Oil Boiler leaking from base

[foxyferret]

My mums old oil boiler has leaked out water all over the kitchen floor and flooded it. The water is coming out of the bottom and a neighbour said it could be the "water jacket". He is just a neighbour so he could be wrong, but if it is this, is it possible to repair or would it be too expensive to be worthwhile?

[DTCwordfan]

likely to be the boiler -my mother's went recently - wasn't too bad to replace with a new jacket - about £150 if I remember plus about 2 hours work for the plumber.....and the hassle of the clean-up

[The Builder]

Some boilers are easier (and cheaper) to repair than others Foxy. Either way, you'll need to get someone in for an opinion. Water jackets/heat exchangers can cost several hundred pounds to replace. It just depends on the boiler. Occasionally, a heat exchanger can be welded if it has cracked.

When comparing repair costs to replacing the boiler completely, remember that a modern boiler has the benefit of very much greater efficiency thus lower fuel bills.