Boiler recommendation

kingfisherblue

WarmFront have been out after I contacted them, as there is a fault on my boiler. The chap who came out has told me that I am eligible for the WarmFront grant. He said that the engineers will come out to see if they can fix the boiler, but as it is almost twelve years old, it is a strong possibility that it will be replaced with a new boiler that is more efficient. This would cost me less in gas payments (about 30%, he told me) and it would also mean that I would have peace of mind. Reliable heating is necessary as I have a disabled child whose breathing is affected by cold air.

Anyway, he has told me that if the engineers decide to replace the boiler (and he thinks they will, in view of its age, intermittent faults, and my son's conditions), I can decide which one to have. Apparantly, there used to be very little choice, but now you can choose more or less any boiler on the market. He also said that some have a two year guarantee rather than a one year guarantee.

Now, I know that Worcester Bosch and Glowworm make boilers. I know that I would prefer A rating for efficiency. I don't really know anything else, though.

Does anybody have any recommendations, please? Or advice on other things to look out for? I'm assuming all boilers have timers these days, and heat water instantly.

Thanks for your help x

C_Mababejive

Worcester Bosch or Vaillant are the front runners. Dont have an Ideal Isar. 12 years old and its finished? Wow,mines 25 years old !

Cardew

Not all boilers heat water instantly, some still heat a hot water tank.

Those that 'instantly' heat water(and have no HW tank) are termed 'Combi' boilers.

If you currently have a Combi, then it will be replaced by a combi. If you have a Hot Water tank it is more complicated to replace with a combi.

You are not likely to save as much as 30% gas by replacing a 12 year old boiler, 15% is probably more realistic.

Almost every boiler manufacturer offers a 2 year guarantee, some 5 years.

Rainbowchild

I work for within a gas repair/maintainance department and we if we need to install a new boiler we go for Vaillant, but I'm not sure about their rating.

Dave_save

Mines a Worcester and I'd certainly recommend that. I've heard good reports about Vaillant, and bad ones about Ideal, but I suppose you hear more bad reports than good about most boilers.

If you go for a combi make sure you can disable the preheat on the DHW, either by the programmer or an 'Eco' button. Some models don't allow this.

A couple of things you need to look out for in any quote is the siting of the flu, what controls they propose to install (room stat and type of programmer), whether they've included for a system flush (modern condensing boilers require a full system flush on commissioning), and whether they will rebalance your system on completion.

Once you've chosen your boiler download the installation instructions from the maker's website and read through them. It does give you some knowledge of what's involved and enables you to challenge the installer on some of the above points.

kingfisherblue

Thanks everyone. I currently have a combi boiler which has been serviced annually.

Dave save, what is DHW? (something Hot water?). I would imagine that the flue would be sited where it is now - it's on an outside wall and the boiler is easily accessible indoors. I don't think that any radiators will be replaced as they are in decent condition, although the WarmFront man said that they might have sludge in and will be checked and (if necessary) cleaned. All of the radiators except the hall have individual thermostats.

I've made a note of your other points about system flushing andd rebalancing - I'll read up on these as I have no idea what they mean! I'll also take your advice about downloading the installation instructions. My FIL is a retired plumber and understands far more than me about boilers, so I'll ask him to go through them with me to ensure I understand them. I didn't ask him for recommendations as he is currently in hospital and also because things will have changes since he retired twenty years ago.

Cardew

DHW = Domestic Hot Water

tctjeremy

Hope this is useful: Which? Top 6 Best Buy boilers:


Brand & model name
Price
Which? Ratings
Score
Brand & model name
Price
Which? Ratings
Score
Glow-Worm
Ultracom 24 hxi
£788.00
Typical price -
what is this?
Efficiency:
Power use:
NOx emissions:
Features:
78%

Grant
Vortex Pro Combi 26
£2,188.00
Typical price -
what is this?
Efficiency:
Power use:
NOx emissions:
Features:
74%

Potterton
Gold C24 HE
£800.00
Typical price -
what is this?
Efficiency:
Power use:
NOx emissions:
Features:
74%

Ferroli
Optimax 25 OV
£626.00
Typical price -
what is this?
Efficiency:
Power use:
NOx emissions:
Features:
72%

Vaillant
ecoTEC plus 831
£1,230.00
Typical price -
what is this?
Efficiency:
Power use:
NOx emissions:
Features:
71%

Vaillant
ecoTEC plus 824
£950.00
Typical price -
what is this?
Efficiency:
Power use:
NOx emissions:
Features:
71%

Tom_Plum

I have found the following site that provides extremely incentivised discounts to the trade and also same day pick up! EnergySmart they also sell all of the brands mentioned above. Good luck

TheSaint_2

Worcester Bosch are probably your best bet.
Ferroli are pretty nasty
Vaillant I have heard bad things about.

I actually have a Viesmann (another German make) not very popular in this county but extremely reliable.
(Brother is a gas fitter).