Boiler replacement quotes get compared on the name of the appliance, which is the part that varies least. What actually differs between two quotes is what each one assumes about the flue, the pipework and the size of the thing.
WS Gas Solutions replaces boilers across Leyland. These are the decisions that outlast the installation, and they are all settled before anything is ordered.
Sizing is about the house, not the old boiler
The rating of the outgoing boiler is not a specification. It is a record of a decision somebody made years ago, often generously, and copying it forward preserves the mistake. Proper sizing comes from the property: how much heat it loses, what the radiators can deliver, and how much hot water the household actually draws at once.
Oversizing is the common error and it is invisible. The house heats, nobody complains, and the boiler short cycles its way through components while costing more to run than it should. It is the sort of fault that only ever shows up on the bill.
- Size from heat loss, emitters and hot water demand.
- The old boiler's rating is not a sizing method.
- Oversizing causes cycling, wear and higher running cost.
The flue route shapes the whole job
A flue has to terminate somewhere permitted, clear of openings and boundaries and accessible for inspection. Where that is straightforward, the boiler stays put. Where it is not, the boiler moves, and moving a boiler drags pipework, electrics and making good along with it.
This is the single biggest reason two quotes differ. One has walked the route and priced a relocation; the other has assumed everything stays where it is. Neither is dishonest, but only one of them describes the job you will actually get.
What happens to the system you already have
A new boiler on an unclean system inherits every problem the old one had, and modern appliances are less tolerant of debris. Cleaning the system should therefore be a named line on the quote, with a filter fitted somewhere it can genuinely be reached and serviced afterwards.
WS Gas Solutions covers boiler replacement, boiler repair and central heating work, so the state of the existing pipework and emitters can be assessed as part of the same survey rather than becoming a separate discovery three weeks after the new boiler went on the wall.
- System cleaning named, not assumed.
- Filter fitted where it can actually be serviced.
- Existing emitters and pipework assessed at survey.
Four questions that make quotes comparable
Ask how the size was arrived at, where the flue terminates and whether the boiler moves, what cleaning is included, and how long the property will be without heating and hot water. Four answers, in writing, turn two incomparable documents into a genuine choice.
Ask as well what happens if something is found once the old boiler is off the wall, because in most houses something is. An agreed approach to that is worth more than a marginally lower headline figure.
Related pages
Questions customers ask
Should I just replace like for like?
Only if the original sizing was right, which is worth checking rather than assuming. Sizing should come from the property's heat loss, its radiators and the household's hot water demand, not from the rating of the outgoing appliance.
Why does one quote include moving the boiler?
Usually because the flue cannot terminate compliantly from the existing position. Moving the boiler brings pipework, electrics and making good with it, which is why that quote is higher and more accurate.
Is a system clean really necessary with a new boiler?
Yes on most existing systems. Modern boilers are less tolerant of debris, and an uncleaned system will return the same faults within a season or two. It should appear as a named item you can question.
Size from the house, walk the flue route, name the cleaning, agree the off period. Do those four and the appliance on the invoice becomes the least interesting part of the decision.
WS Gas Solutions replaces boilers across Leyland on that basis. The contact page starts it.
