Changing c/heating boiler. Help and information on all topics relating to your central heating, air conditioning and ventilation issues.

[greengrass]

Potterton Neataheat electronic 16-22 British gas who service it have warned me it is so old they might have to approach a museum for spares.
BG quoted £3420.50 before discounts [£2822] after discounts to change it for a Worcester Greenstar 24 Ri. No hard work in cupboards clear on wall plenty room to work. I though it was too expensive overcharging on the first figure so it looked good giving discounts. I could say more.
Oh! the price included a 1yr homeserve free offer. But I bucked at the £1500 installation package within the price, there's a story behind that figure.

Q: Is that a fair price or what?

Q: What would the cost be for a combi boiler so I can have the header and hot water storage tanks removed.??

Greengrass.

[wishiwascorgi]

Hi Greengrass

british gas does seem to charge a lot of money and the hidden extras that come afterwards(like if your gas pipe needs upgrading or they have to add ventilation) can hurt the pocket. The boiler will cost around a £1000-£1200 depending on your location and a good engineer would not charge more than a £1000 for doing it although it can turn into a big job if you want the old system taking out IE header tanks, cylinder and old pipe work.

[andrewtheface]

dont and i mean dont what ever you do the except the quote you will be paying almost three times the normal rate i sub contract for them and i see how much they ripp people off. tell me where you live maybe i could help you out.

[greengrass]

Thanks for your replies.
Andrewtheface: Thanks for the offer but we have shelved the change at the moment until we set aside some more funds as we had to dig in to that reseved for boiler change. Oh! nearly forgot We live in Worthing West *******.
Greengrass

[jogger321]

British Gas "The Gas Board" up to their old tricks..Yes its an old boiler but spares are readily available..Lets face it they want to flog you a new boiler..Ditch them and find an honest independent Corgi guy to service your boiler..

Link deleted no external advertising allowed.

[jogger321]

Sorry I obviously broke the rules and didn't realise it wasn't allowed to point anyone in the direction of a supplier.. (of which i have no commercial interest in)

All I can add the to the above (and I hope this is ok)...British Gas are incorrect. Spares are easily available for your boiler in spite of it being old. It took me all of two minutes using a search to find a supplier that lists on their site a comprehensive listing of spare parts available for your boiler. I wish I could tell you their name but obviously have to follow the rules of this sites owner..

[greengrass]

Sorry its late had problems with this computer [if it don't rain it pours]

Many thanks to all repliers.

I thought they might have been pulling a fast one. I suppose its the repairs to the old system they don't like they prefer new that doesn't go wrong for a few yrs so they can build up the cost of cover,round £192 per yr, for service and repairs to system.

Greengrass.

[toneyt]

some of the gas valves for netaheats are obsolete the case seals are dwindling in numbers and the rope seal inside the combustion chamber is asbestos so be wary about these.
great boiler in its day and still going strong i would personally check with the manufacturer about parts as they are only obliged to make parts for up to 10 years after ceasing production and as the first neatheats were made in the late 70's early 80's.
i would research parts online.
is it mark 1 or mark 2?

[adamwalker]

Its the fact that old boilers such as these contain asbestos that British Gas engineers want to get see the back of them! Also they can be dangerous due to their positive internal pressure and they are relatively costly to run due to their poor effeciency rating. Do yourself and the gas engineer a favour and scrap it.

[Perry525]

The Americans have a saying. "If it ain't broke don't fix it."
It was one of the best ever made! There are still plenty of them working
today, some are 25 years old. That cast iron heat exchanger is a great detail. The makers claimed 80% efficiency!
It will probably go on for years. There are still plenty of spares about, so why not hang on until it can't be fixed.
Lets look at the options. You can put the money in a high interest account and make more interest each year than, the value of the gas you might save with a new boiler.
You can think about the so called higher efficiency of a modern boiler and the money you may save on burning less gas each year.
But, hang on a moment! These higher efficiencies only apply in the period before your home warms up, there needs to be a difference in water temperature of 20 degrees between the hot water coming out of the boiler and the cooler water going in, before your can reach these highs.
Another thing, these claimed higher efficiencies, these are not ascertained by careful testing, they are merely an estimation of what may happen.

[GeckoGas]

I have to jump onto this thread and would like to say that I am ex British Gas of 4 years freedom and would like to add that British Gas is very intent on selling appliances; with rewards for engineers that increase in value with the more they sell (Engineers earn by just getting a salesman in the door).

The NetaHeat's are great little boilers; however; they have a few issues such are their positive pressure nature and their corroding backplates (Which as also obsolete)...

I would like to ask you think about this logically now....

a) Has your appliance been serviced every year since day 1?
b) Has your appliance been break-down free down in the last 12 months?
c) Has your appliance been leak-free in the past 4 years?
d) When serviced; has your appliance been properly cleaned?
e) Was your last CO ratio on your last service under 0.003?

If yes to all the above - Then I would probably say; re-assess the situation next year.

If you answered no to any of them; then think about the fact that winter is only 4 months away (If that), so can you afford to be without a boiler for a few weeks during this period should it breakdown and become redundant and you need a new one fitted?







My policy these days is to advise when an appliance starts to look tired; not on it's age - But it's general condition; if an appliance is in good condition - Why change it?

However; if it's in a bad way... Why risk it and be without heat?


Best of luck with the decision.