Which Combi??

srcandas

diywhynot wrote: »

By all means, educate yourself, but don't be reliant on receiving advice from anonymous parties on an internet forum and people need to be cautious, especially trades in this forum (or those who purport to be), about giving advice.

Yes very true but in defense of this place anonymous parties here are no worse than shops, visiting tradesman, false references, those connected with distributors, etc.

Published books that are respected by many are perhaps the best source but of course suffer by being out of date.

At the end of the day you have to cross reference. The good thing about anonymous sources here is that in many cases you can see a history going back years, you can see how they respond to cross questioning, you can often cross reference them in other forums, and you can communicate by pm.

This place is a long way from the worst place to get information. But yes point taken that you need to cross validate :beer:

daletheplumber

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Another digression but i would question the efficiency of combis. What efficiency are we talking about? Are we talking about overall efficiency? In general and in the public and market place,the two words efficiency and combi have become synonymous. But in my view when I think efficiency I think combustion efficiency i.e that all modern combis contain a forced draught burner which burns as close to stoichiometric as is possible allowing for a safety margin and that as much latent heat is recovered as possible before the products of combustion are exhausted from the flue.

Now there is a world of difference between saying combustion is efficient and combis are efficient.

I would champion and celebrate the advances in burner and combustion technology which now exist in domestic appliances but i would not extend that to say that combis are efficient.

I would maintain that for most households save for the smallest,the best option is a condensing conventional boiler with a forced draught burner as described above,preferably coupled to a modern efficient unvented storage vessel whos volume is optimized for the typical demand of the household.
All pipework to be insulated and the storage vessel to be sited within the living space so that the minimal heat losses are kept within the system.

Are you a lawyer??
My advice would be keep it simple!! Too much information..
If the gas bill is lower using a HE boiler then there's no point in filling your head with jargon.
I got lost halfway through that piece of advice & I've been a registered gas fitter for 20 plus years..
Combination boilers are more efficient in smaller property's and offer space saving.
The most inefficient system is a conventional boiler, purely because your storing water mostly when not required with only a slice of 'foam' lagging it..
System boilers are way out in front, especially if used with a twin coil unvented cylinder and solar panels..
Add a weather compensator and its the best system when using gas..
As long as you've got decent pressure at the cold water main..

daletheplumber

Vaillant Ecotec plus all the way...
Wouldn't fit a Worcester if they paid me and they've tried many incentives..
I repair boilers day in day out with two other guys working for me and we get called to Worcester's more than any other boiler..
Alpha's a close second.
It's funny if I quote a boiler install the customer nearly always mentions Bosch..
They've got a good marketing department but that's about it..

Ruski

daletheplumber wrote: »

Vaillant Ecotec plus all the way...
Wouldn't fit a Worcester if they paid me and they've tried many incentives..
I repair boilers day in day out with two other guys working for me and we get called to Worcester's more than any other boiler..
Alpha's a close second.
It's funny if I quote a boiler install the customer nearly always mentions Bosch..
They've got a good marketing department but that's about it..

Alphas are a close second what??

daveyjp

Worcester Bosch are well known as British Gas will always specify a Worcester. Getting them to give a quote on anything else results in many reasons why the alternative may not be suitable.

I can only assume Worcester give high commission to BG.

diywhynot

daveyjp wrote: »

Worcester Bosch are well known as British Gas will always specify a Worcester. Getting them to give a quote on anything else results in many reasons why the alternative may not be suitable.

I can only assume Worcester give high commission to BG.

BG has very favourable terms with WB.;)

devondoll

Could someone help me please? Just about to ditch an unreliable Alpha Boiler & have received quotes for a glowworm flexicom 30cx and also a Worcester Bosch greenstar 25si. Price wise not much in it, so really want a reliable boiler - what to choose - or should I try other makes? If so what should I go for. Want one installed in next couple of weeks as fed up with this unreliable one! Many thanks in advance for any advice.

Leif

devondoll wrote: »

Could someone help me please? Just about to ditch an unreliable Alpha Boiler & have received quotes for a glowworm flexicom 30cx and also a Worcester Bosch greenstar 25si. Price wise not much in it, so really want a reliable boiler - what to choose - or should I try other makes? If so what should I go for. Want one installed in next couple of weeks as fed up with this unreliable one! Many thanks in advance for any advice.

You really should start your own thread. However, from reading forums I came to the conclusion that the big names include WB, Vaillant and Viessmann. Makes such as Ideal are a step down. Oddly you find gas installers all seem to disagree on which is best/worst. It seems to come down to the brand they know or the one what gives them a bonus if they sell above a given number. Lots of people I know had WB, so I chose a WB. I got mine just before they extended the warranty to 5 years. That does suggest that WB are confidant.

Here is a link which contradicts the idea that WB are unreliable:

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-1686785/How-to-find-the-best-new-boiler-for-you.html

The above suggests Vaillant was the most reliable a few years ago among the kind of people who do Which surveys.

helpful07

In the house I have just sold, I had a Valliant ecotech put in about 4 years ago and it was excellent for me....very reliable! Only stopped once when the pipes got frozen (-14) I have been quoted for a Worcester in the next house but am tempted to stick with what I know....

C_Mababejive

diywhynot wrote: »

BG has very favourable terms with WB.;)

Indeed...They even sell rebadged Worcester boilers as British Gas boilers.. I wonder if there is any structural difference or just a badge change?