New Boiler! Is it really that bad?!

moneysavingwannabe

Hi,

We bought a boiler about a year ago. It was recommended by a plumber.

We haven't fitted it yet because of delayed building work but have recently got quotes to fit it and the plumbers have said it is NOT VERY GOOD!!!

It is an Ideal condensing combi boiler model isar HE30.

The plumber said that it will probably break down - he will fit it but not guarantee work cos is cheap and unreliable!!

We have spent around £800 on this and obviously don't want to waste money, but don't want to have it fitted and then have problems!

HELP! Any views appreciated.

thescouselander

I have heard this too. I asked the guy who services our boiler how reliable we should expect our Ideal boiler to be. He said the old style (non condensing) models are very reliable but the new condensing ones break down a lot.

moonrakerz

thescouselander wrote: »

He said the old style (non condensing) models are very reliable but the new condensing ones break down a lot.

I have had exactly the same responses from my plumber and a surveyor - new boilers do seem to be very unreliable and costly to maintain. What you save in fuel consumption you lose in other ways.

moneysavingwannabe

Hi,

Thanks for your replies.

Does anyone else have any bad experiences with them?
Or know anything else about them??

alanobrien

Like everything else there are good and bad makes.
The good ones such as Vaillant and Worcester Bosch do tend to be more expensive to buy up front but imho pay that outlay back in reliability.

Ideal is not one of the best that's for sure then again they are not as expensive as those mentioned above...........but they are better than some which can cost more.

EliteHeat

As far as I am aware it is no better or worse than any other mid range combi boiler.

How could anyone guarantee that your year old boiler will work? what on earth has this got to do with the fitter anyway? I don't understand this point at all.

moneysavingwannabe

Hi,

Thanks for your replies, the plumber suggested we get a
worcester bosch 30si.

He said that they would be easier to service and that the ideal ones were more trouble to service and get anyone to look at them!??

So in your opinions we should just stick with what we have??
It would be alot of hassle (and money) to try and sell it and buy a new one.

How much are the 30si? Am about to research but anyone know without me spending a while googling?

EliteHeat

How can anyone answer your question without some knowledge of your

(a) hot water requirements and
(b) mains pressure and flow rate?

For what its worth a 30kW combi is OK'ish but not blinding by any means. If it were me, I would be thinking in terms of at least a Vaillant 837 or better still, a 937.

But I have no idea of your needs and means. Presumably your plumber has.

moneysavingwannabe

We are in a 3 bed semi with one bathroom, are going to add a downstairs toilet. So don't have lots of en-suites.

We want to run a shower off the combi.
Pressure is sufficient (so plumber says) He explained about flow rate and that 30si would be the minimum he would recommend.

We just want the option of instant hot water as we have a back boiler at the moment which take ages to heat the water and won't work unless we have the heating on too. Plus bills are huge too.

So I take it ideal is not really "ideal" but I think the flow rate is similar to the worcester I'm just concerned after the plumber said it wasn't v.good.

EliteHeat

Aby 30kW combi will produce about 12.2 litres of hot water per minute with the temp raised by 35 degrees. This specification of boiler is appropriate for your home and you will certainly get a decent shower out of it.

FWIW, if it were me and I had the Ideal in a box then I would probably install it rather than try and sell it and get a better one.

If I were starting from a clean sheet then I would install a system boiler and an unvented hot water cylinder with an immersion heater backup.

If I specifically wanted a combi, then I would install a Vaillant every time. The difference in price between a mid-range boiler and a Vaillant is trivial and is definitely worth it.

Mind you, I have just had a product warning letter fom Vaillant about duff seals on specific boilers!

You don't install a new boiler every year, so your peace of mind is probably worth more than the few quid extra that it will cost to swap the Ideal for something else.

So, I don't know what you should do

Canucklehead

EliteHeat wrote: »

If I specifically wanted a combi, then I would install a Vaillant every time. The difference in price between a mid-range boiler and a Vaillant is trivial and is definitely worth it.

Mind you, I have just had a product warning letter fom Vaillant about duff seals on specific boilers!

I posted about the Vaillant issue here http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=5377578&postcount=16

...of course over the lifespan of a boiler there is always a chance that something duff will become evident especially if the original installation was substandard or the boiler hasn't been serviced on a regular basis.


HTH

Canucklehead