New Boiler Installation & Replacement

Why consider a new boiler?

A boiler that keeps letting you down costs you in call-outs, cold evenings and worry. A suitable modern boiler can put that right.

• Reliable heating and hot water. No more waiting to see whether it fires up on a cold morning.
• Sized for your home. A boiler matched to your heating and hot water, not one that struggles or wastes gas switching on and off.
• Potentially lower running costs. Modern condensing boilers waste less heat than older non-condensing models. How much you save depends on your home and how you use it, so no figure is promised.
• Better controls. A new boiler is a good moment to add a programmable or smart thermostat, so the heating runs when you need it.

Combi, system or regular?

There are three main kinds of gas boiler. Which one suits your home depends on what you have now, how many bathrooms you use at once and your water supply. The home survey confirms it.

Combi boiler

Heats your radiators, and heats hot water straight from the mains when you turn on a tap. Often suits: homes with one bathroom, or where hot water is rarely used in two places at once.

System boiler

Heats your radiators and a hot water cylinder, with the pump and expansion vessel built into the boiler. Often suits: homes with more than one bathroom, where hot water is often used in two places at once.

Regular (heat-only) boiler

Works with a hot water cylinder and two tanks in the loft: one for cold water, one that keeps the heating topped up. Often suits: older homes that already have this set-up, especially where mains pressure is low.

BoilerWell fits mains gas boilers of all three kinds. The survey confirms which suits your home, and the quote explains why.

Signs it’s time for a new boiler

Repair it if the fault is simple and the boiler is otherwise sound. Replacement starts to make sense when the faults keep coming back.

• It keeps breaking down. Repeated call-outs and repairs add up quickly.
• Parts are hard to get. Older boilers can become difficult to repair once their parts are no longer made.
• It’s an older, non-condensing boiler. Modern condensing boilers recover heat that older non-condensing boilers send out of the flue.
• It’s been classed as unsafe. A boiler an engineer has turned off as unsafe must stay off until it is repaired or replaced.

You’ll get a straight answer either way, including when a repair makes more sense than a new boiler. See boiler repairs.

Can your boiler be replaced with a combi?

Often, yes, but it depends on your water supply and how your home uses hot water.

• Water flow and pressure. A combi heats water straight from the mains, so the flow rate and pressure coming into your home decide how well your showers and taps perform. The survey measures them rather than guessing.
• Hot water at the same time. A combi shares its hot water between taps, so two showers at once can both run weaker.
• What you have now. If you have a system or regular boiler with a cylinder and loft tanks, changing to a combi means removing them. Sometimes a cylinder-based set-up still suits the home better, and the survey will say so.

How much does a new boiler cost?

It depends on your home and the job, so the price comes after a survey rather than from a form. These are the things that make the difference:

• Whether it's a like-for-like combi swap, or a change from a system or regular boiler
• Whether the boiler stays in the same place or moves
• The boiler model and output your home needs
• Whether the new flue can follow the existing route or needs a new one
• The size of your gas supply pipe, and whether it needs upgrading
• The condition of your heating system, and how much cleaning it needs
• Your heating controls, and extras such as a filter or a new thermostat

Why a survey comes first

• Your mains water pressure and flow rate
• How many bathrooms and showers you use, and when
• Your current boiler, cylinder, tanks and controls
• Where the flue can go, so it meets the regulations
• The size of your gas supply pipe
• Where the condensate pipe can drain
• The condition of your heating system, and whether it needs cleaning first