coritani Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 My central heating system is around 25 years old and still working well. Do I upgrade now or wait until it fails, as surely it will one day soon. I have heard that the new modern boilers are not as reliable as the older types. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimera Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 buy a brand name such as gloworm the cheap tawainese/chinese boilers and radiators are low quality. move to a combi if not already Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coritani Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Thanks Kimera, the one I have now is a gloworm and its been fantastic over the years. I will move to a combi but need to read up on them a little bit more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dizzy_chick Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Hi We have just had to replace our decrepit boiler and separate water heater (horrific gas bills!!). You now have to have a condensing boiler fitted, which works differently from a conventional boiler. They are supposed to be around 95% energy efficient. We had a 'Worcester Junior' fitted- and it runs 6 rads with extra capacity for 1 one more. This boiler is really popular with heating engineers due to it's size. We also had fitted thermostatic valves on every radiator which means we can adjust each one separately. Which is brill as our upstairs is boiling where as our front room is arctic in January! We only had it fitted in March so we have not run it through the winter yet but so far the bills do seem to be going down. Only time will tell if it is anymore reliable then a 'normal' boiler. I think the condensing boilers have been around a while. Also, whenever regulations change about things like this people always moan about it. We did pay a lot of money out but the old ones were costing us a fortune and were on their last legs! It will save us money in the long run.. At the end of the day, 25 years is pretty good to get out of a boiler. I think you have done very well!! Why don't you think about having it serviced now (not in January) and asking the engineer about it. If he is honest then he will give you an idea about whether it will last or whether you need to replace it. Whatever happens, gas prices are not going to go down either!! Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddycoffee Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Dizzy chick, can you give some idea about how much you had to pay for the new boiler installed, as I am in the same situation as you were before. With a 30 year old gas water heater and a more modern but still old heating boiler. I have 6 radiators too.. My central heating boiler is a good one with powered flu, but my water boiler is terrible I have to keep relighting it and the flu is in the way of what I want to do in the yard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coritani Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Thanks a lot Dizzy chick for your very helpful advice. I did wonder how much the cost would be but I suppose it wont be cheap... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazel Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 My problem with the combi is Ok now thanks to advice on SF My son increased the water pressure and no more cold showers now . It's either cured or I'm quicker in the shower. hazel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strix Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 The middle of summer is usually a good time to catch central heating companies offering good discounts A new boiler is best fitted in the summer too - when you won't miss it And don't forget, a new boiler will be far more efficient and cheper to run than your old one, so it'll start saving you money straight away. There are even boilers that run partly on solar power now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coritani Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Thanks Strix and what you say makes sense so I will have time to prepare myself for next summer, if the old boiler keeps on going. The last service the man said everything was fine and the only problem that I may have in the future was getting spares for the boiler.....Cotitani. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dizzy_chick Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 We paid £2500 for the boilder, the valves fitted and a new radiator fitted. It was a lot of money and I am sure that we could have got it done cheaper then that. We kept being mucked around by people promising quotes and timescales to fit etc. The whole thing was a nightmare when we had no hot water!! I was just glad to get home and be able to turn the hot tap on!!! The trouble is, buying a new boiler is no where near as fun as buying a new bathroom or furniture. No one wants to admire a new boiler!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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