Boiler advice

Jman316

Hi all,


Hoping to get some good advice..


My boiler, a Halstead Sime combi is on its last legs. Im not eligible for the boiler grant so will have to scrape together some money for a new boiler!


what boiler would you recommed for a 3 bedroom 2 reception house. Im leaning towards a Worcester 30i but dont really know much about boilers..hope someone can point me in the right direction..

hollie.weimeraner

Try signing up to a Which trial for £1 and that will give you access to their boiler reviews.

I have a 3 bed property and had a Vaillant fitted about 6 years ago. It has been excellent and not missed a beat since installation.

Vaillant aren't at the top of the Which survey for reliability (not far off though) but they are for serviceability and ease of repair if they go wrong.

My brother is a gas engineer and he recommended Vaillant to me when I had it done

System

Which recommend Valliant, and Worcester Bosch as their prime choices.

When I was researching a new boiler last year, I was pointed in the direction of the Intergas Eco RF by a large number of informed people (owners and installers). The boilers are widely used across The Netherlands and have been installed by many UK Councils in their social housing. Why - because they have very few parts and, provided they are installed by a Company trained engineer, they a record of proven reliability and long life.

In the end, I didn't chose Intergas as there were some firmware issues when the boiler was running under Opentherm control. My boiler of choice was Atag. We have since moved home into a new build with a Worcester Bosch boiler. I would have an Atag any day based on build quality and the lack of noise.

Whatever you decide to do, you should use a manufacturer approved installer as they will offer you an extended guarantee.

Jman316

Hengus wrote: »

Which recommend Valliant, and Worcester Bosch as their prime choices.

When I was researching a new boiler last year, I was pointed in the direction of the Intergas Eco RF by a large number of informed people (owners and installers). The boilers are widely used across The Netherlands and have been installed by many UK Councils in their social housing. Why - because they have very few parts and, provided they are installed by a Company trained engineer, they a record of proven reliability and long life.

In the end, I didn't chose Intergas as there were some firmware issues when the boiler was running under Opentherm control. My boiler of choice was Atag. We have since moved home into a new build with a Worcester Bosch boiler. I would have an Atag any day based on build quality and the lack of noise.

Whatever you decide to do, you should use a manufacturer approved installer as they will offer you an extended guarantee.

The Atag boilers seem cheaper than the Worcester and Valiant counterparts too. Thats a bonus in my book...


Are the Atag boilers any good? ive never heard of them to be honest!

Cardew

A plug here for Veissmann boilers which can be had with a 10 year guarantee.


The price of the boiler itself is not normally the major cost factor; it is the fitting.

jk0

I think there's something to be said for getting the 'Ford Cortina' of boilers. (Worcester Bosch).


Anyone can fix them, and there should be spares available for decades.

Jman316

jk0 wrote: »

I think there's something to be said for getting the 'Ford Cortina' of boilers. (Worcester Bosch).


Anyone can fix them, and there should be spares available for decades.

Yep, theres a reason why they have brilliant reputation. Built to last.

System

Jman316 wrote: »

The Atag boilers seem cheaper than the Worcester and Valiant counterparts too. Thats a bonus in my book...


Are the Atag boilers any good? ive never heard of them to be honest!

Atag is another Dutch manufacturer. They have won numerous awards for their boilers within Europe. The 'downside' is that the boiler is on the large side and better suited to, say, a garage than a kitchen. The 'upsides' are that the heat exchanger has a lifetime warranty, and the boiler comes with a 10 year parts and labour guarantee as standard. They are also super quiet compared to my new WB which sounds like an Apollo launch when it first turns on. I would go back to an Atag in a heartbeat. Atag boilers are also opentherm compatible so they work with the latest modulating controls such as Nest 3. Opentherm gives better gas flow modulation and prolongs the life of the boiler. The analogy often used to describe opentherm is traffic lights across a town. Most people tend to accelerate on a green and brake on a red. Under opentherm control, the boiler and controller calculate the total heat demand similar to driving at a steady speed through a town with all the traffic lights on green.

Jman316

Hengus wrote: »

Atag is another Dutch manufacturer. They have won numerous awards for their boilers within Europe. The 'downside' is that the boiler is on the large side and better suited to, say, a garage than a kitchen. The 'upsides' are that the heat exchanger has a lifetime warranty, and the boiler comes with a 10 year parts and labour guarantee as standard. They are also super quiet compared to my new WB which sounds like an Apollo launch when it first turns on. I would go back to an Atag in a heartbeat. Atag boilers are also opentherm compatible so they work with the latest modulating controls such as Nest 3. Opentherm gives better gas flow modulation and prolongs the life of the boiler. The analogy often used to describe opentherm is traffic lights across a town. Most people tend to accelerate on a green and brake on a red. Under opentherm control, the boiler and controller calculate the total heat demand similar to driving at a steady speed through a town with all the traffic lights on green.

im reading that the service and repair side of things lets it down...especially lack of easily attaining parts..and engineers not being too familiar with the Atag systems!

System

Jman316 wrote: »

im reading that the service and repair side of things lets it down...especially lack of easily attaining parts..and engineers not being too familiar with the Atag systems!

That isn't my experience. The boiler doesn't have many parts. Provided it is installed by an Atag partner servicing and parts are not an issue. My installer found that he was missing a part that he had requested. It was delivered next day by an Atag engineer.

As far as familiarity is concerned, I would suggest that all installers need some training on the boilers that they install. Hence most manufacturers hold lists of engineers that they have trained which is usually reflected in the length of the warranty.

Jman316

Ive just had someone from Veissmann boilers call me and take a survey to acess my needs.

He did mention a new gas pipe may be needed because its a new boiler!


How are these boilers?