I need a new boiler

drummer_666

Hi,

Just bought a house, completing Friday and need to replace the boiler asap. It's an old boiler with water tank upstairs. I want a combi boiler and ideally need it replaced within a week or so of getting the keys.

I want something mid range but reliable.

From my research I think one of these is prob the best option:

Baxi Duo-Tech 24 - £706
Worcester Greenstar Junior 24i - £740
Ideal Logic + - £716
Ideal Logic - £618
Vaillant Eco-Tech Pro 24 - £765

I think that the only difference between the Logic and Logic + is that the later has 5 yrs (instead of 2) on the warranty and it has a digital display.

I've read that Ideal had a bad range of boilers but that the Logic is good. Others say, that we won't know for another couple of years how good the Logic actually is.

Vaillant put me off because in 2 houses I've rented the only way to make it so the radiators don't come on at all is to turn the boiler off at the mains (even in summer, regardless of timer of having heating to off). BUT I'm guessing that is faulty installation etc?

Can anyone recommend any other boilers in the same price range and offer any comments on the 5 I have shortlisted?

Also, I think it may be better to get the boiler from the person who installs it. I'm guessing the prices will be similar to the prices I've found online or perhaps cheaper?

And who do I look for to get quotes? How long will the people need to be at my house to do an accurate quote?

Thank you

keystone

Why do you want a combi boiler specifically? They have disadvantages as well as advantages. How many bathrooms does this house have?

As for getting quotes if you know local people get recommendations. Go for the local indies if you can't get recommends. Get three quotes. Listen to them as regards recommended installation for your particular needs.

The answer to your last question is as long as it takes. You are going to commit to four figures worth of your hard earned cash to this part of your project. Its not worth hassling them along just because you have only allowed them a brief time in your busy schedule. Sorry if thats too blunt.

Cheers

drummer_666

I want a combi as they are small and generally efficient. There is a bathroom and a shower room, but will be two people living at the house, 3. There would only be one shower used at a time.

I have sent emails to four people on freeindex that have good reviews as I don't have any personal recommendations, so hopefully they'll get in touch and I'll follow up on three of them to provide quotes

keystone wrote: »

The answer to your last question is as long as it takes. You are going to commit to four figures worth of your hard earned cash to this part of your project. Its not worth hassling them along just because you have only allowed them a brief time in your busy schedule. Sorry if thats too blunt.

Lol - I'm just after a rough time scale, as to know whether I need to book time off work. I.e. it could take half an hour or it could take 2 hours. I have no idea?

Canucklehead

drummer_666 wrote: »

Hi,

Just bought a house, completing Friday and need to replace the boiler asap. It's an old boiler with water tank upstairs. I want a combi boiler and ideally need it replaced within a week or so of getting the keys.

I want something mid range but reliable.

From my research I think one of these is prob the best option:

Baxi Duo-Tech 24 - £706
Worcester Greenstar Junior 24i - £740
Ideal Logic + - £716
Ideal Logic - £618
Vaillant Eco-Tech Pro 24 - £765

I think that the only difference between the Logic and Logic + is that the later has 5 yrs (instead of 2) on the warranty and it has a digital display.

I've read that Ideal had a bad range of boilers but that the Logic is good. Others say, that we won't know for another couple of years how good the Logic actually is.

Vaillant put me off because in 2 houses I've rented the only way to make it so the radiators don't come on at all is to turn the boiler off at the mains (even in summer, regardless of timer of having heating to off). BUT I'm guessing that is faulty installation etc?

Can anyone recommend any other boilers in the same price range and offer any comments on the 5 I have shortlisted?

Also, I think it may be better to get the boiler from the person who installs it. I'm guessing the prices will be similar to the prices I've found online or perhaps cheaper?

And who do I look for to get quotes? How long will the people need to be at my house to do an accurate quote?

Thank you

Hi: none of the above;)....if you want a combi (and a RGI has conducted a site survey, discussed your requirements and determined a combi is feasible) I'd recommend a Vaillant ecoTEC Plus. A Vaillant trained RGI would be able to offer you a 5 year parts & labour warranty.

For advice on what to look for in quotes and more, see here. Try again to find a recommended RGI or alternatively see here.

Let us know how you get on.

P.S. Conversion from a open vented to a sealed system is a labour intensive job...could take 3-4 days dependent on the number of bodies thrown at it, site requirements and the standard of the installation.


Canucklehead

drummer_666

Canucklehead wrote: »

Hi: none of the above;)....if you want a combi (and a RGI has conducted a site survey, discussed your requirements and determined a combi is feasible) I'd recommend a Vaillant ecoTEC Plus. A Vaillant trained RGI would be able to offer you a 5 year parts & labour warranty.

For advice on what to look for in quotes and more, see here. Try again to find a recommended RGI or alternatively see here.

Let us know how you get on.

P.S. Conversion from a open vented to a sealed system is a labour intensive job...could take 3-4 days dependent on the number of bodies thrown at it, site requirements and the standard of the installation.


Canucklehead

Why do you recommend the PLUS over the PRO? What do you get for the extra couple hundred pounds?

I will only be living at the house for 2 or so years and after that I'll be renting it out. So I need something that performs reasonably but more importantly that is reliable.

