New boiler advice

dom272

Hi,

We want to upgrade our old potterton flamingo to a combi to save space in our small bungalow by removing the hot water tank (and maybe get an extra kitchen cupboard by putting new combi in loft).

Is the loft a good idea?

Also, why do different plumbers recommend different boilers? The general feeling is Vaillant, worcester-Bosch are best but of thetwo quotes I've had so far they both poo poo'd those as over expensive products riding popular reputations (like merc,bmw,audi that actually don't do well in reliability surveys eg j d power) and one recommended ideal the other alpha.

What I'm wondering is if these recommendations are genuine or just that they are somehow "sponsored" to recommend those manufacturers and so their opinions are biased in some way?

Many thanks for any advice!
Dom.

Pincher

dom272 wrote: »

Is the loft a good idea?

The engineer just wants it easily accessible.
Above the bedroom: noise.
Leak from above.
I consider it a last resort option.

dom272 wrote: »

Also, why do different plumbers recommend different boilers?

Vaillant and Worcester-Bosch are safe options, with lots of engineers that have experience, and plenty of spare parts. A FORD, if you will.

Check out Intergas combis, if you are a Saab person.
Yes, I know, Saab folded.

GAP-p+h

I think the opposite, having the boiler in the loft keeps it out of the way and will probably be controlled wirelessly, the new boilers are almost silent now so you'll never notice it's there.

Worcester are the boiler I remove most often, yes there's always spares but it doesn't take many repairs to equal the cost of a new boiler, it's the British gas marketing that sells so many worcester Bosch boilers. Valliant are a good boiler but have a look at Glow Worm, made at the same place but quite a lot cheaper.

wizzards

Worcester Bosch you can get a parts and labour 7 year warranty if you go for one of their accredited boiler installers. Ideally not British Gas ! who seem to be expensive.

Valliant are really good boilers but try finding a service agent. Worcester Bosch seems to have good backup for service and parts. With Combi boilers they need regular servicing due to complexity. Also you get the efficiency of a modern condensing boiler which should reduce your gas bill.

dom272

Thanks for all advice so far! I can see plenty of vaillant engineers near me (searched from their website) so does that allay concerns about their after care? In my research I read one post that recommends just getting the cheapest boiler with 5yr parts n labour warranty and then just replace rather than repair so you get a whole new boiler rather than an old worn one with one new part. Probably not very eco but unless you are wealthy enough to afford to think of the planet it never adds up economically to get the better/more eco makes of anything (eg boiler, white goods, car whatever) as the relatively tiny savings in gas/electric/water whatever take so long to repay the higher initial cost and higher parts and service costs etc of "premium" brands.....That is if you can even trust if they are "premium" any more which seems to be becoming ever more doubtful!


So my current temptation is just to get cheapest combi (about £600?) save £100/yr by not servicing it. Then just install same again (for low installation costs) when it goes pop in 5years (or more if it lasts longer).

Does this seem like a decent plan?

natbags

just got the alpha (and put it in the loft!) Had nothing but problems with it in just 6 months - my advice is to steer clear of Alpha

Pincher

This one is doing a 7 year warranty.

http://www.plumbnation.co.uk/site/vaillant-ecotec-plus-831-combi-boiler-lpg/

There were loads of five year warranties on other brands, but seem to have been withdrawn for now. Promotion during low seasons, presumably.

You could go for another Potterton, their support net work is called Heat Team, and is very good. No five year warranty currently, though.

dom272

I still fancy vaillant as seems to be the only one with a stainless steel heat exchanger?

Should I still be concerned about after care? As I said above there seem to be lots of "Vaillant Advance" installers/engineers near me on their website?....or is that a different thing?

Thanks again!

daveyjp

My RGI only fits Vaillant.

In his experience aftercare isn't an issue until at least five years old, but that does rely on it being fitted properly. He also rates their after care service. If he can show them the boilers have been regularly serviced the company will undertake repairs under warranty even outside the warranty period. Glow worm now offer warranties up to 15 years on some boilers, which may explain the Vaillant approach to out of time warranty work.

He wouldn't advise the loft as despite being 'fit and forget' it can be handy to adjust the water temperature settings and regular checks of the boiler pressure is good practice as changes can be the first sign of a problem developing.

Pincher

daveyjp wrote: »

Glow worm now offer warranties up to 15 years on some boilers, which may explain the Vaillant approach to out of time warranty work.

Very interesting.


*Glow-worm’s Club Energy installers can offer up to 15 years of warranty. To register to become a Club Energy installer click here.






http://www.glow-worm.co.uk/after-sales/warranty-terms-and-conditions/article_sd/t-und-cs-warranty-registration.html

• Your guarantee is provided to you by Vaillant Group UK of Nottingham Road, Belper, Derbyshire, DE56 1JT; should your boiler develop a fault please contact your original installer or alternatively contact Vaillant Group Service on 0870 6060 777.

• To benefit from the 15 year guarantee the boiler must be serviced annually by Vaillant Group Service. The cost of this service is not included in the price of the boiler.




I have a Glow worm Flexicom 30SX, and the two year warranty has already expired. So if I had waited a few years, could have got a 15 year warranty? Bum.

CashStrapped

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I always look at basic requirements first.

How big is the property?
How many people in the property?
How many bathrooms?

Going from (what I assume to be) a gravity fed system to a combi, unless specified correctly, may result in unexpected poor performance for your needs.

Nothing wrong with a combi, but it is not a one size fits all solution.