Recommend a Replacement for a Turbomax 824E ?

[Borell]

You're quite right of course .

Very sorry.

I did find lower prices at places like DirectHeating but that's an internet company and I'd slightly prefer going to a physical premises like Plumb Center .

One thing I did just find was a Baxi Duo-tec 28 Combination Boiler costing around £740 rather than Intergas which is closer to £1300.

I respect anything you people say . Then I find loads of people saying I can expect any boiler at all to go wrong within 5 years . Why is that ? Why can people make a craft that will fly to Pluto and take clear photos but we can't make a boiler that's going to last 15 years ? I mean - mechanically a boiler is fairly simple . I couldn't make one but there's not a huge amount to be getting right .

My enquiry is - Baxi are a big company . Is this Baxi boiler all that bad considering it's half the price of Intergas and Baxi are not exactly unknown ?

Do you technicians think Baxi should be avoided ?

 

[Razor900]

The Intergas is a very simple concept with few active parts but the engineering quality is first class.

Baxi are ok for the money but they won't last anywhere near as long

 

[Borell]

Thank you Razor .

I'm sure I'll have left this place within about 4 years so possibly it won't be a huge problem .

Then again I was seeking guidance from people who know - so I will look at the Intergas .

 

[casper461]

Have had an Intergas fitted on advice from people on this forum and very happy with it ,I used one of their Platinum installers first class job.

 

[Borell]

Thank you casper .

Personal experience ...... I can't beat that.

 

[muggles]

As I said before, trade prices are much less than non-trade prices for Intergas, so get your installer to supply. I could supply you one for under £1000 and still make a profit on it

Baxi are OK but the Duotecs are quite noisy and not as well engineered

 

[Borell]

That's a very good margin the distributors are giving to the trade !

Fancy working in Camberley ?

 

[The831Bunny]

Intergas boilers are good quality for sure, but do consider why you would want to spend around £2.5K on replacing a perfectly good boiler when you are seriously considering moving within 4 years. Most Vaillant's are good for 20+ years if looked after. I'd only recommend replacing it if at 12 years it had regularly cost you for repairs.

The Turbomax is rugged, and apart from problems relating to poor maintenance and a dirty system, will defiantly not cost you a big wedge before you move out. A working, well maintained boiler puts X amount on a property selling price, you get no more for having a newer one. New Vaillant's (and many other makes) now come with up to 10 years warranty, you'd be giving that benefit away to the next owner too...

 

[nickjb]

I'd echo bunny's post. If your current boiler is working why change it. You have a decent, reliable unit. Not as efficient as most new ones but you won't make enough savings to cover the cost of replacement.

 

[Borell]

Well I say it's working but it's " acting up " .

I found two plumbers at different times. One said I needed a new expansion chamber . ( I didn't ) . The other said I had a problem with a valve and he'd go and get the right valve and then I never saw him again . You people on here are clearly helpful folks - but it's pointed out that there are plenty of useless ' plumbers ' out there and I found two.

The terrific , knowledgeable guy who installed the boiler has retired .

It's exasperating.

What's got me peed off with the boiler now is 1) The pressure gauge is always on zero but when I run it the gauge moves to about 2. .....
..... and 2) I can be sat quietly selling off my worldly goods on ebay and the boiler comes to life !
It's not doing anything . I'm not demanding any heating or hot tap water ...... it just comes on and runs for no reason . Makes me despair because maybe you're right . Maybe I need some repair doing and then I'll get 5 more years from it . But I've not done well when I've tried twice to get a proper guy to look at it .

 

[The831Bunny]

Sounds very much that lack of maintenance has led to the expansion vessel going flat, and possibly the safety valve leaking to outside. As for the boiler coming on on its own, that sounds like the pre-heat or 'warmstart' is operating for the hot water. This is a feature to help with preventing waste of water before hot water reaches your taps. If the green LED is on, it's on. To turn off, turn the hot water knob to minimum till the LED goes out, then back to about 2 O'Clock. Turn on by turning all the way up, then back.

A fixed price repair from Vaillant may be the best option, or at least search for an approved engineer on their website for your area. It's all about the person through the door I'm afraid.

 

[Borell]

Thank you Bunny .

I've just sold my Hudl 2 tablet . For more than I paid for it !! That's just stupid .

I'm gonna take 8 bags of leaves down to the dump . Come back . Coffee and a piece of toast . Then a big deep breath and I'll go and toot around with the Settings on the boiler as you are saying here .
It must get on your nerves when idiots like me try to learn plumbing from Youtube ....... but after 2 poor plumbers I watched a Youtube . Then I pressed the valve on the expansion chamber and air came out - not water . I put a foot pump on it and it brought the pressure gauge up to 1 .... but then the water didn't seem to be as hot !
Maybe my imagination . And it slid back to zero.

I don't resent plumbers making a living . I don't resent paying for the expertise of someone doing his work . But I do mind someone charging £40 a half hour and doing bugger all that's of any use .

Thanks again BB.

 

[JMGas]

When you recharged the expansion vessel I hope you had an open end, eg a drain point open. If not, you wouldn't have charged it to 1 bar. Also, best to check the schraeder isn't passing, put some bubbles over the end and it shouldn't bubble up. Also if the vessel was flat it more than likely means the PRV activated and now that could be passing, which would also need cleaning up.

 

[Borell]

I followed the video on Youtube . ( I know . I know .... don't tell me off . ) Which said nothing about a drain point being left open and I wouldn't know what that meant. And I don't know what a PRV is . Presumably a valve .

It did occur to me that it could be bypassing that schraeder but I couldn't budge the schraeder to replace it .

OK . I've been to PlumbCenter . Here are their prices ( before addding VAT ) .

A BAXI Duo-tec 28 Combi £720 .
A Vaillant ecotec Pro 28 £886 .
A Vaillant Plus 31 £1080 .
An Intergas 36/30 £868 .
A Vokera Excel 29kw £435 !!!!!
A Worcester 30i £888 .

Any comments about the Vokera Excel ???

If I could get the present boiler repaired then I'd be happy to do that . And if any of you are within range of Camberley ....... then please !

But if I have to buy one of these boilers - from Vaillant £1080 to Vokera £435 . What to buy ?

I may have to put the cat on ebay next .



Later ...... Inspiration . PRV must be Pressure Release Valve . So I looked out the window to the pipe from the PRV .... and there's a constant drip . Very small . Very small indeed . But constant .
I was running the Heating and saw the Pressure Gauge was right around in the Red. Let a bit of water out through the PRV . And then it crept all the way to zero and although I add water it slides back to zero though the gas and pump keep working away giving me heat .

Does ANY of this make any sense ?

 

[JMGas]

Yep so you need to recharge the vessel properly this time and check the shraeder isn't passing just letting it deflate.
You also now have a passing PRV, you either need to replace it or unscrew it from the body and clean (I wouldn't recommend DIY'in this as it is a safety device).

If you don't have a drain point open, when re-charging the vessel, the water that is sitting in the vessel cannot go anywhere which won't let the diaphragm in the vessel inflate. Basically, your expansion vessel should be around 1bar and the boiler pressure should be 0. Then you can refill your system to 1 bar.

Best to get an engineer out, wouldn't take longer than an hour and no parts needed (if your prv cleans OK and exp vessel hasn't gone)