Sorry, another best boiler thread, and advice reqd re roof flue

[Steve]

I'm going to be having a new combi boiler fitted in the new house, in fact a totally new system. The current rads are very old and the pipe runs are less than ideal. One bathroom, 3 bedroom.

I've seen conflicting messages about what boiler is best. Which? seems to recommend Worcester, but I've seen someone here rubbishing them.

One installer we've seen to get a quote from installs ideal by default but is willing to fit other brands. I thought ideal were reckoned to be rubbish, but their pricing doesn't seem to reflect that.

I have a baxi duotec in my current house, it has proven to be pretty reliable. It replaced a 22 year old baxi solo. Should i just go with what i know?

The install could be tricky, as it is going in an internal airing cupboard with the flue going up through the roof. It might need a couple of 90s in the flue to get it clear of the ridge. Will most plumbers do the roof business? Or will i need a roofer?

 

[muggles]

Which? reviews on boilers are written by owners and are no indication of build quality, ease of maintenance, cost of spares or expected service life. In short, they aren't very helpful. Hardly any of the pro's on here would recommend Worcester, and a few including myself will just refuse point blank to fit them

Ideal are OK, the Logics have had issues in early life so long-term reliability has to be questionable. The Vogue is apparently very good but I've never seen one

Baxi DuoTecs are OK, reasonably well built, but aren't compatible with the most efficient controls, so in the real world they're not as efficient. They're also a bit noisy

Look at the Intergas ECO RF. Excellent boiler, ten year warranty, only four moving parts, employs an Intergas-designed heat exchanger that has now been in service in their boilers for 20 years and has never had an in-warranty failure, easiest boiler in the world to maintain and is compatible with the very latest high-efficiency controls. It can even be had with remote boiler management, so in the unlikely event you do get a problem, your installer can log in to the boiler's brain remotely and see what's going on. As you're replacing your radiators and pipework, it's worth considering another unique feature - it'll generate hot water even with the heating system drained down and disconnected, so you can replace the heating and still have continuous hot water

All good installers will be able to do the necessary roofing work for you

 

[hertsboilers]

If go for Worcester, suggested CDi classic, good boiler. Other than that, they are not the best boilers.

 

[oilboffin]

Well done muggles a great boiler very simple

 

[Steve]

K'in price of it though!

 

[Aquaheat]

K'in price of it though!

Spend properly, spend once! Remember that this is THE most used and most missed appliance in you're property so why would you skimp on it? Bet your TV cost more or the Sky subscription per year, or the holiday, or the Xbox's etc! All are luxuries and not a necessity like your boiler is/will be. Bet you hate thinking about spending £80 a year having it serviced too then moan when it packs up after 3 years!?

Jon

 

[Steve]

K'in price of it though!

Spend properly, spend once! Remember that this is THE most used and most missed appliance in you're property so why would you skimp on it? Bet your TV cost more or the Sky subscription per year, or the holiday, or the Xbox's etc! All are luxuries and not a necessity like your boiler is/will be. Bet you hate thinking about spending £80 a year having it serviced too then moan when it packs up after 3 years!?

Jon

Appreciate the advice. And will definitely consider the brand. But until today I'd never heard of intergas. Would I struggle to find someone to supply one and maintain the guarantee? Do all gas engineers know how to service them? Might sound daft questions but all considerations for my peace of mind.

I have a service/maintenance/callout plan so pay monthly. Once the new boiler is in though if the engineer seems good and reliable I'll scrap that and just rely on him for all the above.

 

[muggles]

Just because you've never heard of them, doesn't mean they're no good. As I said before, they're the easiest boiler on the market to maintain. There are lots of guys out there fitting them, and they tend to be the more knowledgeable ones who actually take the time to look at what's around them rather than throwing the easiest option on the wall. The guarantee is maintained by the manufacturer, as with all boiler makes

Monthly service contracts are a waste of money at the best of times, but with a new boiler with a warranty they're utterly pointless

Tell us what your nearest town is - someone on here might be close to you

 

[Aquaheat]

K'in price of it though!

Spend properly, spend once! Remember that this is THE most used and most missed appliance in you're property so why would you skimp on it? Bet your TV cost more or the Sky subscription per year, or the holiday, or the Xbox's etc! All are luxuries and not a necessity like your boiler is/will be. Bet you hate thinking about spending £80 a year having it serviced too then moan when it packs up after 3 years!?

Jon

Appreciate the advice. And will definitely consider the brand. But until today I'd never heard of intergas. Would I struggle to find someone to supply one and maintain the guarantee? Do all gas engineers know how to service them? Might sound daft questions but all considerations for my peace of mind.

I have a service/maintenance/callout plan so pay monthly. Once the new boiler is in though if the engineer seems good and reliable I'll scrap that and just rely on him for all the above.

Most haven't as they are set in their ways. You will find that good engineers know them and will be able to service them without issues. They contain only 4 moving parts and around 12 components in total. They have not had a heat exchanger failure in 20 years. (beats the honda vtec engine) They have been going for 70 ish years and are a Dutch company @Razor900 will give you the full history.

There is also the new InTouch which came out a couple of days ago and allows remote monitoring for most parameters meaning that a good Engineer could be able to fault find without even attending. It also gives you the function of remotley controlling the heating from your phone or tablet without the need for additional Smart controls. Warranty is managed by in house engineers mostly provided you have the annual service.

Cancel the service contract regardless of boiler as it is unnecessary with a new boiler and equally unnecessary with a correctly maintained boiler after the warranty period.

Jon

 

[Aquaheat]

Ha Ha @muggles beat me to it pretty much! +1 for what he said and it's more or less mirrored in my post too!

 

[Dan Robinson]

K'in price of it though!

What? Compared to a Wooshitter Botch? At least you're paying for a solid bit of engineering rather than a overpriced mish mash of your Grannies Tupperware catalogue held together with crappy circlips and Orings.

 

[muggles]

K'in price of it though!

What? Compared to a Wooshitter Botch? At least you're paying for a solid bit of engineering rather than a overpriced mish mash of your Grannies Tupperware catalogue held together with crappy circlips and Orings.

I'd assumed he was complaining about the price of a Crap Disguised ingeniously! (That is what CDi means, isn't it?)

 

[Steve]

Tell us what your nearest town is - someone on here might be close to you

Rotherham/barnsley/doncaster.

Cancel the service contract regardless of boiler as it is unnecessary with a new boiler and equally unnecessary with a correctly maintained boiler after the warranty period.

I'm aware during the warranty period at least I don't need a service contract. I was referring to when that is over.

 

[muggles]

That'll be ten years away! Will see if we can find anyone up your way

 

[Aquaheat]

I'm aware during the warranty period at least I don't need a service contract. I was referring to when that is over.

As I said equally unnecessary after the warranty. Lets say it costs you £20 per month for insurance and you have no fault for 4 years that's £960. Now have an independent guy service it once a year for £80 (may be less) thats £320 over 4 years. Thats £640 in your bank to cover a repair, a fault, a family holiday! Just put the £20 a month away in an account and leave it there for a rainy day. If its £30 a month then thats £1120 saved!! Now see why they are pointless?

Not only that but when you build a relationship with your local engineer you get better service, a faster response normally and you have helpful advice at the end of the phone. Remember, our reputation is our business so we go above and beyond what a corporate structure will do to ensure that you are looked after. Just google all the nightmare stories over contracts.

Jon