Choice of boiler - Alpha any good?

[hrs2004]

Hi there. Hope that this ia an acceptable post. We are looking at getting a new boiler fitted as part of work we are doing, and have been recommended an Aplha combi (CD32C). Are Alpha a good make?

I read a review, although some years old, saying that they used to be called Ocean but changed name to get away from a bad reputation. We don't want to get stuck with something that isn't so hot (as it were) that will mean we are often here looking for help!
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[ChrisRoberts]

Alpha are ok. Just ok mind. They are made in Italy and are as good as any that are. Tho saying that the factory that makes them is the biggest boiler making plant in europe. The design is British. They changed to the Alpha name to differenciate between 2 companies.
The heat exchanger looks incredibly like the vaillant one. But I'm assured by the vaillant rep they are different.
At the end of the day U pay ur money U takes your choice.
I like Vaillant or Worcester Bosch. Vaillant have the slight edge with the stainless steel HE, WB seem to have better electronics.

 

[micky p]

Alpha boiler are a good reliable boiler compared to lots on the market. They are not the cheapest or the dearest. The CD32C usually come with a 3 year warranty and it can be extended at the point of purchase to a 5 year for an extra cost of course. 1 thing with Alpha boilers they have a really good back up as a company compared to most as well. If it breaks down under warranty then they are usually out with the next working day.

Alpha sold there old Ocean boiler (patent) off to Baxi and moved on. So it goes to show Alpha are 1 step ahead of Baxi. Although to be fare the old Alpha/Ocean boiler was a good realiable boiler.

hope this helps

 

[micky p]

Alpha are ok. Just ok mind. They are made in Italy and are as good as any that are. Tho saying that the factory that makes them is the biggest boiler making plant in europe. The design is British. They changed to the Alpha name to differenciate between 2 companies.
The heat exchanger looks incredibly like the vaillant one. But I'm assured by the vaillant rep they are different.
At the end of the day U pay ur money U takes your choice.
I like Vaillant or Worcester Bosch. Vaillant have the slight edge with the stainless steel HE, WB seem to have better electronics.

I'd have to disagree on the electronics side.

Vaillant make there own PCB's and are very realiable. As Worcester buy theres in from the likes of Honeywell etc like most other manufactures and are only as realiable as other manufactures on PCB'S.

 

[braddo]

Which? have given the Potterton Gold C24 HE a 'best buy' rating - how does it rate in the real world?

 

[hrs2004]

Thanks everyone for your prompt replies. Might have to think about this a little bit longer before we commit.
Thanks again

 

[Paul Barker]

Alpha have an astounding reliability record round here. I don't quite like the case work as much as Worcester Buderus or Vaillant, but they are up there for quality. Noone can beat Buderus on ease of repair and quality of engineering.

The alphas are very quiet running, they worcester and vaillant are similarly equiped for plume diversion. Buderus need to pull their socks up in that department, they have lost oine sale to a customer of mine over it, where I had to use an Alpha.

PTS is a big dealer of them, go via energysmart website for extra discount. Very good value for money. The only boiler afaik that has a cyclone filter on the return. I still use a magnetic filter externally though. Not to use one would be incredibly stupid.

 

[simond]

Our experience with Worcester and Vaillant PCBs suggests that Worcester have some catching up to do.

Never had a Vaillant PCB fault, other than one of the first ecoTECs with an early level of firmware.

 

[Paul Barker]

Well when they took me clay pigeon shooting Worcester, and showed me what a quaint little gaf the MD lives in, and how he ought to be taxed on all the extra benefits he gets at home for free like brown source heat pumps and stuff that would cost you and me 12 grand but is somehow supposed to save the planet by making power stations work harder instead of gas pipelines for the same cost of energy, they said that one of their partners (you know in the bosch group) in Germany I think it was, makes their pcb's these days. So just maybe they are OK now.

 

[corgiman]

my tuppence

they are (like all boilers) ok as LONG AS THEY ARE INSTALLED RIGHT

wow I am turning into mini agile

 

[monkey writer]

Hello, had an Alpha CD32C installed yesterday as they seemed like the best choice - Stainless Steel HE, 3yr Guarantee, Kent based... But our installer didn't put in or mention a magnetic filter. What is one of these and why should we have one?

 

[Paul Barker]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fernox-Boiler...yZ105993QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Magnaclean-ma...ryZ93631QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[JB Gas]

The magna clean filter is the nuts

 

[savilleorange]

Which? have given the Potterton Gold C24 HE a 'best buy' rating - how does it rate in the real world?

Funny you mentioned that. "Best Buy" on WHICH does not always mean the best product. So the Best Buy could save you pounds that much is a guarantee.

 

[Agile]

Doesn't Alpha still make the baxi/potterton "ocean" boilers?

I still see Viessmann as one of the most reliable boilers in the marketplace and with a five year warranty and similar prices to other boilers pretty much a best buy. OK they have got to do some catching up with their customer service and spares delivery but now they have their boilers in stock at one of the bigest national chains I have to rate them as one of the easiest to buy.

The Alpha seems to be reasonably reliable if properly installed but the same can be said of Biasi too.

Tony