Cost of replacing 24 yr old Potterton gas boiler

I've a Potterton too that is also plus 20 years and has finally sprung a leak. The gas engineer told me that as it's an older system I should replace it with another Potterton Baxi A Rated boiler - it should have a cast iron heat exchanger, and I should get another 20 years problem free. He also recommended to get the full kit replaced, you can save money on the short term reusing the old parts but they will also start to go in the next few years. Got quote 2K to replace the lot. Is this a good price? He said he can do other boilers for around 1700 but they may last 5 years. I know a few of my neighbours have had theirs replaced after only 4/5 years use. It's in our old house which is now a rented property so I'd rather do it once. 20 years is good value for money, 5 years isn't!
 
Baxi has issues with their gas valve. They brought in a new technology valve that has back fired on them. They are being taking off the market in the UK & rest is being pawned off on the Irish market.

Either way, make sure your installer is carrying out a full mechanical power flush of your heating system prior to the replacement. This is why boilers are only lasting 5 years. Many decent boiler makes are offering 5 year parts & labour warranties.
 
Thanks Shane, does any other boiler you'd recommend have a cast iron heat exchanger. Will def get him to do a power flush, thanks for your advice. Does the price sound about right?
 
For a Baxi, probably about right. For higher quality 5 year warranty boiler including power flush, I would be in region of €2,200.

No high efficiency boiler has a cast iron heat exchanger! They all have stainless steel or aluminium. Many will give a 10 year warranty on their heat exchangers, but conditions apply, i.e. how clean is the system, was it power flushed, was inhibitor installed, was the boiler properly commissioned & has it been annually serviced by an RGI since it was installed.
 
So for me, there are equally as good quality boilers on the market that are cheaper & have all the bells & whistles but don't cost as much, as easier to service & have even more advanced internal controls.

Would you be able to recommend a couple of alternatives that would be worth looking into?

I've just bought a house and I'm looking into whether or not I should upgrade the boiler. I found some documentation indicating that the previous owner switched from oil to gas in 2003. The current boiler is a Potterton Kingfisher Mf. I'm not sure whether I should spend €2-€2.5k on a new boiler. I'm on a tight budget and have plenty of work to do in the house.

If you're interested in coming to have a look and giving me a quote, please PM me. I'm based in Dublin.
 
PM sent.
Kingfisher is a fairly simple but bulletproof boiler. Downside is the efficiency is very low. They also have pilot light which will be costing approx €150 per year to keep lit.
 
Hi Shane,

We need to replace our old Mynute boiler and our house is in an area that has water pressure issues and we have been advised by one guy not to go with gloworm flexicom for that reason, as the gloworm would be too sensitive. The Ideal Logic IE, was suggested as an alternative, as it is especially for the Irish Market. Just wanted to know what you think and if you have come across it. My concern is that Ideal seems to be at the lower end of gas boiler range. Thanks
 
When you say your area has water pressure issues, are fitting a combi boiler or a system boiler? If you are installing a combi, you should not be connecting it directly to mains. It should be through a breaker tank & booster pump.
If a system boiler, then the area mains pressure will have no bearing on your heating system.

Both those boilers IMO would be bottom of my list of boilers.
 
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So for me, there are equally as good quality boilers on the market that are cheaper & have all the bells & whistles but don't cost as much, as easier to service & have even more advanced internal controls.

Shane 007, I am about to change my 14 year old gas potterson boiler, can you recommend a good quality condenser boiler.

This is a very informative thread, many thanks to you for your knowledge and expertise in the area.
 
Shane 007, I am about to change my 14 year old gas potterson boiler, can you recommend a good quality condenser boiler.

This is a very informative thread, many thanks to you for your knowledge and expertise in the area.

Probably the Vokera iMynute. It was only released this year & is probably the most efficient boiler on the market due to its high modulation rate.
Boilers lose a lot of efficient if they cycle on & off too many times per hour as there is unburnt gas exiting the flue when the switch on & off.
All Band A boilers have a modulation ratio of 4:1 but the iMynute has a ratio of 8:1. This means 20kw can match a system demand down to 2.5kw where any other boiler, including Vokera's other range, can only modulate down to 5kw.
So basically the flame turns down to a trickle heat maintaining the system demand when it is hot, but only using minimal gas to do so. This equals very few cycles per hour.
It also has an excellent heat exchanger. Their distribution centre is in Ireland too so parts are easily accessible & cheap too.

Cost wise, it's about €150 more expensive than say the Vokera Vision.
Other good boilers on the market would be Ariston, Worchester Bosch, Valliant & Viessmann. Viessmann are about €400 dearer than the others & I can't seem to see where the extra money is. It has a stainless steel heat exchanger, which are pretty much bullet proof, but they take much longer to heat as s/steel is a poor conductor of heat.
 
Thank you Shane for the updated information on the most efficient condenser gas boiler, it is great to know this. Next, do I just contact a registered gas installer in my area and ask them if they cover all the questions posted above such as flushing the system etc and when I do fine someone reputable do I then apply for a grant towards the purchase cost. Would you be able to recommend anyone in the Cork area, I would love to get you but I gather you are based in Dublin :)
 
There is no grant for a boiler only upgrade. It must be accompanied with a full heating control upgrade also.
There is a carbon credit scheme that you maybe able to avail of.

The worst thing you can do is just pick an RGI from a list. Their abilities vary dramatically.
I would most certainly go by recommendation or referral. Perhaps you could put up a post in the Recommended Trades section. Check with family, friends or work colleagues and ask as many questions as feel necessary. If they cannot answer them and instil confidence, then walk away. There are plenty of good installers out there.
I cover Kilkenny to Dublin, I'm afraid, and I don't know any installers in the Cork area.
 
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