How long are boiler spares available?

[Martin Pentreath]

Hi,

My Ariston non-condensing boiler is a bit on the blink. It's ten years old,= and I'm toying with the idea of just scrapping it and getting it replaced = with a condensing model. It would be a relatively easy (and cheap) job, bec= ause the dimensions are all the same, so it's almost a bolt-off-bolt-on job= . Also I can get the boiler cheap. The reason it's cheap is because it's be= en discontinued.

Anyway, the question is: how long do you reckon Ariston will continue to ma= ke spare parts available. It seems to have been discontinued a couple of ye= ars ago, and I'm just slightly worried that parts might dry up before the b= oiler reaches the end of its natural life.

Cheers!

Martin

[Phil L]

Is it secondhand? Also, what make is the replacement boiler and how much is cheap - you can get a brand new boiler for less than £400

it depends on the make and model, if it's a popular make and there's thousands of them around, you'll probably get second hand spares for the next 20 years, if it's been made in Cuba and there's only 300 in the world, the chances are it'll be at the bottom of a skip within a few years.

[gremlin_95]

and I'm toying with the idea of just scrapping it and getting it replaced with a condensing model. It would be a relatively easy (and cheap) job, because the dimensions are all the same, so it's almost a bolt-off-bolt-on job. Also I can get the boiler cheap. The reason it's cheap is because it's been discontinued.

spare parts available. It seems to have been discontinued a couple of years ago, and I'm just slightly worried that parts might dry up before the boiler reaches the end of its natural life.

Might be a good idea to call them and ask. I know Vaillant say 15 years part availability but they don't say from when i.e. from now or when the boiler ceases production.

[Bob Minchin]

and I'm toying with the idea of just scrapping it and getting it replaced with a condensing model. It would be a relatively easy (and cheap) job, because the dimensions are all the same, so it's almost a bolt-off-bolt-on job. Also I can get the boiler cheap. The reason it's cheap is because it's been discontinued.

spare parts available. It seems to have been discontinued a couple of years ago, and I'm just slightly worried that parts might dry up before the boiler reaches the end of its natural life.

My Thorn boiler must be at least 35 years old and I've had no problems getting what few parts it has needed.

Bob

[geoff]

In message , Martin Pentreath writes

I will have circuit boards and fans available for years

[Doctor Drivel]

It must cost a fortune to run.

[Doctor Drivel]

The non-condensing Microgenus was a highly reliable boiler and parts easily available. Stock standard Italian parts. What model of boiler?

A condensing boiler will be cheaper to run and you have the guarantee as well. But the Aniston boilers tend to be noisy. So if the boiler is in a place where noise is not an issue it may be worth going for another Ariston.

[Brian Gaff]

But I bet he can't get those cheap!

Brian

[Broadback]

Not very long in some cases. I had a boiler less that three years old, bad design slight water leak ruined the PCB. No parts available. It turned out that the installer, who told me he could get the boiler cheap, failed to say the boiler was no longer produced. This from a large local company that I chose over one man bands, even though they were a bit cheaper. It seems you don't always get what you pay for!

[Andy Cap]

Perhaps, but I'd love to see a true cost/annum of running it as compared with a modern condensing boiler with it's additional complaxity and shorter life span. The savings, if any, are nothing like what is suggested.

[John Rumm]

Much comes down to how much you are spending on gas anyway. If the place is well insulated and only costing a few hundred a year to heat, then its going to be hard justifying the cost of premature replacement even if it could make "significant" savings in percentage terms. If on the other hand you are shelling out a couple of grand a year or more on gas, then even a 20% saving would pay for the boiler in short order - especially if you only need pay for the hardware and not the fitting.

[Andy Cap]

Yes, OK I can see that makes sense. It just annoys me that they go on about the savings, when for relatively low users, a new condensing boiler is almost certainly going to cost them considerably more over say a decade.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I have a fairly average Victorian semi, and the replacement Viessmann condenser has more than paid for itself in five years. The previous one was an RS Kingfisher. But I did install the new one myself, so no inflated labour charges or excessive profit on the boiler.

[Andy Cap]

Nice if you can do that ! ;-)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

No more difficult than installing a new bath, or whatever. You just need basic plumbing skills.