Thinking of Changing Boiler

Joined
28 Jan 2021
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Country
United Kingdom
Hello

I'm after some advice please. I am thinking of changing boiler - it is around 20 years old and it is in my rental property. Very small house and only 4 rads (its an end of terrace starter home).

This is the set-up. Its a small boiler located downstairs in a floor based kitchen cupboard and the flue exits through the wall and it is covered with a wire basket. I like the idea of new boiler staying in this floor based kitchen cupboard but I am thinking this may not be possible as I think regs would have changed by now. Current Flue is about 3 foot from ground level and neighbours would have to walk past it. The current flue has a wire basket over it.

Trying to work out my options?

Can I simply replace the boiler for the same type of set-up and keep it where it is? or,

Do I have to have the boiler mounted higher, ie, up on the wall in kitchen cupboard? or,

Should I replace the boiler with a different set-up, ie, no hot water cylinder (combi-condenser type) - and again, my concerns over location of the boiler.

_______________

The emersion heater located upstairs for hot water back-up has come in handy over the past 10 years. Ideally, I would like to keep this, but not sure if it would be possible if I change to a combi-condensing boiler.

I have given consideration to electric boilers but the running costs are too high.

Many thanks for advice/opinions.
 
Sponsored Links
All boilers these days aare condensing, if you want a combi the HW tank and immersion heater will be removed, a consideration though is with the flue terminal so low you would possibly need a plume management kit fitted if you wanted to keep the same position, just get some people out to quote and see which quote you prefer
 
Post some photos if you can. You're not allowed to discharge a flue over a neighbour's boundary so if your current one is doing that it'll need to be moved. What's the reason for changing the boiler?
 
I think the boundary is mine but it is possible for neighbours to walk past the flue.

The boiler is OK, no major issues but have had some probs over the years and rather than keep paying out for service contracts, I would be better off buying new with a 7 or 10 year guarantee. Piece of mind really.
 
Sponsored Links
I just did a quote on homeserve for a new boiler including installation etc - price came in at £2300 inc vat. Am paying around £500 per year in maintenance contracts and even with the contracts, you still have to wait about for engineer visits. Current boiler is around 22 years old and I am concerned parts will become obsolete sooner rather than later.
 
Agree that maintenance contracts are a colossal waste of money. You're financially far better off to keep your money in the bank and pay a trusted local engineer when you need work doing. Said trusted local engineer might be better disposed towards you if you've let him install the boiler in the first place too ;)

As for the boundary issue, it's not so much a case of who owns it as where it is in relation to the flue. If the outside wall of the house is the boundary, for example, you can't put a flue through it. If there's a path running alongside the house and a fence forms the boundary, you might get away with putting a flue there. The terminal needs to be a minimum of 600mm from the boundary, but guidance suggests 2.5m might be more appropriate where pluming could cause a nuisance.
 
Thank you. I have decided that I definitely want to go with the route of a new boiler and I do want to keep the existing hot water cylinder so I don't want to go for a combi. Just a regular boiler.

Any recommendations for a reliable brand/model. Again, this is a small home with just 4 radiators. 2 downstairs and 2 upstairs.
 
you really need someone on site to quote for you, and definately not homeserve
 
Well that is a very small system! I'd recommend the Viessmann 200-W 11kW as being the most (and probably only) suitable boiler for a system that size. Pretty much anything else is going to cycle like mad, increasing wear & tear, suffering from reduced efficiency, and significantly shortening overall life expectancy.
 
you really need someone on site to quote for you, and definately not homeserve
Well that is a very small system! I'd recommend the Viessmann 200-W 11kW as being the most (and probably only) suitable boiler for a system that size. Pretty much anything else is going to cycle like mad, increasing wear & tear, suffering from reduced efficiency, and significantly shortening overall life expectancy.

OMG, have you seen the price of these? £1344 for a small boiler... plumbnation!
 
OMG, have you seen the price of these? £1344 for a small boiler... plumbnation!
so you would rather install a boiler that isnt suitable for your property and then constantly moan that it doesnt work the way that it should, fill your boots do it right do it once
 
OMG, have you seen the price of these? £1344 for a small boiler... plumbnation!
Yes, I have, and you get what you pay for. You asked for a recommendation, and this is what I'd recommend, as it is the most suitable boiler on the market for your system. Every other boiler out there is too powerful, so they'll cycle a lot and suffer from excessive wear & tear. Buy cheap, buy twice.
 
Thank you. I don't buy cheap. I was surprised at the cost of the small boiler. To someone not in the trade, I should imagine, it would be quite reasonable to expect a small boiler to be cheaper than say, a large Vaillant or Worcester Bosch for eg.

I have heard these are good boilers so I will look into this. I am surprised they only have a 3 year warranty - other brands seem to have a 5, 7 or 10 year warranty.
 
The manufacturing cost differences between large & small boilers aren't actually that great within the same product families. You can get up to a 10 year warranty with them when fitted by a Viessmann approved installer
 
Thank you. I don't buy cheap. I was surprised at the cost of the small boiler. To someone not in the trade, I should imagine, it would be quite reasonable to expect a small boiler to be cheaper than say, a large Vaillant or Worcester Bosch for eg.

I have heard these are good boilers so I will look into this. I am surprised they only have a 3 year warranty - other brands seem to have a 5, 7 or 10 year warranty.
manufacturers sell many thousands of Combis from their production lines , but have to re tool to make the few hundres of these boilers hence why they are so expensive
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Sponsored Links
Back
Top