Possible Boiler Replacement - Worcester 28CDi

[pjrouse]

Hi,

We moved into our current house in June (detached 4 beds with 2 x bathrooms) and have inherited what looks like an aging Worcester 28CDi (old style as below)

I have no idea how old it is but I know the previous owner had a British Gas maintenance plan so I assume it was serviced annually but have no proof of this?

We are considering a major extension to the rear of the house which will include an open plan living area of around 50m2, which would likely include a wet underfloor heating system. Along with this works some other ground floor remodelling would mean relocation of the existing boiler is necessary.

I am trying to suss out the following and would welcome any advice from the experts

1) Given the costs of the building works we are contemplating and the disruption, is it worth trying to move the existing boiler, or should we just bite the bullet and factor in the cost of a new boiler to the building works? I dont want to replace it unecessarily but I imagine the existing boiler is over 10 yrs old and probably not the most efficient, so greater efficiency and a warranty appeal, but then given the other outlay I dont want to do it if I dont have to?

2) If we were to reuse the existing boiler, would it be able to cope with the addition of underfloor heating (50m2)?

3) If I were to replace it, what's the best current equivalent to look at (I had a new Baxi HE in our old house which was good and understand what Worcester and Valliant are well regarded?)

4) How happy are the plumbers on this board with fitting a boiler supplied by the householder? Is this common place these days, are you happy to point a householder at a suitable boiler and let them purchase online, or does this mean lost margin so its not entertained?

Thanks for any input

Paul

 

[Dan Robinson]

and understand what Worcester and Valliant are well regarded?)

Not really.

How happy are the plumbers on this board with fitting a boiler supplied by the householder

Most plumbers wouldn't bother with a customer like that.

Is this common place these days,

Only in the a7se end of the market where the customer is usually more hassle than they are worth.

 

[Agile]

I cannot understand how anybody can think that they are going to have a boiler fitted for the same price if they have bought a boiler themselves and done the installer out of any markup.

Of course I am totally transparent and charge the same for installation regardless of who supplies the boiler.

In fact I rather prefer the customer to get it as I then don't have any responsibility for the warranty.

 

[mcmoby69]

1. bite the bullet.
2. possibly but not without an extra expansion vessel
3 only by readers of which magazine
4 would you supply your own knee joint if you needed one or would you let your surgeon supply it?

get recommendations off someone you trust.

 

[pjrouse]

Thanks for the response both.

I assumed self supply was probably false economy anyway but just wanted confirmation.

Paul

 

[muggles]

You'll struggle to move the existing boiler, as flues are no longer available for it so you'd need to take it out very carefully to avoid any damage to the flue, and it's not really suitable for your property anyway. You should look into getting a system boiler and an unvented cylinder, assuming your mains supply is good.

The additional heating shouldn't be a problem, but the demand on hot water with two bathrooms running will be an issue, because it won't cope with that.

Intergas do very good boilers. I wouldn't use Worcester at all, and I'd only use Vaillant if I was pushed into it. Baxi boilers are better than W or V from a build quality point of view IMHO, but are a bit basic so they aren't compatible with the latest energy-efficient controls. Go for Intergas.

You won't save much, if anything, by buying a boiler online as installers get trade discount and so should be able to purchase for less than you can (for example, I pay £120 less than the best online price for a 36/30). They should then pass on at least some of their trade discount. Also, as Agile has said, you'd be responsible for the warranty if anything went wrong with it, whereas an installer will take responsibility for sorting issues if they have supplied the boiler.

 

[pjrouse]

You'll struggle to move the existing boiler, as flues are no longer available for it so you'd need to take it out very carefully to avoid any damage to the flue, and it's not really suitable for your property anyway. You should look into getting a system boiler and an unvented cylinder, assuming your mains supply is good.

The additional heating shouldn't be a problem, but the demand on hot water with two bathrooms running will be an issue, because it won't cope with that.

Intergas do very good boilers. I wouldn't use Worcester at all, and I'd only use Vaillant if I was pushed into it. Baxi boilers are better than W or V from a build quality point of view IMHO, but are a bit basic so they aren't compatible with the latest energy-efficient controls. Go for Intergas.

You won't save much, if anything, by buying a boiler online as installers get trade discount and so should be able to purchase for less than you can (for example, I pay £120 less than the best online price for a 36/30). They should then pass on at least some of their trade discount. Also, as Agile has said, you'd be responsible for the warranty if anything went wrong with it, whereas an installer will take responsibility for sorting issues if they have supplied the boiler.

Thanks for the detailed and open response.

Being a total plumbing Luddite, what's the advantage of a system boiler for my needs over a combi?

I assume I then need to factor in a hot water tank in the loft?

 

[Dan Robinson]

Immersion backup for hot water if needed (unlikely with an Intergas).

Better hot water performance for baths and multiple showers.

 

[muggles]

You'll struggle to move the existing boiler, as flues are no longer available for it so you'd need to take it out very carefully to avoid any damage to the flue, and it's not really suitable for your property anyway. You should look into getting a system boiler and an unvented cylinder, assuming your mains supply is good.

The additional heating shouldn't be a problem, but the demand on hot water with two bathrooms running will be an issue, because it won't cope with that.

Intergas do very good boilers. I wouldn't use Worcester at all, and I'd only use Vaillant if I was pushed into it. Baxi boilers are better than W or V from a build quality point of view IMHO, but are a bit basic so they aren't compatible with the latest energy-efficient controls. Go for Intergas.

You won't save much, if anything, by buying a boiler online as installers get trade discount and so should be able to purchase for less than you can (for example, I pay £120 less than the best online price for a 36/30). They should then pass on at least some of their trade discount. Also, as Agile has said, you'd be responsible for the warranty if anything went wrong with it, whereas an installer will take responsibility for sorting issues if they have supplied the boiler.

Thanks for the detailed and open response.

Being a total plumbing Luddite, what's the advantage of a system boiler for my needs over a combi?

I assume I then need to factor in a hot water tank in the loft?

A combi will give you a very limited flow rate of hot water, which will either go cold or turn into a relative dribble if you try to use more than one outlet at once. A hot water cylinder can cope with a higher demand