Second hand heat exchanger - is it worth trying?

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British Gas say we need a whole new boiler as you can't buy a heat exchanger for a Potterton Combi 80 any more.
They said there are none in the country.
However I have found second hand ones and whole second hand boilers for sale.
Is it worth getting a plumber to fit a second hand one?
We have a service contract so I'm wondering if that would be affected by the decision too.
Thanks in advance.
The exchanger sprung a leak - it's 9yrs old and the water spilt out over the electrical dials and blew the house trip switch so there could possibly be the panel to replace too maybe.
 
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How many heat exchanger do you want? Still available.

Was the leak really in the heat exchanger or at the connections (in which case nothing to do with failed unit but a connection issue ;) )
 
How many heat exchanger do you want? Still available.

Was the leak really in the heat exchanger or at the connections (in which case nothing to do with failed unit but a connection issue ;) )

I am assuming the heat exchanger itself leaked, my wife said the engineer said it was "broken".
Where can we buy a replacement then and are there different types to get mixed up?
 
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Interpart (Baxi/Pott own spares company), i find, are the best for availability of spares of their own boilers. The combi 80 will have spares for years and years to come. Usual BG on commission new boiler trick. Cancel yr contract and get a decent independent in who knows boilers, or get Heateam (Baxi/Pott service division) in for a fixed price repair, just incase it is the main hex and pcb that need replacing. As stated tho, it could just be a couple of o-rings that have gone.
 
I am assuming this is what I know as a Puma.

In that case I replaced a main HE for someone after it started leaking and he wanted the boiler repaired for the moment as wife was just about to have baby and they plan to extend kitchen and fit a new boiler after another year.

However, with a major failure on an older boiler the usual solution would be to take the opportunity to fit a new boiler.

Tony
 
We did have a conventional boiler when we moved in here but when it broke a friend of the family fitted us a combi as he said it would save us money (the cold tank in the loft was removed).
However we have a 4 bed semi with four adults and the combi caused us problems with the shower but we have lived with it for 9 yrs.
We have a second bathroom downstairs and were thinking about adding a shower down there but were advised that the boiler would not cope.
I am now thinking that if we get a new boiler we go back to a conventional system to enable us to have two showers and thus a more valuable house if we sell (probably).
The running costs would be increased I assume unless technology has improved vastly.
A friend has had this done and they now have both the boiler and tanks in their loft.
This would be great for us too as it would free up a lot of space in the downstairs bathroom and stop the flu from blowing on to the small patio.
Any recommendations in this respect are very welcome.
 
Sounds like an unvented system with a system boiler would be better in that case, for the size of the property. That way you get stored hw but at mains pressure (assuming you have good pressure where you are). No need for tanks in the loft, although a bit more space in the airing cupboard will be required. Even better, consider a thermal store, such as an ACV, for fast heat recovery times and better efficiency.
 
I dont know why but you dont seem to be having advice from a competent installer.

Your boiler will happily run 10 showers! But only one at a time!

Most stored water systems will run two showers at the same time.

I would never advise a combi for a house with four people living there if they are all working adults.

Tony
 
I am assuming this is what I know as a Puma.

In that case I replaced a main HE for someone after it started leaking and he wanted the boiler repaired for the moment as wife was just about to have baby and they plan to extend kitchen and fit a new boiler after another year.

However, with a major failure on an older boiler the usual solution would be to take the opportunity to fit a new boiler.

Tony

yer assuming wrong

puma was a different animal :!:
 
I dont know why but you dont seem to be having advice from a competent installer.

Your boiler will happily run 10 showers! But only one at a time!

Most stored water systems will run two showers at the same time.

I would never advise a combi for a house with four people living there if they are all working adults.

Tony

9 yrs ago there were two adults and two children here but the children grew up so we now have 4 adults. The problem has been everyone wanting a shower at the same time.
 
The Combi 80 is just a variant of the Puma, electronic ignition, no water pressure sensor, and no tempertaure controls. It's marginally more reliable than the Puma which is the all time worst boiler ever made.

The last time I checked when heat exchangers were available they were at an extortionate cost...£300 to £400. I'm not convinced thay are still available.

Sometimes as mentioned it's the O ring connections that fail. I attended one where the retaining clip had never been inserted correctly at the factory. Getting the heat exchanger out can be almost impossible, the O rings can glue themselves in. The last one I did I used a 4x2 3 foot lump of wood as a lever and the boiler was on the floor (I was breaking it up for spares).

If you can remove the hex you could try a second hand unit providing it has been chemicaly descaled. I am now seeing Pumas/Combis that are overheating from scale in the secondary circuits.
 
I must have been lucky then.

Taking the used HE out of my stock boiler was quite easy on the floor.

Taking the leaking one out of the unit high up on the wall was less easy ( from a ladder ) and took nearly a half hour.

Tony
 

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