Discuss Should I change my old Kingfisher Boiler ? in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net

Status
Not open for further replies.
Messages
5
My 3 bed semi uses an acient Potterton Kingfisher which was installed in January 1964 and apart from a new pump, annual services+clean outs and a few PTFE jobs on leaky rad. valves, it's still working faultlessly. And that's after 53 years service ! My question is, should I think about retiring the old girl soon or should I wait till it gives up the ghost ? I have a friend who is on his 3rd new combi since 1999 which doesn't give me a lot of confidence in the new stuff.

Many thanks, Jon.
 
This is where it gets tricky

Your boiler could last another 5-10 years but I could go bang sooner

The main thing that lets your boiler down is getting hold of any main spare parts

You would be better off going for a heat only boiler instead of a combi if your happy with the hot water pressure and amount
 
Sounds like your friend needs a different installer, and maybe needs to put their hand a bit deeper into their pocket to buy a better model. 3 boilers in 18 years suggests he's either buying crap or using rubbish installers (or both) - a decent modern boiler installed properly should easily last 20 years
 
Sounds like your friend needs a different installer, and maybe needs to put their hand a bit deeper into their pocket to buy a better model. 3 boilers in 18 years suggests he's either buying crap or using rubbish installers (or both) - a decent modern boiler installed properly should easily last 20 years

Nope wrong standard combi isn't lasting more that 15 years on average it's 12 years
 
Nope wrong standard combi isn't lasting more that 15 years on average it's 12 years
Which means his friend has had half the life expectancy you suggest, so I still say his boilers aren't lasting as long as they should, even if we disagree over how long they should actually last. I can think of lots of combis I look after that are more than 15 years old and still going strong though
 
Which means his friend has had half the life expectancy you suggest, so I still say his boilers aren't lasting as long as they should, even if we disagree over how long they should actually last. I can think of lots of combis I look after that are more than 15 years old and still going strong though

Yea but the newer ones in the last 10 years don't last that long

The older ones say 15+ will as they were bulletproof

Manufacturers need / make things fail after 10 + years as it's repeate business
 
I would plan to replace it in the next year or two rarther than being forced into it and doing half a job when it fails all your radiators will need changing ,cylinder swapped ,contols pump and valves ect when you do upgrade do the lot . cheers kop
 
Couldn’t agree more,customer gets new boiler with 15-20 year old system/controls left on,boiler breaks down year or two later an instantly the newer boiler gets the blame.
 
Turbomaxes and suprimas I find are always going strong and need little maintenance.

You need to also consider the efficiency, yours is I think around 65% as opposed to the new condensing boilers being around 91%
 
This is where it gets tricky

Your boiler could last another 5-10 years but I could go bang sooner

The main thing that lets your boiler down is getting hold of any main spare parts

You would be better off going for a heat only boiler instead of a combi if your happy with the hot water pressure and amount
 
Many thanks . I'll start looking around for a replacement heat only boiler and hope the Kingfisher will last me a few more years. You must agree though, that if it ain't broke ...?
 
Good Boiler.
It may last a bit yet but......!

If I were you, I would start looking into the change sooner rather than later. You will most likely find that there is more to it than a Boiler change. A lot more!

Do you know if the heating system is a one or two pipe system?
Are the rads and cylinder the same age as the Boiler?
 
Good Boiler.
It may last a bit yet but....!

If I were you, I would start looking into the change sooner rather than later. You will most likely find that there is more to it than a Boiler change. A lot more!

Do you know if the heating system is a one or two pipe system?
Are the rads and cylinder the same age as the Boiler?
Hi and thanks for the reply. Its a two pipe system and the rads and cylinder are all the same age. I replaced all valves , flushed the rads, and rebalanced the system over the past couple of years. But point taken....it's time to start looking for a replacement boiler and rads. Could you recommend a make/model ?
 
Hi and thanks for the reply. Its a two pipe system and the rads and cylinder are all the same age. I replaced all valves , flushed the rads, and rebalanced the system over the past couple of years. But point taken....it's time to start looking for a replacement boiler and rads. Could you recommend a make/model ?


My personal choice is Vaillant. I think they are very good quality and I find the after sales service good too.
If you are replacing the cylinder and your water main is up to the job, I would recommend an unvented Vaillant cylinder with Either a Vaillant system Boiler or Vaillant regular Boiler.

I think it best to get a Heating Engineer round to look things over and advise you properly. They will check things like your water pressure and flow rate.
 
My personal choice is Vaillant. I think they are very good quality and I find the after sales service good too.
If you are replacing the cylinder and your water main is up to the job, I would recommend an unvented Vaillant cylinder with Either a Vaillant system Boiler or Vaillant regular Boiler.

I think it best to get a Heating Engineer round to look things over and advise you properly. They will check things like your water pressure and flow rate.
A Valliant it is then, fly the flag and all that ! Many thanks for all your help and advice. Jon
 
I still run a 1972 Ideal Mexico which works perfectly.

Many people talk about efficiency, but few understand the quoted numbers are rarer than hens teeth in real customers homes. In addition, as already indicated, newer boilers DO NOT LAST.

This ultimately means, by the time you take into account the materials and energy to make 'em, you end up harming the environment by upgrading to new without a real driving reason.

Ducks down behind his parapet...:mad::mad::mad:
 
Sory to disappoint you, Dave, but I agree with you to a point. My boiler supposedly has a SAP of 78%. But my gas bills are £300-400 per year. So, a new boiler, even if it actually reduced my bills by a third, would save me only £100-133.33 per year. At that rate, my new boiler installation would have to cost less than £1800 and last 15 years just to break even. (Depends on inflation and the price of fuel and if I'm still here in 15 years blablabla.)
Environmentally, it might be worth doing, but there are still energy-efficiency measures that I could spend that £1800 on, which might have greater impact.
Going back to the OP, I suppose the boiler may not last many more years, though I suppose it depends what sort of life and usage it has had, but it would also depend on how much gas the OP is using with the current setup, and how big a deal it would be if the boiler broke midwinter and couldn't be repaired.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Reply to Should I change my old Kingfisher Boiler ? in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net

Creating content since 2001. Untold Media.
Back
Top