Replacing My 22 Year Old Ideal E-Type Boiler

[WeeDuggie]

I've got a balanced flue, gravity hotwater, Ideal E-Type floor standing boiler (80,000 btu/hr). It's worked well, but the lack of parts makes me want to replace it, so I had British Gas quote for a replacement. The sales guy who came around seemed to know his stuff and quoted for a Ideal Mexico fan flue boiler, a hot water tankstat and valves for the hot water circuit, new pump and various bits and pieces (like a free CO detector, even tho' I've already got one!). Total cost = £2500!

Anyhow my question is... why didn't he quote for the Ideal Mexico balanced flue boiler? It seems to be better suited for a direct replacement of my old boiler. The BG guy was knowledgable, but is there some kind of regulation forcing him to use a fan flue or is that all BG sell?

Also - is the fan version noisier than a balanced flue? The old boiler is a quiet as a mouse.

Many thanks!

 

[ChrisR]

Regs are a lot tighter on non-fanned boilers. eg (from memory) 1.2metres minimum from a door or window. They are also generally less efficient - check on boilers.org.uk (just did, there's nothing in it). You would hear the fan but it's not usually a problem. Did the BG quote include a powerflush? You might well need it on a system that old. Independents would beat the quote easily (I would!), depending where you are. Look at a condensing boiler, too.

 

[DP]

What part do you want and how many?

 

[WeeDuggie]

Thanks for the detailed reply, BG's quote didn't include a powerflush. My system has run fine for all this time without problems and the radiators still get hot top and bottom.

The present boiler still works, but the last person to service it said that parts were no longer available for it, hence the plan to replace it with a slightly more efficient boiler before it has to be done as an emergency.

I'm gonna give the BG guy a call and ask him, I'll let you know his reply.

 

[DP]

What is going to break on this beast of a boiler. I think wee duggie has money burning a hole in his pocket.

Does he realise that the system will have to be chemically cleansed, converted to fully pumped with full electrical control of zones and even then will not get a boiler build like ideal E type. More efficient? certainly but reliablity will be questionable.

 

[AnonymousImport]

Major functional parts like gas valves and maybe the burner will still be available as they will have been used on other boilers.

Gasman

 

[WeeDuggie]

OK, I'll come clean. The boiler is 22 years old and so is the kitchen. Mrs Weeduggie needs a new kitchen pronto and a new boiler would fit under the counter top, wheras the old boiler won't. It's the £2500 quid that's a shock

Thanks for the good advice so far, I'm even more attached to that old boiler so perhaps if I should offer SWMBO a better kitchen along with the old boiler. I still don't understand why a fan flue boiler was quoted by BG but I'm going to get quotes for a balanced flue over the holidays.

Weeduggie