My 12 year old Vokera Mynute 30 System boiler has just been condemned. A leak from a condensate pipe had basically corroded its way through the carcass.
I have this linked to a 250 litre invented water tank.
Any recommendations for replacement make/ models or is it just a case of every installer has their own favourite manufacturer?
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>> is it just a case of every installer
>> has their own favourite manufacturer?
^^^^^^^^^ This ^^^^^^^^^^^^
A preference or financial support. But to be honest, its not an issue, many will say that Worcester Bosch are best, but at the end of the day, the industry has rationalised into a few big makers, my Glow Worm is part of the Valliant group.
In my book its all about your plumber, and how good they are at fitting it, or more to the point preparing the system for a new boiler. So chose your plumber and let them chose your boiler.
pay No more than 3 grand for a system prepare / boiler swap.
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Cheers. I have a trusted indie that I use so have contacted him and he is looking into options. But has warned me there is a shortage of Worcester boiler just now.
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Ideal Standard. UK company and 7/10/12 year warranty depending which model you go for.
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I’d echo all of that, and also add that in the house I sold last year the WB system boiler that we had installed in 2010 gave up the ghost in 2020. I replaced with a Viessman (recommend by the plumber we’d used for 7 or 8 years) and that came with a 10 year warranty. Cost-wise, in 2020 replacing the system boiler (sized for a 5 bed Edwardian detached house) cost £2,200. No changes needed to the gas or water pipes, but it did need a new hole drilling for the flue and the old hole filling, which was included in the price.
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Good plumber, as Zero said, is the most important criteria.
I moved my old mum into a new build in 2003, the original cheap boiler was useless, and several years ago a reputable plumber I knew recommended a Veissmann. That too hasn’t been without its problems, and is likely to be replaced sooner rather than later.
A few years ago my indie gas engineer told me he could fit anything I wanted....when pushed, he recommended an Intergas Combi. So far, so good.
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Got a 50kW Ideal Concord non-condensing boiler that's 18 years old and has never had any issues (it has outlived one hot water cylinder and 2 circulating pumps though the current Grundfos has been doing fine for the past 5 years).
Probably costs me an extra £500/yr compared to a condensing boiler (probably £1000 after the imminent price rises!)
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>> Got a 50kW Ideal Concord non-condensing boiler that's 18 years old and has never had
>> any issues
It will die at some point, as did my 22 year old floor standing cast iron potterton. And when they die, surgery wont fix them.
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Pretty much what my plumber said 10 years ago when I asked his advice on a more efficient boiler - "keep the one you have as modern ones trade reliability for efficiency - when it dies get back to me".
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The good news is that new condensing boilers are up to 30% more efficient than the old ones. We had a new boiler installed last year and really notice the difference. We had a garden room added to the house with underfloor heating and our gas consumption is still a lot lower than previous years. It’s an Ideal Standard system boiler and came with a 10 year guarantee.
We found a good heating engineer (they don’t like being called plumbers!) who was recommended by the builders and I agree that is more important than the make of boiler.
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>>The good news is that new condensing boilers are up to 30% more efficient than the old ones. We had a new boiler installed last year and really notice the difference
Same 'ere, new Baxi feeding 10 x rads in this 90 year-old leaky owse, broiler running all the time (when it's on) but, gas (bulk LPG tank) bills are amazingly low.
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Ah, Dog, still with us then!
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Still barking, Cc. Got hit by the four storms of the apocalypse. Mucho damage but nothing really serious.
No landline for 3 weeks - I could see the fault from my property, but Openreach had to apply to the council to stop the traffic so the cherry picker could fix said fault.
The moral of the story is: beware of buying a property in an elevated position with a clear-and-open sou'westerly view!!
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>> The moral of the story is: beware of buying a property in an elevated position
>> with a clear-and-open sou'westerly view!!
That's wuff! :-)
Hope everything gets fixed for you soon.
Last edited by: VxFan on Tue 15 Mar 22 at 20:26
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>>That's wuff! :-) Hope everything gets fixed for you soon.
Thanks zippo, all done now and back to a whopping 13 Mbps :)
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>>all done now
That's good news, Dog. All the best.
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>>That's good news, Dog. All the best.
Thanks, CS. I also had the pleasure of attending an 'orsepiddle (as a patient) for the first time in 54 years,
A long thin twig attempted to remove my eye as I bent down to pick something up in the garden.
