kiich wrote:

Just had a BG guy come around to take a look at out old boiler - the
adviser said it is out of production and is very old and suggested

"Salesman" is the word you are searching for ;-)

getting a new one - which I am happy to do.

1989 does not sound that old really... is it actually broken now? If not
then don't fix it. When you must replace it, then do so with a reliable
high efficiency boiler, but until you need to there is not much to be
gained.

He also mentioned that we will not be able to put a new boiler there to
just replace it - because the flu to the roof is too small and it is

Might be true. But can be changed.

illegal now to put new ones in the current place (in airing cupboard in
2nd bed room) without altering the existing hole and roof. again, i
have no facts to back this up but taking his word for this one.

Not aware of it being illegal however.

He also said that if we get a new combi boiler, we will also need to
change the valves on the radiators for the combi - can someone tell me
why?

If the rads do not have TRVs then they will need replacing to come into
line with Part L of the building regs. You may also need to replace the
lockshield valves if when you convert to a sealed system since the
higher pressure can cause older ones to seep a little.

So I am happy to:
a) get a new boiler - pref. combi boiler

Make sure this is a viable option first. Check you mains cold water flow
rate (stop watch and a bucket!). If you are getting less than 20 l/min
it will be marginal for a decent combi. Also allow some overhead in case
the water pressure is reduced in your area. Note also the time of day
you do the flow rate test. If you routinely take a shower at the same
time as half the neighbourhood you may find the flow rate available when
you need it is not good enough.

Assuming the above is ok, then look for a *very* powerful combi (minimum
of 35kW - but more is better) to get anything like decent performance on
bath filling. Alternatively retain the stored water components of your
system and use the heating circuit of a combi to drive those much like
the current boiler does, but use the hot water circuit of the combi to
drive a shower (where the mains pressure is handy), or the kitchen /
basin taps etc.

If you do this then don't forget to budget for new shower valves if your
current ones are unable to cope with the high pressure. If you go for
the whole house fed from the combi, then having a thermostatic mixer
also becomes more important, because the temperature of the hot water is
more prone to vary in response to demand.

b) move it into the kitchen and have the work done to drill hole for
the flue etc

Not having it in a bedroom may be a good point when selling (or for
someone sleeping in the room). There is no safety hazard with it in the
bedroom, but they can be noisy enough to irritate some people.

c) have the pipe system re-done so that existing pipes going into HW
cylinder etc can be changed for CH and HW to work with the new boiler
d) get rid of the old boiler and HW cylinder

This may or may not be a good idea - depends on how you use your hot water.

and he's obviously quoted me on this work - and it is as you expect
very expensive.

But my question is - how much should i be looking at roughly for all of
the work above?

FYI, BG estimated me 2 to 3 days of work.

That sounds about right (assuming two men) or three to four for one man.
(took me about four days to do all of what you describe).

2000 - 2500 (including the boiler) sounds fair. Perhaps a bit more if
there are lots of rad vales to replace.

--
Cheers,

John.

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