Back boiler questions

[Biscuit Baron]

Hi There,

I have a central heating/boiler question that hopefully some of the experts / installers on here may be able to advise on.

I have an old baxi bermuda back boiler... (approx 32 years old apparently according to Brirish Gas's homecare service sheet)

Have just had it serviced and the engineer recommended I get it replaced as it is so old, but it works ok and has never given me any problems. (the engineer cleaned it out and said that the heat exchanger gets too coked up as it is not burning correctly, and as such it should be replaced.)

I guess my question is multiple...

Do I really need a new boiler or is it just that due to the age of it it neds regular servicing to keep the heat exchanger happy ? or even that its just a pain to clean out and BG engineers are told/advised to recommend new boilers?

If I were to get a new boiler, is it highly likely that I would need the full central heating system in the house swapping out due to legislation chages, pipe dimesions having changed etc etc ? or can I just save up for a new back boiler and expect that I could get the old unit swapped for a new one?



I know a number of people (friends family etc.) that have got or had fitted new/modern boilers and all of them seem to have had more issues and callouts than me (at 0 callouts), and as such I am quite wary of new boilers as they certainly seem as though they were built to fail, as opposed to old boilers which seem to be built to last.

TIA for any advice you can provide...

Andy.

 

[Barry98]

Get a second opinion fair enough it's not as efficient as a new combi condensing but you can do things to make it better

 

[Biscuit Baron]

Thanks for the speedy reply bod.

I guess I need to find a gas man who knows all about old boilers then, as I imagine any young installer would probably recommend a new boiler anyway.

 

[Barry98]

Depends on the training , you will be able to find someone on here , just stick a post in the I need a plumber section.

my opinion the old ones were built to last , not like the plastic chuck away stuff we fit now

 

[Biscuit Baron]

Thanks Bod.

Have done.

 

[kirkgas]

there are plenty of facts going about re your boiler v a new boiler, but as with everything it depends on what the speaker wants you to do which has a direct influence on ow they present the facts ie
"your old boiler is not as efficient as a new one" a fact that i think most will agree with, however once you change the boiler and save gas you will probably have additional costs to pay for call out visits and parts when out of warranty (a fact that you in your position has found, but some may not)
another fact is that your boiler has lived longer than it still has left (similar to a lot of us on here as well!!!!) so it will fail, there are parts available but these are getting less and less so you will prob need a new boiler at some point, you can fit a new boiler on the old system but that wont be as efficient as a full new system, but it wont cost as much so a gain there is a balance there, the age old problem is getting "real, unbiased" advice as i have stated before the only person who will give you this is your mum haha but there are loads of good trades people about who will advise you as best they can then let you make an informed decision on what you can and should do sooner or later depending on different facts

 

[Biscuit Baron]

Hi Kirkgas,

Thanks for the reply, you have confirmed my thoughts exactly.

I guess I am swaying towards trying to coax whatever life is left in the existing boiler and if possible see if it can be tweaked to run any more efficiently to boot.

And I am definately of the opinion that the overall inefficiency of the boiler definately outweighs the pain and inconvenience of callouts and boiler breakdowns.

EDIT :
Ive, just re-read that and I expressed it poorly,,

Should be : I would rather live with the inefficiency, than have to suffer the pain of breakdowns..

 

[Barry98]

Definitely get a second quote even a third for a replacement

 

[Millsy 82]

I am a big fan of the old BBU's as long as they are regularly serviced (annually) which is a full strip down and clean out then set up correctly with correct ventilation and no problems with fluing then they should stay relatively clean until the next service. It is an old boiler and it may last a good few years yet as long as the heat ex and casing hold out as everything else you can still get for them as a lot of the parts are fairly standard of course it could only last another day before it dies I would have no problems keeping an old BBU in my house until the day it properly packed in. (I lived in a council property they wanted to fit an isar in it I refused to have the work done and kept my old bermuda 401 as it was always reliable and I had all the parts in the van to fix it)

 

[AWheating]

The engineer was satisifed it was working correctly and safe to use, and cleaned annually (especially the heat ex) then i may well last a fair while yet and i would suggest to keep it for abit longer.
I can only suggest that if there was signs of corrosion or un safe combustion then the engineer will have wanted to turn off and label up. There are probably a number of back boilers still going strong in dudley of a simular age i would guess, at one stage almost every counsil and HA property had one fitted.

As regards having a new boiler or system it needs to be based on a number of questions but the main one being can your afford it? not many people plan ahead for central heating works so it can be a big hit when it happens. You will need to have work done sooner rather than later i would guess, the best i can suggest is if you can afford it then its a consideration for the near future, but if not then consider starting to save towards it.

I would be happy to quote any future work when you require it, i live just outside Dudley so am not far away from you. please send me a private message if you want my details.