Installation of a new gas back boiler

[Alan Williamson]

Ever since we moved into our house a couple of years ago, our heating has been a little noiser than i would have expected. There is a banging or rattling when the pump is on as it moves the water around the house. Its only in one place. Also, the actual pilot light is starting to play around, as is the overall maintenance of the beast. [Its a Baxi Bermuda, around 20years old]

so the question here is, i want to get this replaced with something a little more modern and efficient. I don't want anything too fancy for the front unit, more interested in the back boiler.

What prices am i expecting to be paying for a CORGI engineer to come and replace it? Whats the procedure? Do i purchase the fire system and then ask them to replace it? I have asked British Gas (home.co.uk) to come around and give me a quote, again, what price should i be expecting?

Any advice here would be helpful. thanks

[Set Square]

Baxi Bermudas were great in their day - I've owned two of the things - but they're very inefficient by modern standards. I would be very surprised if you could get a back-boiler replacement. When my second Bermuda died, I replaced it with a wall-hung boiler located elsewhere, and installed a more elaborate coal-effect gas fire in the fireplace.

You may need to consider doing something similar. Some boilers can even be installed in attics if there isn't another convenient location. If you go for a sealed system, you will free up the attic space currently occupied by the F&E tank. Maybe your new boiler could go there?

[Alan Williamson]

Aaah interesting SetSquare, you know i never even considered that. So basically a boiler in the garage of the 'white-box-hung-on-wall' would be acceptable. I have to admit the 1970's look of the fire place was definitely getting on all our nerves and to see it go won't be causing any tears whatsoever.

Our gas mains supply actually comes into the garage and then through to the house, so this may not be as a big a job as one would have maybe have thought.

With that in mind, what sort of price are we talking about here? ball park figure?

[Set Square]

The garage will be fine, provided the boiler's on an outside wall for the flue.

Don't really know about cost - mine was done 12 years ago. At the time, it cost me about 1200 quid (excluding the gas fire). I guess that you'd have to multiply that by a factor of several!

With a modern efficient - probably condensing - boiler, you'll save a dramatic amount of gas. You'll need to overhaul the control strategy at the same time - making sure that there is a boiler interlock to turn the boiler off when CH and HW demands are both satisfied. This will require zone valves, room and tank thermostats - and probably TRVs on all but one radiator. The new setup will also be fully pumped - whereas you've probably got a gravity (convection) hot water circuit at the moment, with little control over the DHW temperature.

[Dave Jones]

If the old system is around 30 years old, you'd be better off replacing the complete system, rather than try and modify the old. For a complete system with a decent make condencing boiler, you'd probably be looking at under £3500 but not from British Gas, get quotes from local independant plumbers as well.

Dave Jones

[John Rumm]

A reasonable guess might be about 4 man days of work + the cost of boiler and materials (say at least 1200 for those)

[John Borman]

Cost recently for combi Baxi 105e boiler in a three bed house with 7 rads was £3500. That was in Essex. Dont know about ur circumstances as you havent mentioned how many rads or how many beds you have but theres a figure for you to compare against. I wouldnt bother with BG one of the quotes with them was pushing 6k for exactly the same specs as our local fitter J