XSeries-forum

After 72 hours with no heating, we're finally back on again. The main control board in the boiler had failed. One very complicated beastie it looked too with cpu's and microelectronics all over it. It's only a boiler for griefs sake!! I'm not surprised it was a few hundred quid - free to us as all paid for as part of our BG Service Homecare400 pack. We've still got fluctuating gas pressure and three very large holes in the road - they can't find the Gas Main coz it's not where the plan says it should be!! Nothing like inspiring confidence

The BG engineer who came out today and fixed the boiler told us that our Potterton Envoy 50 is now on a restricted spares list as it's been out of production for more than 10 years. He did not recommend buying an updated version as Potterton are not the quality they used to be. He did recommend that if we are thinking of replacing it then we ought to go for Vaillant. Have any of this esteemed company got one of said products? Are they any good? I've now had a few people recommend Vaiilant but I have no knowledge of them. Worcester is another name that has come up, but again I've not come across them either.

BG coming on Thursday to talk boilers and I want to know the sort of questions to ask. We have an 'open vented' system - central heating + hot water (and a HW tank and header tank). Any tips, tricks, hints?

We have a Worcester, we have had it about 6 years, in that time it has never been serviced and has never broke down.

Phill


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Not servicing a boiler is not really that good a practice though ... (if only from the CO perspective).

We have a CO monitor above the boiler just to be on the safe side

Phill


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You'd be amazed how much ash and dust collects inside the burners. Gas may be clean, but not 100%. We only had ours serviced a few months back but we still had a fair bit of ash. Just imagine what yours might look like after 6 years.

Still I guess 6 years without service and it's OK does say something about the build. Our Potterton has never run for more than two without a fault - usually the igniter - causing a shutdown. I think we've had 4 now, plus 2 main boards, a complete burner box, fan unit, seals, gaskets etc.

We had a Vaillant combi boiler installed in our new house 11 years ago. It has been serviced each year at a cost of about £70 each time. It has only had a divertor valve replaced in all that time. Nothing else has gone wrong
If I was going to replace it I would go for another Vaillant.

Graeme.

p.s. My mother has a 11 year old Vaillant boiler and nothing has gone wrong with that one either

We have a valiant combi 4th year now with no problems with get yearly service with maintenance package, also installed same system in parents who are having the same experience really good boilers and excellent service.

I certainly would not recommend worcester unless you can be sure of running the condensate pipe inside as ours freezes and knocks the boiler out everytime we have a hard frost. We have lagged it and rerouted it twice and changed for a larger pipe and it still freezes, absolute rubbish and I wish we still had our old back boiler that never went wrong.

I have a huge problem with BG at the moment... my grirlfriends mum works for a good plumbing contractor where we live. They have had increased numbers of calls from customers saying that BG have been round to do the annual service and they have been told that they should get a new boiler because it is old and they don't make the parts anymore... utter sh1t.

Like cars, manufaturers MUST supply spares for at least 10 years from when the model went out of production. This does not include companies that make spares to fit (copy parts). There are boilers 20 years + that are still going strong and you can still easily source parts for them!

Anyway, I have had BG out to both the house and the Chip Shop to carry out services. Imagine my fury when I am told that I should consider changing my boiler in the Chip Shop!! Its a Bosch, parts are very easy to come by. Not only that, if you can't get the exact pump for example, you can retro fit a different pump - It will still work! I was out of the country when I had the boiler serviced at home - a Worcester. They told my girlfriend that the model has been discontinued and very soon it will be difficult to get parts It's 3 effin years old! Good job I wasn't home when he was spewing that crap!

... and breathe.

If you really need to change your boiler then you will be fine with a Vaillant or a Worcester. Same with anything, you get what you pay for. BUT, if it has just been serviced and just been fixed then is it not good for another year at least?? Also, I would get a quote from a plumbers too and compare... let BG quot and give you a spec then take that spec (not the quote) to a plumbers and see what they can do it for.


Turks.

[quote=""phill""]We have a Worcester, we have had it about 6 years, in that time it has never been serviced and has never broke down.[/quote]

Phil, get it serviced mate... its £50-70 or £12 a month if you get a service package from BG. It is well worth doing, you will be surprised how much crap is in there! Look after it and it will look after you! You wouldn't run your car every day for 6 years without service...


Turks.

Yep...
Got a Vaillant Eco tec plus.
Had it fitted 18 months ago. It wasn't cheap, £1100+ springs to mind plus installation.
Has a 5 year warranty. Never had a problem with it and it comes with a remote control so can be programmed from your chair

I intend to use BG to come up with a solution and then source elsewhere. Their base price sounds way too high. And I'm not in a rush as the system has just been fixed, or it might have been. National Grid have found that the 8" main feeding the whole area is half full of water leaking from an adjacent water main that has been leaking for months. A number of businesses were checked today and it has now become apparent the issue is pressure. We're on the end of the pipe so when everyone else lights up, we go out!! A tanker is coming tomorrow to pump out the big main.

Our boiler has been out of production for 10 years now, but as you say there must be spares avail. They don't just suddenly vanish at 10 years plus 1 week.

You won't go far wrong with Worcester or vaillant provide they are installed properly and serviced.I've had a worcester combi in my place for over 11 years with very little gone wrong.
Vaillant are very good though.......... i have fitted loads of them on site (prob 80 plus) and had very few probs with them

[quote=""jas328sport""]I certainly would not recommend worcester unless you can be sure of running the condensate pipe inside as ours freezes and knocks the boiler out everytime we have a hard frost. We have lagged it and rerouted it twice and changed for a larger pipe and it still freezes, absolute rubbish and I wish we still had our old back boiler that never went wrong.[/quote]

Our new boiler is a new fangled gadget which generates electricity when in use and exports some of this back to the grid (ie we generate income from it). It has a condensate pipe run along the easiest possible route - ie outside wall (grrr bloody installers!). It froze up several times over the Winter and I was not a happy bunny. But now we have lagged it and installed trace heating cable: http://www.ezeheat.co.uk/freezestopkitB.html it rocks. The lagging is specialist stuff too but is not expensive at all. It's not your standard B&Q stuff. it's very flexible and cuts with scissors *not* a stanley. Also has a self adhesive joint for ease of installation: http://www.pipelagging.com/armaflex-bla ... -c-72.html
I still have both a 4m and an 8m run of the trace cable unopened/unused and would be happy to negotiate a delivered price for you. As I live reasonably close to Trafford Centre I could also get hold of and ship the lagging at same time if you wanted. let me know m8.

Thanks for all the input folks.

BG offered us their 330+ boiler which turns out to be a rebadged Gloworm. £2,500 all done. Trouble is there are a number of costs included in the install that I don't need but can't get removed - like new electrics. There are some good bits to BG doing it as you get a replacement boiler if there is a complete failure, or non-repairable fault. But with their harware in production, how likely is that?

I guess we'll be looking elsewhere as BG will jot install a Vaillant unless it's a combi and that means major changes.