Ed,
It was a VCW 242. You're right, if it had been maintained I would not
now
be facing a bill of such a magnitude that I would consider a new boiler an
option.
The combi was not mine to maintain ( my parents' house ) and for some reason
they gave up after only two servicings ( '90 & '91 ). Fourteen years doesn't
strike me
as a poor lifespan for a neglected combi.
The pump has failed ( fatal ), there is a valve/actuator coupled to a
microswitch
that has failed ( valve siezed and the actuator very slow in making the
microswitch
leading to a wait for hot water ), and the system loses pressure over a day
or two,
possibly due to the air charge in the reservoir vessel being gone ( leak or
whatever ).
Had these faults been dealt with one at a time I would expect some years
more of
service, but there you are. Worst case I'm looking at £400+ for parts and
labour, with
a new 824 combi costing £650 plus labour. Wonder if what my parents saved in
servicing
costs offsets the cost of a new combi being needed a little early??!!
Andy
PS My heating chappie said Vaillant are best, then Worcester, but
Chaffoteaux combis are
dismal.
"Ed Sirett" wrote in message
news
On Sat, 01 Nov 2003 00:54:23 +0000, andrewpreece wrote:
Not a query as such, but my old Vaillant combi, a veteran of 14 years
has
failed ( with three separate faults - the pump failing was the critical
one ). Rather than repair the beast, I propose to buy new, and was
wondering
if anyone has any comments on Vaillant, and its Turbomax combi boilers.
My
info is that they're a good make, and mine lasted 12 years without a
service.
NB; The house is a three bed semi, one bath, one shower. I'm thinking
the
824 at 24 kilowatts is sufficient......
Well your existing boiler (VCW 242 most likely) did not last that long
and might well have gone longer with occasional maintenance.
I'm have reapcled these when they are aged 17 years+ with others nearby
installed at the same time still going strong.
You are already aware of the pros and cons of combis so I'd go for a
Turbomax+ 824e or 828e (the latter is around 50-75 quid more), and
give 1/6 more flow.
--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
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