COMBI or CONDENSING BOILER

iolanthe07

I had a Baxi combi (not condensing) boiler fitted four years ago and it has been nothing but trouble - so much so that I am having it replaced. The engineer said that not all Baxis are bad, just this particular model, but I'm not having another one.I am going back to having a hot water cylinder - OK, it may cost a little more to run, but hot water pressure remains constant. At the moment, with the combi, it takes at least 20 minutes to run a bath even when the boiler is working properly, and if anyone pulls the flush anywhere in the house, or the washing machine takes in water, the thing gives up the ghost completely.

KK21_2

Towards the end of July we received a letter from Warmfront stating that a new contractor would attend on 30th June and asked us to confirm this was OK. My husband did so. The surveyor called as planned again told my father-in-law and myself that everything was ready to go, so we all waited patiently

A few days ago after another 2 ½ weeks waiting without any information my husband called Warmfront again. He was shocked to be told that the application had been cancelled again and yet again no reason was given. The work would have to be re-allocated to a different plumber

My husband wrote off, deciding not to bother trying to phone and get fobbed off again. Previously he phoned and was unable to get to anybody with any authority. We have been awaiting a reply.

Today we receive another letter, ironically from the same plumbing company who came last time, although with a different reference number this time.. Again, they have asked my husband to confirm that next week is OK for their visit. The letter is almost identical to the one they sent about a month ago

We can only assume the team at Warmfront do not realise they are sending the same contractor again.

Unfortunately my father in law’s boiler has now packed in totally, so he has been having a back after filling it up using 3 kettles.

Are we just unlucky ? or is the whole Warmfront system flawed ?

amcluesent

>My father-in-law has had a plumber visit his house to give hime some advice, as part of the WarmFront Scheme. Sadly he has Alzheimer's.<

No wonder you can't rely on trademen these days!

Andy_Hamilton

I used to be the type of person who thought Combi's are the best thing since sliced bread and I was devistated when my 3 bedhouse newbuild had a tank in the cupboard upstairs.
Since living with it i'm really happy now. The tank can hold water hot for atleast 2 days and I have lagged the whole cupboard Mine costs around 30p per day to run and thats for all the hot water in the house. I also have some space for the home brew.:beer:

digimortal_2

when we had a new boiler fitted early this year, we had the same choice to make.. combi or regular.. we could remove the tank and put a combi in the cuboard, or remove old boiler for new..

with cost in mind, and all the pro and cons of each system, we decided to go for a replacement in same location, and not a combi and decide to keep the hot water tank..

we still can have hot water via gas or elec on E7 + if solar technology/price get better in the future, then we still have that option..

we decided on a viessmann vitodens 100 condensing boiler and was installed by a viesmann fitter, it has a stainless steel heat exchange, that has a 10 year warranty, and the rest of the system is covered for 5 years parts and labour etc.. cost with installation was £1200 for everything, chemicals, powerflush, 7day programmer to replace old day timer etc..
http://www.viessmann.co.uk/index.php?content=product&model=Vitodens-100

another thing to remember is that you will need to have thermostatic valves on each radiator which will add cost if you dont have them..

I would also try and get some quotes from independant/self employed corgi boiler fitters.. we had quote from BG that was way ott btw.

1carminestocky

Andy_Hamilton wrote: »

I used to be the type of person who thought Combi's are the best thing since sliced bread and I was devistated when my 3 bedhouse newbuild had a tank in the cupboard upstairs.
Since living with it i'm really happy now. The tank can hold water hot for atleast 2 days and I have lagged the whole cupboard Mine costs around 30p per day to run and thats for all the hot water in the house. I also have some space for the home brew.:beer:

Even with the best lagging, that will be the warmest room in the house! Ours has a large space at the top currently filled with spare clean bedding/towels etc. We are seriously thinking of finding a new space for these and rigging up some sort of clothes drying apparatus. Beats paying for the bloody tumble dryer!

Magentasue

We have a combi, used to have conventional - both condensing. I like having hot water instantly available and not having to heat a whole tank or judge when to turn on and off.

But not having an airing cupboard is a disadvantage. Nowhere to hang damp fleeces/jackets etc when it's raining and no radiators on. Nowhere to put dough to rise. And nowhere to air my ironing!

I do worry about not having back up - if the boiler packs up, it's cold water or kettles.

Sunnyday

We have a back boiler and in the cupboard upstairs we also have a tank and immersion heater as a backup.
If the back boiler should need replacing can we still have one or does it have to be a different type?
I have no idea about boilers as this is the first house we have had that has one.
Thanks
SD

digimortal_2

Sunnyday wrote: »

We have a back boiler and in the cupboard upstairs we also have a tank and immersion heater as a backup.
If the back boiler should need replacing can we still have one or does it have to be a different type?
I have no idea about boilers as this is the first house we have had that has one.
Thanks
SD

i dont think you are allowed any type of back boiler anymore, unless certain requirements/points system allow you.. youll need to contact somebody from corgi and get more info.. http://www.trustcorgi.com/consumers.htmx as my mother is in the same situation..

heres where i read about the point system etc..
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1082535

Cardew

1carminestocky wrote: »

Even with the best lagging, that will be the warmest room in the house! Ours has a large space at the top currently filled with spare clean bedding/towels etc. We are seriously thinking of finding a new space for these and rigging up some sort of clothes drying apparatus. Beats paying for the bloody tumble dryer!

My airing cupboard is large enough for racking to dry clothes on and initially that is what we did.

However we soon stopped as we experienced big problems with mould forming everywhere. The wet and warm conditions(with little ventilation) get spores to multiply quickly.