Recommend a boiler for 1930's 3 bed semi please

suisidevw

As above guys, we are replacing our back boiler with a new combi boiler? Are any large 'makes' offering extended warranty's at prsent, are there any specific makes to consider or avoid? I'm guessing WB, Vaillant and GlowWorm are all worth considering? Any guide prices for boiler/+fitting?

We have a single bathroom upstairs with bath and electric shower fyi.

Any help/assistance appreciated?

alleycat`

WB are offering 7 years parts and labour on some models if the fitter is certified by them (possibly 10 years on the HEX?)

Vaillant are doing a 5 year parts and labour under the same scheme.

I think the glowworm models are 1 or 2 years at the moment(?)

Viessmann (sp?) are offering some extended warranties as well but i couldn't comment on what they are.

All the above are usually subject to annual servicing by an accredited installer, etc.

I'm not one that actually likes Combis (prefernce is a system boiler) so i'm not really in a position to say which is best.

suisidevw

Thanks for your advice AC.

Can you tell me why you'd prefer a system boiler, and how that compares, not only in terms of performance but also price? Any advice appreciated. My mind is open!

drummer_666

out of experience, I would first check the flow yourself to find out how many litres per min comes out of the mains and the same with upstair.

then this will tell you if a combi boiler will actually work properly in your house in terms of flow

if the flow is good enough you need to make sure that pressure is also good enough.

get a few trades people to check this, but watch them and make sure they actually do this test, because they seem to want to install combi's even if they might not work effectively for your house

alleycat`

suisidevw wrote: »

Thanks for your advice AC.

Can you tell me why you'd prefer a system boiler, and how that compares, not only in terms of performance but also price? Any advice appreciated. My mind is open!

Basically what drummer said above plus the fact i prefer to have a hot water tank / airing cupboard arrangement with the peace of mind that knowing i'm not totally stuffed if somebody at the local "water board" decides to adjust the flow rate down the minimum required at the lowest tap in the house.

The system boiler, because it pre-heats a tank of stored water, isn't subject to the problems combi's have if the water pressure is "poor".

The other advantage, to me anyway, is that because the tank usually has an "immersion" you are not totally stuck for hot water should the boiler go "pop" as the tank can be heated via this electrical backup method (a bit like a giant kettle).

Edit:- I should point out that in normal operation the Immersion is turned off and only used if the boiler is broken so it isn't using power in normal operation.

Arguments against hot water tanks are that they tend to sit unused for periods of time, such that you heat it whether you use it or not, but a correctly lagged/insulated tank will not lose much heat and what is lost goes into the fabric of the house anyway.

This compares to the Combi's "hot water" on demand, which is cheaper "gas usage" wise but is a problem if water flow rate is poor, especially if you want to fill a bath.
To get around this, many Combi's are "over sized" and as such are more expensive to buy negating cost savings.

I'm not totally "anti-combi" but unless you are space poor and have excellent water flow rates i don't consider them the best choice, well not for me anyway.

If my explanation isn't clear (it probably isn't) here are the three most common house setups in picture format:-

http://www.diydata.com/plumbing/boiler-systems/boiler-systems.php

I disagree with some of the written conclusions but the pictures are fairly easy to get your head around.

Edit:- I forgot you asked me about price.

The honest answer is it depends on the existing installation, sighting of the boiler and various other bits to say which is the cheapest up front and which is cheaper over the long haul.

Sorry that is a bit of a cop out answer.

keystone

Choose yourself an RGI by trustworthy recommendation from family and friends. Do not rely on anyone else. Then get him round to view your current system and discuss your requirements before making recommendations. Then you need 3 quotes for exactly the same scope of work for comparison purposes. Do not let yourself be put off or your judgement coloured by someone elses bad experiences although their opinion is perfectly valid.

Cheers

offtheradar

Hi suisidevw

We are in the same position as you but with a 1960's semi. We currently have the original back boiler with a baxi fire plus radiators. We have just had a quote for a combi wb cdi30 (I think that's right). It's a 4 bed with electric shower. We have been quoted just under £5k and it includes 7 radiators plus heated towel rail and seal off back boiler but keep fire working plus removal of water tanks. This is roughly the same pirate as my parents who had their home done last year. We need electrics doing too and are now waiting for a quote to come through on that as well. HTH with a price idea.

Jo

offtheradar

Don't know where the pirate came from lol

alleycat`

keystone wrote: »

Choose yourself an RGI by trustworthy recommendation from family and friends. Do not rely on anyone else. Then get him round to view your current system and discuss your requirements before making recommendations. Then you need 3 quotes for exactly the same scope of work for comparison purposes. Do not let yourself be put off or your judgement coloured by someone elses bad experiences although their opinion is perfectly valid.

Cheers

Don't disagree which is why i said i couldn't be relied up with regards to recommending a combi :-)

Jaynne

I'm in two minds about which boiler type I prefer - on the one hand combis are great in terms of always available instant hot water but the last two places we lived had them and they always seemed to break down. In particular they were very susceptible to being clogged up with dust if you didn't get them serviced every 12 months or sooner.

Our current regular boiler by contrast when its opened to service it has far less components to go wrong and touch wood has been more reliable so far however you can run out of water.

ed110220

I didn't have any experience of non-combi boilers before moving here, and I must say that having the 'older' type system with a hot water cylinder does have some advantages.

You get a useful warm airing cupboard, and as it's in the bedroom it keeps the room a little warmer in winter even when the central heating is off.

The gas engineer who serviced it also said they are much simpler and more reliable.