Advice on new combi boiler

jem16
jem16 Posts: 19,397
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edited 14 April 2019 at 12:36PM in Energy
I currently have a Vokera Linea 28 boiler which will be 20 years old later this year. I am considering getting a new boiler installed.

I was under the impression that Worcester-Bosch boilers were always a good recommendation but further reading seems to be suggesting that they're not as good as they were. Is this accurate?

If so what boilers should I be looking at?

My other questions was what smart thermostat should I look at. If it was a Worcester Bosch boiler then Wave or Hive?
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  • foxy-stoat
    foxy-stoat Posts: 6,879
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    I would get a few heating engineers in to give you a quote for your property, based on your needs.
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    edited 16 April 2019 at 7:56AM
    It is worth investing £1, or a trip to the library, to get the very comprehensive Which report on boilers.


    Last time I looked Worcester Bosch and Veissman were best buy. I bought two Veissman - a main boiler and a Combi for an annex - and have a 10 year warranty on both.


    The problem with getting heating engineer reports is they tend to recommend those on which they get the best deal, or most familiar with fitting
  • thorganby
    thorganby Posts: 528
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    Very surprised to see that Which have Worcester Bosch boilers as a best buy.

    Yes they are very common because companies such as BG and Boxt fit them but most gas safe fitters don't rate them as they are difficult to work on and they have many plastic parts that fail prematurely.

    Don't Which always rate Utility Warehouse highly and we all know that they are certainly not a best buy!

    Personally I would not take too much notice of Which reports.

    Consider the following well regarded boilers:

    ATAG "10 year warranty as standard for all parts and labour" https://atagheating.co.uk/

    Valiant "up to 10 years on the ecoTEC plus (upto 45kW) and ecoTEC exclusive with green iQ ranges when installed with our brand new boiler protection kit" https://www.vaillant.co.uk/homeowners/

    Viessmann "Many of our boilers come with a comprehensive 5 year parts and labour warranty, as standard. With other boilers, you have the option to extend this if it is installed by a Viessmann Trained Installer" https://www.viessmann.co.uk

    Intergas "You can extend your warranty on your Intergas boiler for up to five more years" - varies by model 6 to 10 years https://www.intergasheating.co.uk/
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    thorganby wrote: »
    Don't Which always rate Utility Warehouse highly and we all know that they are certainly not a best buy!

    Personally I would not take too much notice of Which reports.
    '

    WHICH have a reader's survey for gas/electricity which is a whole lot different from a 'BEST BUY' awarded after tests. With some 25,000 Utility Warehouse 'salesmen' - and their families - with a vested interest in voting for UW it is not surprising they come out top of any such survey. It is much like the current bad publicity about. 5* ratings on Amazon and Trustpilot.
  • thorganby
    thorganby Posts: 528
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    Cardew wrote: »
    '

    WHICH have a reader's survey for gas/electricity which is a whole lot different from a 'BEST BUY' awarded after tests. With some 25,000 Utility Warehouse 'salesmen' - and their families - with a vested interest in voting for UW it is not surprising they come out top of any such survey. It is much like the current bad publicity about. 5* ratings on Amazon and Trustpilot.

    Yes point taken about the Which reader's surveys, I used to subscribe to Which for many years and over that time I found that when they reviewed items that I had bought and had personal experience of, they marked them down for the most trivial of reasons and I realised that their "Best Buys" did not agree with my opinions.

    I have personal experience of Worcester Bosch boilers and if it is not a simple fix most local gas fitters are not interested and recommend that you get a manufacturers fixed price repair as the parts are expensive and they don't like working on them.

    Some people may swear by them but most gas fitters swear at them and I don't want to be forced to pay the manufacturers servicing costs.

    Any manufacturer that gives a 10 year warranty for all parts and labour as standard gets my vote and I would not have a Worcester Bosch again.
  • Londoner_1
    Londoner_1 Posts: 180
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    edited 16 April 2019 at 2:00PM
    All boilers are as good as the install.

    Having said that you want to install boilers that will be around in 20 years time.

    My old WB240 RSF was installed in 1997 according to the paperwork, the last service was about 5 years ago, since 2004 i have called out an engineer twice, one time in 2008 diverter valve and one time in 2015 when the filling loop bybassed and popped the prv.

    After the diverter valve was changed the boiler had a small leak, after a week it stopped leaking.

    After the PRV change, the boiler refused to work, the reason why it refused to work was the engineer was a valiant chap, not famuiliar with older WB boilers. The fix was to simply let out the air form the pump.

    The boiler will be replaced when we have works done to the house.
  • jem16
    jem16 Posts: 19,397
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    thorganby wrote: »
    ATAG "10 year warranty as standard for all parts and labour" https://atagheating.co.uk/

    Valiant "up to 10 years on the ecoTEC plus (upto 45kW) and ecoTEC exclusive with green iQ ranges when installed with our brand new boiler protection kit" https://www.vaillant.co.uk/homeowners/

    Viessmann "Many of our boilers come with a comprehensive 5 year parts and labour warranty, as standard. With other boilers, you have the option to extend this if it is installed by a Viessmann Trained Installer" https://www.viessmann.co.uk

    Intergas "You can extend your warranty on your Intergas boiler for up to five more years" - varies by model 6 to 10 years https://www.intergasheating.co.uk/

    Thanks. I have now spoken to a local installer who is an accredited installer for Viessmann. We will arrange a time to get a quote.

    Over the phone he also told me to take a look at Atag which he seems to rate highly.

    We'll see what he says when he comes out.

    Any thoughts on smart controllers? Should I go with the manufacturer's smart controller ( assuming they do one ) or look at Nest or Hive?
  • jem16
    jem16 Posts: 19,397
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    thorganby wrote: »
    Any manufacturer that gives a 10 year warranty for all parts and labour as standard gets my vote and I would not have a Worcester Bosch again.

    The Worcester Bosch boilers give a 10 year warranty so long as it's fitted via an accredited installer. Yet you would still give it a miss?
  • jem16
    jem16 Posts: 19,397
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    Londoner_1 wrote: »
    All boilers are as good as the install.

    Having said that you want to install boilers that will be around in 20 years time.

    It appears that the new condensing boilers don't last as long as previous ones.

    So far I've been getting some strange looks when I say that my Vokera will be 20 years old this November.
  • jem16
    jem16 Posts: 19,397
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    Cardew wrote: »
    '

    WHICH have a reader's survey for gas/electricity which is a whole lot different from a 'BEST BUY' awarded after tests. With some 25,000 Utility Warehouse 'salesmen' - and their families - with a vested interest in voting for UW it is not surprising they come out top of any such survey. It is much like the current bad publicity about. 5* ratings on Amazon and Trustpilot.

    Thanks Cardew - it's maybe worth the £1 to access the reports.
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