Upgrade to Combi Boiler - Best Deal

liseloo79

Hi everyone

We are looking to change our boiler to a combi boiler mainly as we want the space upstairs we would gain from removing the airing cupboard / water tank.

The current boiler works fine and is about 13 yrs old. we live in a 4br detached with 2 bathrooms and don't receive any benefits or tax credits.

I am just wondering if anyone can advise the best (most cost effective) way of doing it and any advice regarding the best boiler to go for.. I have a corgi registered friend who would be willing to fit it but am not sure of there are any better deals out there rather than buying a boiler and the asking someone to come fit it.

TIA
Lisa

matelodave

The worst deal would be via British Gas.


IMO buying the boiler from a wholesaler and getting it fitted by a friend has to be the cheapest way of doing it, especially if the friend can get a trade discount.


Alternatively get some quotes from local plumbers, but then you'll probably pay the mark-ups on the boiler and materials.

ic

Look for accredited installers. My heating engineer offers Worcester boilers with a seven year manufacturer's warranty. Go with somebody who isn't accredited, and you'll only get one or two years warranty.

macman

If your friend is CORGI registered then he isn't legal to do the work. GSR superceded CORGI about five years ago.
On your main point, there is no economic justification for changing a boiler in good working order just to gain some cupboard space, it would take you at least a decade to get back the capital outlay in economy of running. Is your property even suitable for a combi terms of numbers of baths/showers, and water flow rate? This can only be determined by your GSR following a site survey.

r2015

Is your property even suitable for a combi terms of numbers of baths/showers, and water flow rate?

Most likely not from my experience since getting a combi.

If my wife turns on a hot tap downstairs it reduces the hot water flow upstairs, that never happened when we had a HWC.

george1939

r2015 wrote: »

Most likely not from my experience since getting a combi.

If my wife turns on a hot tap downstairs it reduces the hot water flow upstairs, that never happened when we had a HWC.

Worcester Greenstar Highflow 550 CDi Gives hot water flow of 25litres/minute at 35 degrees C and the 440 CDi gives 20 litres/ per minute at 35 degrees C We have the 440 We have two bathrooms and it allows us to have a full bath forever every10 minutes if we so wish. Both come with 5 years guarantee and depending who fits it even more.

Cardew

Upgrade to Combi Boiler

A 'downgrade' would be a more appropriate term IMO!

A 13 year old boiler is unlikely to be a condensing boiler, and a new boiler(either type) will be condensing. This creates extra work for condensate drain and new flue.

As said above a combi does not provide hot water simultaneously to two sources adequately.

If space is the only reason, why not move your hot water tank into the attic/loft?

Cardew

george1939 wrote: »

Worcester Greenstar Highflow 550 CDi Gives hot water flow of 25litres/minute at 35 degrees C and the 440 CDi gives 20 litres/ per minute at 35 degrees C We have the 440 We have two bathrooms and it allows us to have a full bath forever every10 minutes if we so wish. Both come with 5 years guarantee and depending who fits it even more.

You have not included an important point - namely∆T .

Hot water flow rate (litres per minute) 20 @ 35°c ∆T 25 @ 35°c ∆T

This means that if the mains water input temperature is, say, 5c then it will deliver water at 40c.

The problem with a combi comes when someone is having a shower and another HW tap is turned on.

r2015

The problem with a combi comes when someone is having a shower and another HW tap is turned on

Completely agree.

Worcester Greenstar Highflow 550 CDi

Bit overkill for 8 radiators.

vm2pensioner

If the existing boiler is working OK, leave well alone.

Pincher

It's all this LGBT business, so people have to mess with traditional functionalities. Why can't we just have a boiler that does central heating, and a multipoint that does hot water?

I personally prefer instant hot water heaters, aka multipoints.

Once you accept the risk of having gas, and the annual safety check, and you already have a gas cooker, and a gas boiler, having anther gas appliance is not a big leap.

I have this stupid Megaflo cylinder that costs £1,200 with a stuck diaphragm, and a dead plumber who died ( He failed me , no, it was natural causes ) before sorting it out, so now the T&P valve squirts every time it heats up. I Could have got a Rinnai Infiniti 16i, which requires no channel controllers, and less plumbing, and cost only £600 to buy. So I'm not a fan of the cylinder, but that doesn't make me go for combis.

Check out the Atag and the Intergas combis, if you are Bi-curious.