New boiler time!

[Welly]

Gas valve assemblies are expensive, they are a replace-only kinda thing and can be a PITA to fit leaving the boiler in lots of pieces.

Bailes, it is VERY recommended to have the existing pipework and rads Power-Flushed and have a 'swirl pot' type filter added. Reason being the water ways inside modern Boilers are very small and can easily block leading to overheating and fracturing of the heat exchanger (quite often Stainless Steel) a reputable Heating Engineer should recommend this service. It will add another full day to the Boiler swap but will pay dividends.

[Bailes1992]

£800 for pump, tank and a new gas valve.

Funny enough Welly I was just chatting to the plumber about this. Apparently the viesmann has far larger water ways than most conventional boilers. We will be having a Magna clean fitted and he's going to show me how to drain and clean the Magna clean so I can flush it a few times.

[Doggy]

Don't bury the magna clean behind boxing or a kitchen unit - ours split open causing a leak that we couldn't trace for a day or two.

Quite common apparently.

[lozz]

Viesmann are very good boilers and Combi's are a lot better than they used to be. The only trouble you used to get with combi's was that they suffered from poor flow if another tap was opened in the house, hopefully they're better now.

Personally I prefer a Hot Water Cylinder full of hot hater, ours is a modern pre-insulated one and it takes our gas boiler only a few minutes to top it up (even with two power showers running) it's a big cylinder with a 28mm outlet. With 2 x Women in the house I must have hot water OR ELSE.

(The only trouble you used to get with combi's was that they suffered from poor flow if another tap was opened in the house, hopefully they're better now.)


^ Very true, That's what our's is like anyway.. if someone opens a tap down stair's..one of the ones upstairs..is useless.

[Bailes1992]

Well I just got home. Boiler is in, all the plumbing is done just the gas pipe and bricking up where the old flue was left to do. Looks like we may have central heating back tonight.

[steve_earwig]

Woohoo! \o/

[Bailes1992]

I'm sure my car gets jelous when I spend money on other things. Flywheel is starting to make some horrendous noises.
Looks like a other grand I'm going to have to spend soon!

The boiler is great anyway!

[Welly]

I'm sure my car gets jelous when I spend money on other things. Flywheel is starting to make some horrendous noises.

It's life I'm afraid, like the old saying where bad things "come in three's"

And another: "an unexpected windfall is always met by an unexpected bill of the same amount"

[Bailes1992]

New boiler...


And the gloss I spilled...

I'm sure my car gets jelous when I spend money on other things. Flywheel is starting to make some horrendous noises.

It's life I'm afraid, like the old saying where bad things "come in three's"

And another: "an unexpected windfall is always met by an unexpected bill of the same amount"

Well I had a load of overtime before and after Christmas which is helping out with things massively.
I spent £800 on the car around new year, now the boiler has had to be replaced and now my clutch is demanding replacement. Hopefully that will be it!
I can't afford any more big bills for a while yet.

[benczuk]

And the gloss I spilled...

I don't think a dustpan and brush is quite the right tool for that cleanup job

[Welly]

Pity it didn't find its way onto those skirtings.........

[steve_earwig]

I did that once, from a step ladder, onto carpet. I just cut a big square out and left it like that (it weren't mine, see?)

I guess that's Sam's 3 then: new boiler, Ford goes wrong shock and chucking paint everywhere. The f?ck-up fairy will now leave him alone for another year.

[Bailes1992]

Just got the bill for the boiler.
£1100 Boiler
£600 Labour
£260 Parts

Total £1960.
A bit more than expected but I wanted a bigger boiler which meant a bigger gas pipe and a Viesmann RF stat/controller which bumped the price up a tad.

I don't think that's a bad price for changing a 25 year old baxi to a combi.

[grasmere59]

A chap at work just had Worcester combi fitted by British Gas and they relieved him of nearly £4k and that was changing a combi for a combi so I don't think you did too badly Sam.

[GingerMagic]

+1 - thats a fair price.

If you did a straight swap condensing boiler to condensing boiler its probably still nearly a grand. You have had a big upgrade from boiler to combi, plus all the different pipe work, Magna thingy etc.

When I changed my boiler ( I say 'me' but it was actually a proper boiler fitterer like ) I had a all gas Range cooker fitted at the same time - my gas bills actually went down by £25 per month.. so the efficient, environmentally conscious new one may recoup the cost quicker than you can say "where's that water coming from"....