Best outdoor oil combi boiler and fitting price

[malct]

My old grandee oil combi boiler is now 14 years old and during that time it's had a few repairs on it and still going strong but I have yet to meet a engineer to say anything good about them. Anyways, the combi is now 14 years old and it's seen better days and unsure how many more years it can operate.

2 weeks ago I had a quote from a local company who recommended the worcester greenstar heatslave ii 18/25 external oil combi boiler and a £3000 fitting fee. The grandee boiler is in a airing cupboard with a airvents and the flue going through the roof (we live in a mid terrace single story cottage) and if we do get a new combi boiler, it will be placed at the rear of the cottage and the pipework would need to go through the bathroom behind the bath and outside, maybe 15 ft away from where it is now. The company who did the estimate was trying to sell me a loan to pay for the work, 2 years 0% or 5 years at a cost of £3000 interest.

The price quoted for the combi was around £2500 but looking at other boilers I have found that I can buy a warmglow K for £1500 , so can anyone recommend a good oil Combi boiler,see don't have gas were we live and also what would be the standard charge for fitting for 2.5 days work, they were leaving the old combi in place that I will remove myself saving £350.

On a final note, I understand that the life of new boilers are not as long as the old one with a life span of 10 years plus they are prone to leak and cannot be repaired. Can you insure boilers and also can you buy service packages for the duration of the warranty ? Thank you for any help.

 

[muggles]

Oil combi boilers generally are a bit rubbish - you're much better off having a conventional boiler and a hot water cylinder. I don't think your Grandee is any better or worse than any other oil combi really, and spares are still available for it. What do you hope to achieve by replacing it? Who says it's 2.5 days work to replace it, and was that for one installer or two? We can't see the job so it's really very difficult to comment on what it might cost

 

[malct]

A conventional boiler is not a option really, we did away with the old system 14 years ago and we had the chimney taken down, so only options are electric or oil, we don't have gas and calor is not a option. At the moment I have had 1 quote but will get a few more.

 

[muggles]

I don't quite see what having a chimney or not has to do with anything?

If you must have a combi, Grant offer a 10 year warranty on their blue flame models when you use a G-One installer

 

[malct]

Regards a conventional boiler, I have 6 radiators in the house and has far has I know the choice is either coal, wood, oil, gas that can beat the radiators in the house unless I am missing something and there is an alternative. But basically, the job will be sitting the new combi outside the bathroom and the bathroom is against the bedroom wall where the old Combi boiler is. . I will have a look at Grant's since it's got a 10 year warranty.

 

[muggles]

Regards a conventional boiler, I have 6 radiators in the house and has far has I know the choice is either coal, wood, oil, gas that can heat the radiators in the house

Correct, and I'm suggesting you have an oil-fired conventional boiler outside where you're suggesting putting the combi, and a cylinder in your airing cupboard, because that will be both more reliable and more efficient.

unless I am missing something

I'm fairly sure you are missing something, but I haven't worked out what it is yet!

 

[oilhead]

As Muggles says, your new boiler could be standard boiler which can still be external, and a cylinder could be fitted where your Grandee is at the minute. A mains pressure cylinder would give you better hot water than a combi, and would eliminate the 'deadleg' between the boiler and your taps.

 

[malct]

I never knew about having a standard boiler that runs of oil, Would i be right in saying that it would be a closed circuit just like the combi under pressure of 1.5bar cold and with a cylinder and would the cylinder be like the old immersion heater. Sorry for coming across not knowing, Its just something that i am not familiar with

 

[Roger465]

We had an oil combi about 25 years ago, good make (Bosch or something), and it was HORRIBLE. When it fired up, it was like a jumbo jet engine getting up to take-off speed - and it was forever breaking down.

Every plumber I've ever mentioned oil combis to has given me a look as though I'd suggested an unnatural sexual act with his children.

We mostly use conventional oil-fired boilers (ie not combi) here in Ireland, as there's no gas in most places. They work just like a gas one in practice, with a hot water tank etc.

The advice above sounds good to me...

 

[copea]

Yes, what you are referring to is a sealed system and that is an option.
Or you could choose to have an open vent system which would require a small feed and expansion tank in the loft.

Both systems would work with a hot water cylinder, and this would have the fallback of an electric immersion heater for when/if the boiler breaks down.

Much better than an oil combi.