Is this a reasonable quote for a replacement boiler?

I thought about changing the boiler (or at least doing some of the work) myself but there are plenty of other major jobs to do around the house and I think it might be easier to pay someone to take on the hassle of this one (also don't want to be without hot water for ages).

The fitter we got the quote from comes recommended by the neighbours. We're in Leeds. It's a 3-bed semi with one bathroom. I mentioned Remeha Broag to him as they seemed to be the favoured name a while ago but he said he'd never heard of them, didn't like foreign stuff because you couldn't get the parts and always fitted Worcester.

This is the quote:

- Remove old gas water heater

- Remove old cast-iron boiler

- Fit Worcester Bosch 28 condensing Combi in same place as old water heater

- Bring heating pipes through to new boiler

- Fit room stat

- Upgrade gas as required

- Remove header tank

- Flush with acid

- Fill with inhibitor

=A31939 inc VAT

The old cast-iron boiler is in the understairs cupboard (accessed form outside). The gas meter/supply is also in there. The old gas water heater is on the opposite side of the wall in the kitchen (so about 1m away).

The house had been empty for a year when we bought it although the heating had been coming on every day all that time: some of the radiators are pretty sludged up I think, and some of the valves are stiff (I mentioned this to him prior to the quote).

After we got the quote, I spoke to him briefly about which boiler he was quoting for and he said it was 28kW but I was doped up on antibiotics at the time and hardly able to speak and didn't really feel I was getting the full gen. The neighbours are away at the mo' so I can't quiz them about theirs.

Having looked at the specs on the Worcester website, the only boiler with a 28 in the name is the Greenstar 28i junior which seems to me to be about the absolute minimum that would be acceptable (and that

24kW). None of the boilers listed is 28kW.

Is it likely to be some old stock he's getting cheap? I assume plumbers have their favourite boilers that they get quantity discounts on - is that usually true?

I'm loathe to use anyone who doesn't come recommended but, before I start looking for other quotes, is this price/spec in the ballpark?

Thanks for any advice.

Reply to
mike
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You really want thermostatic valves fitting to the rads if you are keeping the old rads.

Sounds very reasonable to me.

If they are sludged up, then you dont really want them flushed out - it never gets out all of the crap, so pay the few hundred extra to get new rads.

3 bed semi here, and 28kw is fine. It replaced a 24kw a few years ago, and I havent really noticed any difference.

The boiler is around £700, and if he is legit, then he will only be fitting an A rated boiler. (there are still a few B rated boilers around going cheap). I CBA to check the Worcester site, but I'm pretty sure all of their boilers are A rated.

Alan.

Reply to
A.Lee

Apart from the 28i junior.

The clue is in the name.

Reply to
ARWadsworth

£2000 would be the ballpark figure I would expect, maybe a little less this time of year - so not a ripoff price, if the job is done properly

Although they have been the manufacturer of choice for some time, WB seem to be losing their good reputation of late. Certainly, I seem to be getting a lot of WB pcbs and fans in for repair now

Ask the fitter how much more a Vaillant would cost. That seems to be what fitters around here are installing.

Reply to
geoff

The fitters up in Yorkshire are now often fitting Baxi. Is that good or bad for you Geoff (I made sure that they have your number)

Reply to
ARWadsworth

Is the 28CDi not also up there

Reply to
geoff

Discontinued June 2007.

Reply to
ARWadsworth

What, the 105HE etc?

Yeah - that should bring some business my way, cheers

Reply to
geoff

According to the Worcester Bosch website, the Greenstar 28i has a central heating output of 24kW.

Doesn't that mean it's got an output of 24kW? Or is the other 4kW accounted for somewhere else?

Reply to
mike

In message , mike writes

What is the spec on DHW?

Hot water's the ballbreaker

Reply to
geoff

The numbers on the WB models refer to the Hot Water output.

So the 28i junior gives out 28kW for the HW and 24kW for the CH. The 24i junior jives out 24kw for both the CH and the HW. The 30Si gives 24kW for the CH but gives out 30kW for the HW.

Personally I do not think your quote is a bad one, but I suspect that the boiler is a little on the small side. I know and have worked for (doing the electrical side) lots of fitters in Yorkshire but I only recommend one of them (and he usually fits WB unless the customer asks for a different boiler)

Reply to
ARWadsworth

...

Very reasonable for down here, doesn't sound like a ripoff for your area.

Combi boiler size is always a compromise: even 24kW is waaay more than your house is likely to need if it's actually got glass in the windows and a roof on it, but even the biggest combi is wimpy at supplying hot water to multiple outlets, so when you're having a shower and someone turns the kitchen hot tap on your shower flow will drop. Not a killer if you have a thermostatic one, but not good for houses with more than one bath/shower room. The solution to that is to get a storage combi or a system with a separate store - conventional HW cylinder, unvented (mains pressure) or thermal store/heat bank. But that all starts getting expensive and bulky and is probably overkill for most small family houses.

Worcester Bosch is, IMHO, the best bet for mainstream quality boilers.

Reply to
YAPH

Are you seeing PCBs from the Greenstar range or the old standard efficiency machine? (I guess the fans must be SE - the condensing rigs seem to have electronically modulated fans which I don't suppose you're tooled up for.)

Reply to
YAPH

Increasing numbers of greenstar - yes

Significant numbers of the older fans and pcbs, enough to make me change my recommendations regarding what to install now.

HE fans are a bit of a problem.

They have a pcb on the fan which also has to be tested, which crosses disciplines

Reply to
geoff

Off topic - do you have a use for a Run On PCB from a Worcester Heatslave HiFlow (c 1988) john plant ninety@ ntlworld.com

Reply to
John

In message , John writes

Probably haven't had one go out for 5 years

so, yes, if you were to stick it in an envelope, I'd be glad to have it

Reply to
geoff

Thanks for all the replies. Will ask about alternative boilers but sounds like the quote's decent enough.

Reply to
mike

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