Hi,I currently have 2 boilers, 1 for the radiators and the other for hot water but my boiler for the radiator keeps drawing air into the system, preventing half of the radiators to work and the boiler is roughly 13 years old. So should I keep both boilers and repair the problem or just buy a combi boiler and get the problem sorted at the same time. Thanks for your help in advance
seems unusual the Worcester guy did not spend somewhat more desirable time on web site and thaw out the condense pipe for you - this is no longer rocket technological awareness - some pictures of warm water from a kettle ought to have executed the pastime with ease how are you going to can blame the installer for the damaging climatic situations ? The person training will say all about checking the condense pipe in chilly climate.
The short answer is: That depends. How efficient are your existing boilers? The typical tank-type gas-fired water heater runs at somewhere between 60 and 65% efficiency and has a service-life of about 10 years. The typical older gas-fired heating boiler runs at about 80% efficiency and has a service-life of between 15 and 40+ years depending on how it is made. Combies may be had at between 85% and 95% efficiency depending on price, and have a service-life of something above 25 years. Then there is the cost of repair. So, if the cost of repair is 15% of the cost of a new system and your system has used up 30% of its service life, then you will save 55% of the replacement cost by doing a repair - yes, it is bad math, but you are looking for a bench-mark to help make a decision. Then you have to determine how much of that savings will be offset by the additional fuel cost. As hot water typically uses less gas than heating, use a 15% savings as a multiplier on your total annual gas bill. That will give you the payback period based on the cost of a new high-efficiency unit.
