My aged Potterton Kingfisher 2 has had a faulty valve installed but I'll need a new boiler before long. My gas man recommends Glowworm in general (we did not go into specific models) but I see online that the brand has a fair number of faults (but maybe not more than other brands, if I search further). Have any posters with a Glowworm experienced an undue number of faults?
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I have a Gloworm Flexicom, plumbers choice. its now 10 years old, and had one failure - an igniter/thermocouple device burned out at 5 years. Apart from that its never been serviced. Within the next two years it will be replaced and I will probably go with a Worcester Bosch.
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 19 Feb 21 at 10:52
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Don't know about Glowworm but i would check how Which rank them.
My Worcester Bosch 14 year old unserviced boiler broke down 3 weeks ago,
Worcester Bosch engineer came out 2 days later, fixed a simple fault,( blocked syphon)
But he replaced some major parts, at a cost of £298
(sharp intake of breath)
Last edited by: maltrap on Fri 19 Feb 21 at 11:39
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And I've been having a yearly service! I must have spent enough to install a new boiler by now.
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Ideal Standard replacement in daughters house. Turned out the existing one had issues when we bought it. 10 year warranty providing its serviced annually.
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I have an annual service too, I think my neighbour charges me £70ish. I don't think it really does much apart from test the safety - and having nearly died from carbon monoxide poisoning many years ago that's cheap peace of mind. SWMBO work colleague parents also had a CO leak and the dad died, in the last few years.
It will be a condition of the warranty if you change the boiler, as was a (fairly pricey) system flush.
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>> parents also had a CO leak and the dad died, in the last few years.
CO2 alarm fixes that.
>> It will be a condition of the warranty if you change the boiler, as was
>> a (fairly pricey) system flush.
System flush is not that pricey in relation to the rest of the boiler change bill, and you work out the costs of an anual service over 10 years to patying for fixes outside of warranty.
700 quid over 10 years? I'll chance it.
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"CO2 alarm fixes that." Didn't for him and I'm a bit mutton so might well miss it. For me it's peace of mind. The time I was nearly killed by it - we had one of those calor gas fires blazing away in an unventilated room - I suddenly started feeling woozy, sometimes you sit and see if it'll pass but I mentioned it to SWMBO and she felt the same. We were probably only a matter of minutes from passing out and becoming history, so you'd have to be a fairly light sleeper and pretty sharp moving if the alarm woke you. (I do also have an alarm btw).
I had BG do a Kamco (sp?) flush many years ago to address a problem ( - it did!) and it was over £300 then!
To do a flush properly takes maybe three or so hours and if your plumber doesn't own the kit he has to rent it. But you're right, it's just part of the cost. I was lucky - I sourced the boiler etc myself (under £900 IIRC) and I think I paid him £800 - near mates-rates really. Otherwise I think it'd have been £2.5k upwards - £4k for BG!
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>> "CO2 alarm fixes that." Didn't for him and I'm a bit mutton so might well
>> miss it. For me it's peace of mind.
Yeah but an annual service doesn't cover the bird nest that appeared n your flue two week later. A CO2 alarm is LOUD
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Our CO alarm by the boiler went off last month. Never has before. It just a bleeper, no display. We don't have any CO2 alarms, they'd be going off permanently.
Not having any idea what to do, I opened the back door and Googled. That told me that you don't get false alarms, take it seriously, call the fire brigade, army and a brass band immediately.
I have two other CO alarms in other rooms that do have ppm displays. I put them both by the boiler.
The original hasn't sounded again, and the others have never shown anything other than 0ppm CO there.
I'm assuming it was a blip, or actually a false alarm. If it was a blip it's not repeated.
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This is the guy who fixed my old Potterton Netaheat a couple of years ago. If you've been Googling your boiler you've probably seen his website.
If you have a Kingfisher I or II he recommends you hang on to it because they are uncomplicated, old-tech, reliable and easy to fix with most parts still available.
www.miketheboilerman.com/potterton-kingfisher.html
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Another plumber reckoned parts were getting scarce for these old Pottertons and recommended getting a spare pump, which I did. The only replacement I can recall was a thermocouple.
