"Vista" wrote in message ...
Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
Vista writes:
Hi all.
My parent's house (4 beds) needs a new gas boiler. Quotes for this and
to "modernise" the heating system range from just over 3K-4K - seems a
lot of money.
I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the way to proceed. Is
this a reasonable price? How do I watch for rip-offs etc? What *needs*
doing from a legal point of view?
My ideas are 1) scrap the gas completely and go all electric (is this
possible with a water-based radiator system? Is it feasible on the cost
front? Perhaps going with economy 7 for hot water (currently have a
lagged tank in the airing cupboard).

Start by giving much more detail of the current system.

Boiler make/model/size/age, condition of pipework, radiators
(do they look fine, or like they're all just about to rust
through?), do they have thermostatic radiator valves, is there
a room stat somewhere?

Also number of rooms, number of baths/showers and usage pattern,
normal number of house occupents. Does the existing system cope
(or did it when it was working properly)?
Why does it need a new boiler now?
Who did you get quotes from, and what do they include?

Boiler make - will look today, at least 20 years old.
Occupants: 2
Showers: 2 a day (one each), baths once a week (each person)
Radiators - mainly good condition 9one small leak on inlet (nothing
serious)
pipework: OK
rooms: 4 beds, kitchen, dinning, living, hall, 2 bathrooms, storeroom.
existing system: working OK, but very old and very expensive to run
Quotes (don't actually have them but will report back)


A new gasboiler isn't that expensive, you can get a combination one for
around £600 and fitting it doesn't take long. Trade prices are even
cheaper, especially to bigger companies. The system will be flushed out and
refilled with a corrosion inhibiter. An entire new heating system with
pipes etc will cost a lot, but is not required. Some companies will lie
about replacing copper pipes and just use the old ones.
If your parents are with british Gas, don't forget that they increased their
prices by 91% in 12months using a variety of excuses. They recently reduced
them slightly but are still 100% more expensive unit for unit than what I am
paying with another company. People staying with BG are stupid or a bit too
slow to understand what a price increase is!
Your parents could get a simple replacement boiler (made by Ideal) for £400
to replace an old one on the type of system they have. I had mine done as I
didn't want a combination boiler.
It was put in a cupboard by the bathroom. A gas pipe was fitted, then the
pipes feeding the old back boiler behind the living room fire capped off and
the inlet/outlet connected to the heating system and tank. A new pump and
valve were added. It took about 5 hours to sort out as a new programmer and
thermostat were installed.
A certificate was issued by the Corgi fitter and that was it! The flue just
goes out of the wall and sticks out about 8 inches. The condensation drain
drops in to a nearby hopper for the rainwater.

Unfortunately a lot of companies will try to rip you off and once they see
older people that's it. Far too many want to get rich quick rather than
provide a good service and get repeated custom.
I know one local council that recommend a company who simply subcontract
unqualified people to fit central heating. The council still refuses to
stop recommending them as they paid "to advertise" in their local public
info brochures.

As for storage heaters, I would be interested to know what you were quoted
for that. It will mean floorboards coming up! Each heater will require
it's own mains cable and that leads to a new consumer unit. Maybe a new
main fuse. Also watch that the house is not fed from a cable used for a
neighbour. This "one feed per two houses" used to be common practice years
ago rather than each house having it's own main cable coming in from the
street. I looked at a few houses in Chester that had gone on fire when the
economy 7 kicked in due to overloading the supply cable. Then a lot of
companies will not connect up your "old" house wiring so will suggest a
rewire which again is an excuse for a blank cheque. On the economy 7 it's
far more expensive per unit in the day, but cheaper at night. So in the day
and especially summer you pay far more for electric.

I would stick to gas and get a few more quotes being specific in what YOU
require. Tell the company you ONLY need a replacement boiler. The whole
job including the supply and fitting of a condensing boiler should cost no
more than £800 as a maximum.

If your parents are getting on a bit tell them to apply for a "warmfront
grant" and they can get the boiler replaced for free (if they meet certain
requirements), they can also get cavity wall insulation and loft/tank
insulation free.