buying and fitting a combi boiler

[Agile]

To Baby Belling!

We charge the same price to fit a boiler if its provided by the client or if we buy it.

The same if its a cheap Vizo or a top range Vaillant.

However, since we charge £840 for installation I have this feeling that you expect a cheap boiler to be fitted cheaply.

That may explain why most Vizos seem to be replaced within 3-5 years.

Tony

 

[baby_belling]

hi thanks for your advice. The boiler I have in mind is condensing type and made by a reputable company but I would prefer not to say as I find that whatever brand or boiler I mention to friends or forum users someone always gives a bad report about which can be confusing. The house already had a combi boiler installed which was a cheapy Halstead finest (which had lasted a decade). The plumber who examined it said that he thinks its the circuit board thats gone faulty but does not seem to think its economical to fix it, or if he did he can't guarantee it will fix the problem - which is unusual because I thought he was an "expert" at boilers!. A lot of people who I know who have paid hundreds for more expensive brands say that it does not matter how much you pay for a boiler as combi's don't last any more than 5-8 years anyway and even then i have heard that the most expensive brands do break down within this time.

 

[Boilerman2]

Babybelling, I am an Oil /Gas Boiler Service Engineer, I can assure you that Cheap Combi's are NOT worth bothering with, yes good quality ones do occasionally breakdown, but they are at least worth repairing, do your self a favour and choose a Good brand, Broag-Remeha, Worcester or Vaillant are all good boilers which will give you long and reliable service

 

[Deleted member 105431]

Babybelling, I am an Oil /Gas Boiler Service Engineer, I can assure you that Cheap Combi's are NOT worth bothering with, yes good quality ones do occasionally breakdown, but they are at least worth repairing, do your self a favour and choose a Good brand, Broag-Remeha, Worcester or Vaillant are all good boilers which will give you long and reliable service

I would agree and add that Ideal, heatline, and vokera are all crap.

 

[bengasman]

hi thanks for your advice. The boiler I have in mind is condensing type and made by a reputable company ...

It would seem that the resident RGI posters on here are extremely poorly informed, as none of us is aware of a reputable company producing condensing combis for 400 squid.

... A lot of people who I know who have paid hundreds for more expensive brands say that it does not matter how much you pay for a boiler as combi's don't last any more than 5-8 years anyway and even then i have heard that the most expensive brands do break down within this time.

Since condensing boilers became common place, about 5 years ago, I have been fitting Worcester Bosch combis out of which only one broke down and was repaired under warrantee the next day.

Without doubt, a good make can still have a limited lifespan if it is installed poorly and not maintained according to the manufacturer's instructions.

 

[mah]

boilers are like cars. if looked after they will last if decent, and if you buy cheap you get ****.

 

[dextrous]

The boiler I have in mind is condensing type and made by a reputable company but I would prefer not to say as I find that whatever brand or boiler I mention to friends or forum users someone always gives a bad report about which can be confusing.

Maybe you are mentioning boilers about which there are bad reports. Try mentioning some decent ones and see what is said about them

The house already had a combi boiler installed which was a cheapy Halstead finest (which had lasted a decade).

Seems to indicate the dangers of installing a cheap boiler

The plumber who examined it said that he thinks its the circuit board thats gone faulty but does not seem to think its economical to fix it, or if he did he can't guarantee it will fix the problem - which is unusual because I thought he was an "expert" at boilers!.

So an expert says that the boiler is beyond economic repair, and any money thrown at it will possibly be good money after bad. And for his honesty and candour, you are questioning his reputation.
Out of interest, if you had a car which kept going wrong, and kept on being propped up by repair after repair after repair, would you carry on with the car or look to get another one?

A lot of people who I know who have paid hundreds for more expensive brands say that it does not matter how much you pay for a boiler as combi's don't last any more than 5-8 years anyway and even then i have heard that the most expensive brands do break down within this time.

Bol**ks. Funny how most of the people I know and work with hardly ever have a combi breakdown on them. It depends on whether you look after it and have it serviced regularly. Like the car analogy - if you never get a car serviced, never change the oil, filters, spark plugs, tyres etc etc etc, and run it ragged, then surprise surprise, even a Rolls Royce will go awry.

 

[bengasman]

...for 400 id love to know what you think reputable means...

What a shame, the op can not tell you because we would say the cheap boiler is no good even though it is a reputable brand.
I guess it is true; sabre and heatline do have a reputation.

 

[Agile]

At £400 its likely to be a Vizo and the Heatline brand is owned by Vaillant.

Now do you think Vaillant wanted to own a cheap boiler brand?

Or did Vaillant want an established sales for their own boilers in Turkey ( where they make the Vizo ) ?

Actually the Vizo is not such a bad boiler. Its just that they are fitted by the worst of the worst!

Tony

 

[dextrous]

Its just that they are fitted by the worst of the worst!

Tony

I'm up for it then. However I'm not an RGI so can't do it for profit. So, op, perhaps you have some skill that I require which we could swap for.

 

[bengasman]

Its just that they are fitted by the worst of the worst!

Tony

I'm up for it then. However I'm not an RGI so can't do it for profit. So, op, perhaps you have some skill that I require which we could swap for.

That is payment in kind, and payment is payment; it is taxable as well, so both of you will have to report it to IR, and it will be added to your taxbill. And I am not joking.

 

[mehran]

heatline before vaillant were great(as a company), after valliant... not so great which has put me right of all valliant group boilers.

does not matter what boiler is installed, if it is installed poorly then it will fail...

 

[dextrous]

Its just that they are fitted by the worst of the worst!

Tony

I'm up for it then. However I'm not an RGI so can't do it for profit. So, op, perhaps you have some skill that I require which we could swap for.

That is payment in kind, and payment is payment; it is taxable as well, so both of you will have to report it to IR, and it will be added to your taxbill. And I am not joking.

I thought this was one of those curious tax avoidance loops that was still in existence. I'm doing him a favour and he's doing one for me. A bit like if I fix the hoover (if I were an electrician by trade) and my wife uses it (if she were a cleaner by trade) - we both use our own bit of specialist knowledge and skills. Are you suggesting that I would have to report this exchange to the IR too?

 

[bengasman]

I suppose not even the taxman would charge favours done within a marriage, could lead to interesting perks for taxcollectors.
There was however a post on the forum about the situation where I believe a plumber and a carpenter exchanged favours and both got charged a couple of hundred quid.

 

[dextrous]

So, if we remove the husband and wife scenario, and say, I fix a cleaner's hoover for her as a favour (which would have cost her, say £25 for me to do so), and she does what would cost me £25 of cleaning for me as a favour, then this is a taxable exchange?

So the IR will want a cut in any goodwill gestures?

So if I installed a bathroom as a charitable gesture for, say, a church's youth club, and God did me a favour in return, then both I and God would need to declare this in our tax return