Boiler insurance - should I / should I not?

[Matt_C]

Shortly after I moved into my house (about 4.5 years ago) I had a problem with the boiler (Potterton combi) where it would trip out the RCD when I used the shower. Called Potterton, on advice, and they sent someone out to fix it at a cost of £300 (where you pay £300 if the part is £6, or £600 type thing) and it turned out the be a drip inside the boiler, that only showed up when it was at full pressure using the shower that kept shorting out a PCB inside or something to that effect. Anyway, it got fixed, and I was given a years cover by DGS (Domestic & General Services)

I've still got that cover, as I get a renewal come through about this time every year and I just let it roll over as it's been about £15 a month. Just got it today and it's £19 a month now (£225 for the year), and am just wondering if it's worth having? I know it's all to easy to say "I've have no probs with the boiler since" and no one can forsee if it's suddenly going to go tits-up, but would I be better off looking elsewhere for boiler cover than £18 p/m? From what I can tell by my renewal notice I get the following;

Cover for boiler, controls and labour charges (I am not covered for system, annual service or scale damage) and for what I am covered for 24hr call out, and upto £1500 costs (or upto £1500 contribution is repair is deemed too expensive or non-cost effective against replacement - although then it goes on to say I am not entitled to any replacement in this plan )

Is there a better plan/option?

 

[Orson]

Our boiler started acting up a few years ago, and so we took out boiler/emergency insurance as a bolt on to our house insurance. We've had them out about 3 or 4 times, and they've replaced various parts, and it hasn't cost us anything.
Our premium, iirc, is around £40 for the year - when we first took it out it was about £25. I don't know who it's with, but will gladly have a look later, but it's worth checking with your buildings/contents insurer.

I should note that our boiler is now 11 years old (which was no problem to the insurer), and the only stipulation is that we have to have it serviced annually - this is independent though, and you can use whoever you want, it isn't arranged by the insurance. And having said that, the last couple of times they've been out, they never even asked to see the certificate.

 

[Matt_C]

That makes £225 p/y seem a bit ott!!!!

 

[Sparky83]

I had to visit my parents yesterday as there electrics kept tripping, it turned out to be the boiler circuit that was causing it.

After a lot of messing around i found it was the actuator for the valve that was causing the issue, looked in screwfix book as it was all i had to hand, £99 for a 3port Honeywell valve replacement.

Luckily i managed to find a tool station catalogue and found they sold a replacement for just the actuator part, saved draining the system down and replacing the valve, also saved me £70 as it was £30. Bargin!

My mum and dad moved into this house when i was 1, I'm 28 now and the boiler is original, yes the odd component has been replaced here and there but the old girls doing well for 27yrs old. Same programmer, same room thermostat, same cylinder stat.

Looking at the prices of the valves etc i personally think its worth having the cover, especially if your not ok with doing a bit of DIY repairs yourself. Luckily i worked as a spark for British Gas for a bit installing the wiring for heating systems.

 

[Matt_C]

Well, binned of D&G today and took out cover with British Gas, after coming downstairs to flick the heating on and finding the Low Pressure Light lit on the boiler, and the pressure at less than 1bar (probably about .5). Was working fine last night

Anyway, figured out how to refill and up the pressure to 1.5Bar - which I did a couple times after bleeding rads - but still no avail - low pressure light still on, and boiler won't fire to run hot water or c.heating

Rang around, and even tho I work for the AA, I can't get a "staff favour" to get a heating engineer out to take a quick look at it without paying £195 call out and sign into a contract!!! BG said if I sign into a boiler and c.heating cover policy (£20 p/m) they will get someone out this afternoon to (hopefully) sort it, cost of £99 for the call out - they do do a £79 one-off callout without taking a cover contract, but those guys surprisingly don't work Sundays :rollseyes: Oh well, here's hoping that BG come out quickly, identify, and solve the problem, and that the £20 cover contract is better than the £17 a month D&G insurance - at least BG will be available 7 days a week, whereas Heateam (from D&G) don't work weekends

 

[Deleted member 51156]

Well, binned of D&G today and took out cover with British Gas, after coming downstairs to flick the heating on and finding the Low Pressure Light lit on the boiler, and the pressure at less than 1bar (probably about .5). Was working fine last night

Anyway, figured out how to refill and up the pressure to 1.5Bar - which I did a couple times after bleeding rads - but still no avail - low pressure light still on, and boiler won't fire to run hot water or c.heating

Rang around, and even tho I work for the AA, I can't get a "staff favour" to get a heating engineer out to take a quick look at it without paying £195 call out and sign into a contract!!! BG said if I sign into a boiler and c.heating cover policy (£20 p/m) they will get someone out this afternoon to (hopefully) sort it, cost of £99 for the call out - they do do a £79 one-off callout without taking a cover contract, but those guys surprisingly don't work Sundays :rollseyes: Oh well, here's hoping that BG come out quickly, identify, and solve the problem, and that the £20 cover contract is better than the £17 a month D&G insurance - at least BG will be available 7 days a week, whereas Heateam (from D&G) don't work weekends

You tried turning the power on and off,and or a reset...

 

[Matt_C]

Yep - reset button seems to do nothing, and even had the entire RDC panel shut to off a couple of times - boiler still shows the red Low Pressure light and won't fire a flame for water or c.heating


 

[Berties]

Someone from work just had a faulty boiler, cost £240. About 7 years old. £200 call out? Hers was £50.

 

[Matt_C]

Really useful post Berties, thank you