From the first email response I've got he's taken a guess at £2,200 (have to come around to properly quote) base on fitting a Baxi duo 28, inc flushing rads and supplying gas pipe. He said it'd be £1,000 for fitting it with me providing everything but then he'd have to charge a call out fee if the boiler broke down in the warranty period.

HappyMJ

drummer_666 wrote: »

I want a combi as they are small and generally efficient. There is a bathroom and a shower room, but will be two people living at the house, 3. There would only be one shower used at a time.

I have sent emails to four people on freeindex that have good reviews as I don't have any personal recommendations, so hopefully they'll get in touch and I'll follow up on three of them to provide quotes



Lol - I'm just after a rough time scale, as to know whether I need to book time off work. I.e. it could take half an hour or it could take 2 hours. I have no idea?

Small and generally efficient....no they are not...my standard conventional boiler is a 11.76kW output boiler. It heats the house fine. I have a medium sized 3 bedroom semi detached house. The smallest boiler you have chosen from your list is a 24kW output boiler. Twice the size of mine using double the gas of mine hence the reason for the gas supply pipe to be upgraded and cycling on and off more often. Generally inefficient use of gas I would say.

I would NOT install a combi boiler if you are renting it out. Tenants can be quite demanding when there is no heating or hot water as is their right. With a conventional boiler you can use an immersion heater to heat the water in the cylinder and use electric heating to heat the house whilst waiting for an engineer to replace the parts. You can't get any hot water at all with a combi so you may need to house them in a hotel so they can have a shower if your engineer cannot find a part to replace instantly.

My opinion...yours will differ of course.

unclebulgaria

HappyMJ wrote: »

Small and generally efficient....no they are not...my standard conventional boiler is a 11.76kW output boiler. It heats the house fine. I have a medium sized 3 bedroom semi detached house. The smallest boiler you have chosen from your list is a 24kW output boiler. Twice the size of mine using double the gas of mine hence the reason for the gas supply pipe to be upgraded and cycling on and off more often. Generally inefficient use of gas I would say.

I would NOT install a combi boiler if you are renting it out. Tenants can be quite demanding when there is no heating or hot water as is their right. With a conventional boiler you can use an immersion heater to heat the water in the cylinder and use electric heating to heat the house whilst waiting for an engineer to replace the parts. You can't get any hot water at all with a combi so you may need to house them in a hotel so they can have a shower if your engineer cannot find a part to replace instantly.

My opinion...yours will differ of course.

I know this is your own opinion MJ but I think you're missing the point of a combi a little bit. Combi's double the size of your own wont neccessarily use twice the gas as they're now modulating and only use the gas as required. Using a conventional boiler can be just as wasteful if the water in the hot water cylinder isn't used extensively/fully. I agree that a broken combi can cause possibly more upset if ALL washing facilities rely on it but I personally recommend an electric shower as a back up.

The OP should get a full site survey done by a GSR engineer, he should check the water flow rates and pressure when the taps are not running and when they're open and flowing. After thats been done then come back here and ask which boiler is best as until thats done there's no garuntee a combi will be the best choice anyway. The cheapest route would be to change the existing conventional boiler for another condensing conventional boiler and then when you rent out later there will be less to worry about regarding hot water supply.

gas4you

Mid range boiler for me would be the BROAG Avanta Plus.

Why a 24 though? I would recommend a 28kw if you have >12 ,
L/m cold flow.

drummer_666

hmmm. you have me thinking now

I always planned to get a combi, but now I guess I need to consider a regular boiler. It looks like they cost a hundred or so more in the first place, but unclebulgaria pointed out that the install would be cheaper and they are designed to last longer overall.

When I said combi's are smaller, I meant in physical size - there's no tank etc. Also you get instant hot water, no waiting around. I've had combi's in all of the houses that I have rented over the last 7 years.

The draw backs to the regular boiler is that it will have the water tank, which takes up space in the bathroom.

And you have to wait for the water to heat up to have a shower or a bath. Ok, you can set it as a timer, but me and lodger don't have showers at any set time and if he had to tell the boiler to heat up 1/2 hr before he had a shower he wouldn't be happy. Would electric showers be the get around for this?

thank you for your advice so far. This is my first home that I'll own, so I need all the advice I can get

JonathanA

We had a Vaillant condensing boiler installed in our home 5 yrs ago (not a combi boiler). We bought it based on the reputation Vaillant had, and frankly it has been a huge let down, breaking down annually. At the latest repair, the gas engineer commented he wasnt installing Vaillant any more, but was now fitting Worcester Bosch, as they were, in his opinion, more reliable. Maybe we had a duff one, but I certainly wouldn't have another.

Canucklehead

JonathanA wrote: »

We had a Vaillant condensing boiler installed in our home 5 yrs ago (not a combi boiler). We bought it based on the reputation Vaillant had, and frankly it has been a huge let down, breaking down annually. At the latest repair, the gas engineer commented he wasnt installing Vaillant any more, but was now fitting Worcester Bosch, as they were, in his opinion, more reliable. Maybe we had a duff one, but I certainly wouldn't have another.

Hi: just curious...what faults did you experience with your Vaillant? Which model? Did you have a magnetic filter fit to the system? Was the system given a thorough power or chemical flush prior to installation? Did the installer fill in the Benchmark? Did the boiler have annual servicing according to Vaillant specs?

Just trying to clarify your particular situation.;)

Thanks.


Canucklehead