I didn't realise at first until when I was filling up the coal scuttle, and I couldn't see out of my right eye.
I thought it was nuffink at first and just wiped my eye, but when that didn't clear it I went indoors to look in the mirror and got the fright of my life.
Part of my eye was protruding out of its socket and the whole eye was ruby red.
A quick 111 and orf to Launceston hospital - too critical for them, so orf to the 900 bed Derriford hospital in Plymouth, that has an eye infirmary.
4 examinations later, doc says I've been very lucky so ...
Always wear eye protection whenever yoos are doing anything workwise that could damage your mince pies!!
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>> Probably costs me an extra £500/yr compared to a condensing boiler (probably £1000 after the
>> imminent price rises!)
>>
on those numbers you recoup your upgrade outlay after three years, and rake in 7 grand till it need to be replaced.
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I’ve been doing a bit if reading on boilers as mine was short cycling (off and on several times a minute) and my previously reliable heating engineer failed to turn up to an agreed appointment. He has now gone radio silent. I have temporarily resolved the short cycling by upping the pump speed. I am seeking another engineer to reset it properly.
Anyway what I’ve read suggests that condensing boilers are only efficient if they have the right degree of cycling. The boiler should only fire up intermittently (but less often than mine was) and then use heat from the condensing cycle between times. On the other hand if the boiler runs constantly in heating mode it’s not running economically as it’s not using the condensing cycle to recover heat.
I’ve no idea if this is true or I have misinterpreted. Can anyone with more knowledge comment on whether this is the case?
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My interpretation of condensing boilers being most efficient was the difference in flow temperature, input and output.
20c difference is the aim, mine is 70 out, 50 return. You get this by adjusting pump speed, and rad valve adjustment.
Sounds like you have bad flow issues, blockage? so you need to resolve that first,
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>> Sounds like you have bad flow issues, blockage? so you need to resolve that first,
Yes, that’s right. Condensing boilers need the return to be at 50 degrees or lower for them to actually condense, and for most systems that’s fine with a starting temperature of 70 or so. But in a poorly insulated/draughty property, or a heating system with poor flow or that is sludged up / unbalanced there’s a temptation to just whack the temperature of the boiler up to make the radiators hotter. Then the boiler doesn’t condense. If your radiators are large enough and/or your house is insulated well you can run at a lower return temperature than 50 if you like. If you move to a heat pump based heating system my understanding is that you’ll need to address insulation and radiator size, as heat pumps output water at lower temperatures.
Last edited by: VxFan on Tue 15 Mar 22 at 20:27
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As a follow up to this, I had a policy with Domestic & General that apparently “pays out” £750 if boiler is written off as mine has been. Small print suggests vouchers but doesn’t clarify where for or what the criteria is.
Tried phoning them but they are constantly busy.
Just had a call from a Glasgow based engineers who D&G have passed my details onto as a preferred contractor. All sounds very motor insurance claim like!
They will quote me minus the £750 vouchers.
Anyone any experience of D&G? I really would prefer to use my local indie but am thinking D&G will be geared up for “backhanders”via their authorised contractors?
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I suspect that you will find that the cost quote from Glasgow will be £750 more than your independent! Do not forget to factor in the compulsory system flush (+£££), necessary for the boiler extended warranty. High pressure flushing is a great way to find pipe or radiator weak spots (leaks).
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>> Do not forget to factor in the compulsory system flush (+£££),
>> necessary for the boiler extended warranty.
And also now fitment of a flushable magnetic particle filter in the correct place.
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My folks have had their boiler replaced and relocated from the loft in their bungalow to the garage.
The loft was a great location for it as pipes were easy to run and it didn't take up any house space.
However, getting it maintained in the loft was a nightmare. Several repair people from the boiler insurance company refused to go up in to the loft unless there was a floor (there was), a handrail along the entire length between the hatch and the boiler and a replaceable rail around the hatch!
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Update to this.
My indie is fitting a new boiler on Saturday. Another Vokera, 25kw Vision Plus.
Supply and fit including magnetic filter and flush will be £1800.
I should get £750 refund from Domestic & General so around a grand to change isn’t too bad.
Supply issues and my desire to get a boiler installed quickly pretty much narrowed the choice down pretty rapidly to the Vokera. Comes with a 7 year guarantee so hopefully don’t need to think about it again apart from annual checks for a while.
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Boiler recommendations? - Zero
