Fixed the leaking boiler

Regular readers may recall the eventual diagnosis of a leaking main heat exchanger on my boiler. However that was winter and it was easier to top it up each day than fix it then!

So I fixed it the other day, and took some photos and made some notes along the way in case it helps anyone with a similar problem:

Given that the reconditioned hx is two years older than the original, it will be interesting to see how long the "new" hx lasts.

I would imagine most gas engineers would take the view that is was more "economic" to replace the whole boiler considering it is 7 years old than to replace the hx.

So the highy-regarded German Vaillant boiler has a French-made heat exchanger then ?. Not what I would expect.

If one were paying for labour as well, perhaps. But since that was "free" it was £129 for the HX vs ~£900 for the boiler.

I think the short answer is "no"...

There is nothing much of interest on the right - most of it is taken up by the expansion vessel, and the outlet of the pump and condensate drain is easy enough to get at from the front.

(I stuck in a picture of an 824 about half way down - so you can see the layout of those - i.e. basically the same with the addition of a PHE, and diversion valve).

I have seen suggestions that a large slice of European condensers use them - presumably since they were early to market with a working design that did not require crufted on secondary condensing HEs like you find in a Biasi of similar vintage.

(Not sure if they are truly French any more either - ISTR they were bought out at some point in 2010?)

Does that not depend on the cause of the leak in the first place though? Brian

I'd jolly well expect a boiler to last more than 7 years personally. I'm not sure why we used a system of piping hot water around houses in the 21st Century when heat pumps have been around for years. Brian

Not only that but the one I have came with a 10 year warranty so the repair would be free.