We have CO alarms in our kitchen and (for a Gazco stove) living room.
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I had a Glowworm boiler fitted in 1997 not serviced as the installer said don't waste money on servicing no faults in all that time.
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Plumbers will often recommend the make of boiler which at that time is offering the best discount. Just something to be aware of.
We have Worcester Bosch Greenstar, it's nine years old, serviced every second year. Had a faulty pump replaced, otherwise perfect.
A plumber friend does the service but I do some maintenance that doesn't need Gas Safe certification, for example I drain down the entire system every few years after using Sentinel cleaner, then flush and refill with the Inhibitor. It's very quick and easy to do. That reminds me I need to take one of the bedroom rads off as it doesn't get particularly hot. A job for the mild weather.
Last edited by: The Melting Snowman on Fri 19 Feb 21 at 20:50
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>>Plumbers will often recommend...
Apparently Vaillent and Ideal boilers are easier to fix, as they don't need major bits removed to get at the gubbins, unlike Boshes. According to a plumber. I know nothing about boilers so cannot comment as to the accuracy of this.
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In my experience every heating engineer you speak to swears by a different make from the last one.
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I find that plumbers recommend the one they can get most profit on..whatever’s on offer to them. My mum was recommended a Veissmann Combi and it’s not been reliable.
My old boiler was replaced 15 months ago at 21yo, it had been reliable apart from requiring a part/ex circuit board before failing. I replaced it with an Intergas Combi, a brand I’d never heard of, but it’s all my plumber fits.
I can’t even remember what make it was...once it’s gone I forget about stuff.
Last edited by: legacylad on Sat 20 Feb 21 at 08:55
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>> >>Plumbers will often recommend...
>>
>> Apparently Vaillent and Ideal boilers are easier to fix, as they don't need major bits
>> removed to get at the gubbins, unlike Boshes. According to a plumber. I know nothing
>> about boilers so cannot comment as to the accuracy of this.
>>
I have heard the same, although to counter it I've heard WB-Bosch parts are cheaper. I haven't researched it though, to be honest when the boiler goes wrong within reason the cost to fix it is not my concern, it's managing to get a heating technician out in the first place.
I am amazed at the number of people on this thread who don't service their boiler. Am I wasting my money?
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>> I am amazed at the number of people on this >>thread who don't service their boiler. Am I >>wasting my money?
I doubt it. Although about 20 years ago I was advised by my then gas service chap, that a thorough service every 18 months would be sufficient for an owner occupied property.
That's not a recommendation, by th way.
:)
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>>
>> I am amazed at the number of people on this thread who don't service their
>> boiler. Am I wasting my money?
>>
We had a new Worcester Bosch greenstar something or other installed in the house I’ve just sold when we moved in in 2010. It replaced an old Potterton Nettaheat. I can’t actually remember why it was replaced...I assume an expensive repair quote... Anyway, the Worcester Bosch was serviced annually as recommend, at a cost of £100 or so a year. Despite that it still started playing up from around year 9, and when I was quoted £800 to fix it last spring I just replaced it with a Viesmann of some kind, which came with a 10 year warranty. That of course requires annual servicing to maintain. Bit disappointed to have to spend £2,500 just before selling the house, but I wouldn’t rush to have another Worcester Bosch I have to say. I’m also not convinced that the ~£1k I spent on servicing over the years was money well spent. Maybe I should have just spend the £800 fixing the old one, but I had no confidence that’d actually fix the issue and at some point you have to stop throwing good money after bad!
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I was told 10 years odd when I got mine, that 10 years was about the lifespan of a modern thermally efficient condensing boiler. (not by the plumber at the time of course, they leave that little gem till it goes wrong)
One of the reasons I never get it serviced. They are actually designed not to be serviced.
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Glowworm boilers - Zero
