Which combi boliler shud I buy? Baxi? Worcester?

Beckymarshall07

Help! Utterly confused!
Looking to buy new combi boiler for 3 bed semi. One plumber has said to use a baxi but when I mentioned this to a different plumber he advised against Baxi and mentioned using a worcester. He also mentioned another make beginning with R but cant remember which one.

The baxi boiler with the quote I've had would be guaranteed for 2 years. The guy who would fit the other boiler beginning with R said he would guarantee it for 5 years for parts and labour. Both plumbers are corgi registered etc.

Any suggestions?!

Yorkshire_Bred

I would look at the energy efficiency and price of any boiler that is recommended and decide from there. this is opposed to how much discount a plumber may receive on a particular make he installs i.e £400-£700 cheaper than he will charge you!



You can look here at the ratings.....http://www.sedbuk.com/

Beckymarshall07

Thanks for that - I have considered efficiency but here isnt that much difference in what I'd save in 5 years in gas bills with an efficiency B bolier versus an A

roses

I think Worcester are supposedly the Rolls Royce of boilers - I am having one fitted next month!

Are you getting a combi boiler or a standard boiler with hot water tank? If you are getting a standard boiler, Vaillant are supposed to be good.

Also when I got quotes, I called up about five people from the Corgi website. Quotes ranged from £3,500 - £7,500 for a new boiler fitted in a new location so make sure you get a few quotes before picking a plumber!

andrew-b

Another one to consider is Vaillant - whether a combi or not (we have a standard Vaillant and no probs in 2 years). I think both the vaillant and worcester-bosch have longer guarantee than 2 years now but for years after the first year you must have an annual service. For the full guarantee i believe you also have to have an approved engineer install it. Vaillants and WBs seem to get generally better reviews than Baxis. Most heating engineers seem to favour one over another though - i wouldn't get an engineer to fit a boiler they have little experience of.

Try to get at least 3 like-for-like quotes and make sure whatever one you go with you get a quote in writing before work commences. By all means get a quote from British Gas but from my experience it was a waste of time - especially the marketing guy they sent me who spent more time in my bathroom and sorting out his printer than anything! Be wary of any British Gas offers - they aren't as good value as they may seem - i'm always being bombarded with them through the post just because i asked for a quote a couple of years back!

Andy

travel_freak

Hi,

We had several quotes for different boilers and there didn't seem to be much price difference between the Baxi, Worcester and Vaillant.

We opted for the Vaillant and so far it has been great. It's fairly quiet - the Corgi plumber who put it in said he always uses Vaillant and they're very reliable. He said that when he put a new one in his own house he went for something else based on price and has regretted it ever since as he says the Vaillant is also much quieter in operation.

We went for the Ecotec 31 which comes with a 2 year guarantee. You can get a digital clock/timer with it which has a large range of settings so you can set the heating differently for each weekday/weekend which is quite handy.

The only advantage I think is with a Baxi Platinum as this comes with a standard five year parts and labour guarantee which apparently is the longest guarantee available on the market and you must have it serviced annually to keep the validity of the guarantee. Even with this most of the plumbers I had were still recommending Vaillant more than the Baxi.

Good luck!

But with the Vaillant when you call them to register the guarantee they offer you a third year's cover for around £150 (from memory). We chose to take a chance and not take this (hope we don't live to regret this decision!)....

Canucklehead

Beckymarshall07 wrote: »

Help! Utterly confused!
Looking to buy new combi boiler for 3 bed semi. One plumber has said to use a baxi but when I mentioned this to a different plumber he advised against Baxi and mentioned using a worcester. He also mentioned another make beginning with R but cant remember which one.

The baxi boiler with the quote I've had would be guaranteed for 2 years. The guy who would fit the other boiler beginning with R said he would guarantee it for 5 years for parts and labour. Both plumbers are corgi registered etc.

Any suggestions?!

Good afternoon: Remeha Avanta perhaps? 5 years parts/labour warranty, Dutch company, becoming more popular with installers (small, light combis). Another alternative is Viessmann (again 5 year P&L if installed by a Viessmann trained engineer and serviced annually, German company). Vaillant's standard warranty on the Ecotec Plus range is 2 years with 1 Year on the Ecotec Pro. Most importantly, your RGI should install to manufacturer's specs and 'Best Practice' as detailed in this guide from the Energy Saving Trust. Ensure your RGI checks gas rate as well as mains flow/pressure before specifying a combi.
The OH installs Vaillant and Viessmann but would consider the Remeha as an alternative.

HTH

Canucklehead

looby-loo_2

Worcester without a doubt.

Beckymarshall07

Thanks for replies. I think it was the remeha the plumber recommended but I will discuss options when I see him tuesday - thanks for the prompt! One quote I've had is 3750 for baxi combi put in loft with 8 new radiators etc etc. The other plumber who is coming out tues has recommnded worcester/remeha combi and same work doing estimated at 2.8k-3.2k. Not sure if this is reasonable?

looby-loo_2

Beckymarshall07 wrote: »

Thanks for replies. I think it was the remeha the plumber recommended but I will discuss options when I see him tuesday - thanks for the prompt! One quote I've had is 3750 for baxi combi put in loft with 8 new radiators etc etc. The other plumber who is coming out tues has recommnded worcester/remeha combi and same work doing estimated at 2.8k-3.2k. Not sure if this is reasonable?

I waste a hugh amount off gas heating water which sits in the pipes between the loft and the kitchen

Canucklehead

Beckymarshall07 wrote: »

Thanks for replies. I think it was the remeha the plumber recommended but I will discuss options when I see him tuesday - thanks for the prompt! One quote I've had is 3750 for baxi combi put in loft with 8 new radiators etc etc. The other plumber who is coming out tues has recommnded worcester/remeha combi and same work doing estimated at 2.8k-3.2k. Not sure if this is reasonable?

Good evening: Whether the price is reasonable would depend on the specification of the installation eg. follows 'Best Practice', model of boiler as well as where you live in the UK. As a matter of course the OH would powerflush the system, use Drayton trvs, lag (insulate) pipework, use copper pipe, fit a 'Boiler Buddy' as well as a scale inhibitor if you are in a hard water area and fit a programmabe roomstat. He avoids boilers with aluminium heat exchangers as he prefers stainless steel.

As always, a boiler is only as good as its installation and annual servicing.


HTH

Canucklehead