Help, New Boiler or Fix

[Mantishead]

Hello,

I own a 4 bedroom student flat which has 8 radiators. Room sizes are reasonably sizeable but I am unsure as the exact BTU calculation.

The central heating system currently has a Worcester 230 boiler which is quite old, but I understand has been serviced. The boiler is frequently overheating and cutting out. It requires an hour to recover and then it can be used again.

My letting manager, also a gas engineer, has said it may be fixed though he believes it would eventually break, possibly quite quickly. He has suggested replacing the boiler entirely and has quotes £1400. When asked how much a so called temporary fix would be, he suggested around half.

I spoke with another engineer who suggested another option of a Biasi boiler with a total cost including installation of £700. Though this seemed very low indeed.

Finally I spoke with another firm who recommended a Baxi boiler, at a cost of around £500. They recommended an engineer who then said they wouldn't use anything other than Worcester. They also suggested the £700 would certainly not be satisfactory.

I feel like I am being given the complete run-around. My gut is telling me that £1200 - £1400 is probably the target budget, though I would like to know which boiler to go for and more importantly can I trust the engineer. Should I be asking for warranties, parts and labour etc.

Thanks for any help in this area..

 

[FD Powerflow]

Personally where I am £1500-2000 is about the average for a combi swap, the Worcester 230 is a discontinued product and although the spares will still be stocked by merchants your in all fairness probably better off with a new SEDBUK 'A' rated energy efficient combi which could save you money on your gas bill rather than sticking with your SEDBUK 'G' rated unit.

Worcester for worcester isnt a bad swap installer wise if you pick a Worcester accredited installer, as he will probably have experience of the 230, also you will get a longer period of guarantee with a WAI plumber.

My personal favourite boilers at the moment are the Alpha CDC and Baxi Duotec Platinum both come with 5 year guarantees and give great flowrates on HW and arent a pain in the rse to fit.

Happy hunting

 

[dontknowitall]

It's not up to a tenant to install or service a boiler. That's the landlord's responsiblity. The tenant is only liable for the energy used (gas in this case) so it's in the tenant's interest to have an efficient and well serviced boiler.

I must admit I only found this out a few weeks ago.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

get a baxi duotec or if you want cheaper and more reliable a potterton performa from a landlords point of view,its reliable,works well and parts are reasonable and readily available, about £1000-£1250 depending on whats involved the output of the boiler needed they come in 24_30 kw but the prices quoted are in wales so may vary district to district