Repair or replace? Making the call honestly
We repair a lot of boilers that other firms would replace, and we occasionally advise replacement on units the owner hoped to keep. The deciding factors are consistent and worth knowing before you get a quote from anyone.
The four factors that matter
Age against expected service life; the repair cost as a proportion of replacement; whether parts remain available from the manufacturer; and whether the fault is a wear item or a heat exchanger issue. A twelve-year-old boiler needing a heat exchanger is a different conversation from an eight-year-old needing a fan.
Rules of thumb we use
- Repair under roughly a third of replacement cost on a sound boiler: repair
- Heat exchanger failure outside warranty on an older unit: usually replace
- Obsolete parts with no aftermarket equivalent: replace
- Second major fault within twelve months: budget for replacement
Frequently asked
- Will you tell me if repair is the better option?
- Yes, and we do regularly. We'd rather do a fair repair now and the replacement when it's genuinely due.
- Do older boilers really cost much more to run?
- A non-condensing unit is materially less efficient than a modern condensing boiler, but the saving alone rarely justifies replacing a working appliance early.
- Can you give a repair-or-replace opinion in writing?
- Yes — the diagnostic report includes it, so you can weigh it up without pressure.
Get the facts first
A proper diagnostic costs far less than a wrong decision in either direction. We'll put the numbers in writing and leave the call to you.
Related solutions
Core services
Where we cover
Further reading
New Worcester boiler with a 10 year guarantee*
Free no-obligation quotes for installation, servicing & repairs across BA & BS postcodes.