Smallest combi boiler on the market?

[Nixt]

Don't want to give g4u cause to bash one out, but have to say to the OP that latest Vaillants are about the smallest worth accommodating as you can still have the servicing component accessibility of a big boiler.

 

[simond]

The Broag Avanta is a small combi and is well made for the price.

It uses the same Giannoni heat exchanger as the 8 series Vaillant and has a Grundfos pump.

Their warranty support is by Gasforce. Weather Cop is built in, very flexible product. Standoff is available for running pipework behind too.

 

[bengasman]

That Glowworm, or for that matter any Glowworm, are not the best liked boilers by installers or repairers.

Tony

remind me, what does "understatement" mean?

 

[bengasman]

On a more serious note, if you have a W-B, and it works, keep it. tenants get a lot more miffed with a nice hidden boiler that is cold than with a nice warm one that ain’t pretty. A bit like ……..

 

[slefley]

Bengasman, it's just I am having a whole new kitchen fitted and the current W-B is very large and corner mounted to the left of the window in the middle of a run of units. Being as it is 7 years old I was thinking that it may only have another 3 years of life left. If I relocated it to the opposite corner, to the right of the window where there is only 41cm width, I could have a nice run of wall units from the left of the window and around to the next corner. This would be more attractive and allow a lot more storage space, making it more practical. Surely I can get a more compact boiler that is also reliable? The current W-B is massive and I have been told by my builder's plumber isn't fitted correctly (by British Gas)! Not sure in what way as it has worked with no probs for the last 7 years! Just don't want to redesign a kitchen around a boiler that might not last much longer.

Thanks for all the recommendations everybody. Gives me a few to look at and compare.

 

[bengasman]

It is your kitchen of course.
W-B especially the older one do last with a bit of attention. 15 years is no exception, just out of interest, which model is it that is sooooo big? Could be that it is much older than you think.

 

[slefley]

Hmm, don't know offhand as it is a while since I looked at it and all the papers are at the flat, plus it has a British Gas logo on it. It could be bigger, I am sure, but I hadn't thought about it until I saw the compact Baxi in the attic of our new house and thought it would give me a lot more space in a small kitchen. I think it is quite normal to want to hide a boiler away these days, is it not? I do take your point though. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"! Tempting fate maybe, but being a Virgoan perfectionist I want beauty AND functionality!

 

[cowboyplumber]

Baxi,
hahahahaha

 

[slefley]

Yeah, yeah, I know. I have to say it wouldn't have been my choice, but was put in a year before we bought the house. Isn't a combi. Seems to be working fine so far (taps head!). We have a large 300 year old Georgian house and I was wondering what it would be like in the winter, but it's toasty warm due to that Baxi boiler! Maybe you'll see me back on here very soon

 

[Trundles Tricks]

OK, guess Glow-Worm aren't the most reliable then!

My company fits hundreds of G/worms and they are rubbish, we do so many that we do our own warranty work on them. G/worm as a company have never actually mastered the art of designing a PCB that lasts longer than about quarter of an hour.


We have fitted a handful of Flexicoms in restricted depth spaces through necessity and to be fair haven't had major problems but I must stress that these number about 10 out of all the boilers we fit and unfortunately have to maintain.


One slight word of warning regarding the Flexicom, it possibly has the most pathetic, shoddiest pathetically designed drop down internal clock arrangement ever to grace a gas boiler.

It basically pops down underneath the boiler which means not only will it snap off in a short period of time but you obviously need a decent clearance under the boiler.


This can be overcome by fitting an external clock instead.




I stopped using G/Worm boilers on my own jobs ( I am independantly registered) many years ago and will not deal with G/worm under any circumstances due to their crap boilers and the unbelievably inept and useless backup from their Heatcall guarantee setup.