiler starts breaking down and you forgot to have it serviced so the guarantee is void.

 

[HootingOwl]

Repair the profiles and keep them running. When they can no longer be mended, then a regular boiler is your best bet.

The probem with free quotes is that the advice is sometimes worth what you paid for it.