What is affecting the boiler replacement cost?

When getting a boiler installation quote, it is essential to understand what you are getting for your money. Let us ignore for the moment every detail involved in boiler replacement cost and only concentrate on getting a new Vaillant combi boiler 25 kW. If you would ask two different heating companies for the quote, prices could be £230 different for the same boiler make. Why is that? Here is an answer: Vaillant ecoFIT Pure 825 Combi is that much cheaper boiler than Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 825 (from the same plumber’s merchant at the time of this blog). Let us come back to detailed boiler installation cost factors.

  1. Boiler make and model (the cost to buy a boiler)
  2. The same type of boiler or system conversion required?
  3. Gas pipe size and boiler distance from the gas meter
  4. How clean is a central heating system (existing pipework and radiators)?

Boiler make and model.

The same manufactures have different models, even at the same boiler power. The cost of the boiler from the same manufacture will affect a boiler warranty. For example, the Baxi combi boiler 200 range has only three years warranty, when the same brand combi boiler 800 range has a ten-year warranty. Both range boilers have similar power. As a customer, it is essential to understand those details when comparing boiler installation quotes.

The same type of boiler or system conversion required?

It is always easier to replace the boiler with the same boiler type in the existing place with the same type of boiler. Suppose the boiler will have to be moved into different locations, such as the old back boiler replacing with the combi boiler. This type of boiler installation would cost most because firstly, the boiler needs to be moved to a different location because of the flue. Secondly, the system will have to be converted from open vented to a sealed system. The low-pressure hot water tank and cold-water storage tank in the loft will have to be removed. Gas supply, flow, and return pipes, hot and cold-water pipe will have to be extended to a new location.

Gas pipe size and boiler distance from the gas meter

How does a gas pipe can affect the cost of your boiler replacement? There are many regulations when it comes to gas boilers, and gas supply to the boiler is one of them. Gas appliances must have correct gas pressure to operate correctly. Manufactures instructions and Gas safe regulations must be followed. A too-small gas pipe from the gas meter to the boiler can lose the pressure. There is not a big deal if a gas meter is close to the boiler, and the gas pipe can be easily replaced. It comes to big complications and cost when a gas meter is far away and where are obstructions on the way (nice flooring as an example). Boiler installation costs can largely be affected in a situation like this.

It is important to understand that higher boiler power will draw more gas. If replacing an existing boiler with a more powerful boiler is more likely, it will affect gas pressure. Options to replace the gas pipe must be thought in advance not to be surprised with another expensive job after replacing the boiler.

How clean is a central heating system (existing pipework and radiators)?

In an ideal world, we only replace the boiler, but unfortunately, there is a lot more to it. How well the job has been done will depend on how your boiler will be operating in the future and how much trouble will give you. Water quality is especially crucial for modern boilers. Especially for combination boilers as those are more complicated units, and more parts of the boiler can be affected by dirty water. If any failure is caused by contaminated water in the boiler (e.g., blockages, influences of flux residues, iron oxides, limescale, sludge, etc.), the engineer's visit from the manufacturer becomes chargeable at the prevailing rates meaning that the warranty becomes invalid. In our experience, central heating cleaning (Power flushing using a pump and strong magnetic filters) can take longer than the boiler installation itself. How long power flushing will take depend on how large the central heating system is, how dirty it is and what type and can take anywhere between 5 and 10 hours.

Posted in Plumbing and heating cost on Sep 27, 2020.