Are Viessmann boilers any good

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Hi all,

a central heating chap just came to look at our boiler and said that whilst it still worked the pressure in there, especially with other gas appliances running (eg the oven) is lower than he would like and that it would be advisable to fit a new boiler. He has recommended Veissmann and quoted an all-in price that seems pretty good to me. The question is, are Veissmann boilers any good?

Thanks
 
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whilst it still worked the pressure in there, especially with other gas appliances running (eg the oven) is lower than he would like

upgrade the gas supply :idea:

and that it would be advisable to fit a new boiler.

hahaha-024.gif


yeah

did the horse eat your roses while he was there :rolleyes:
 
Thanks for the reply. Perhaps I should have added 'I am a total idiot who just uncritically believes what people tell him and believes that all tradespeople are hell-bent on ripping him off'.

I know that I need a new boiler anyway at some point fairly soon, that was not news to me. The one I have is ancient and heats slowly and I had to have a new PV recently etc etc. He did also say that he could just do the gas supply upgrade if we wanted, which would cost significantly less. Obviously I would still need a new boiler at some point and I see little point in doing several little jobs only to have to have the big one done in a year's time anyway. So, back to my original question, are Veissmann boilers any good?

Thanks
 
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A new boiler will need an upgraded gas supply anyway.

So provided its totally adequate then that will not be wasted money.

Tell us the length and the number of elbows ( 90° bends! ) and we will tell you what you will need.

The new boiler can be fitted later, perhaps when the old one develops the next fault.

Telling us the make and model of boiler you have will enable us to give you OUR views on the need to replace it or not!

Tony
 
several things come to mind here
first what size boiler do you currently have and what will the new one be?
has the installer checked the gas rate at the meter (should be 21 Mbar) although rarely is in london!
if the new one is fitted then he must ensure an adequate gas supply is also available (20 Mbar at appliance inlet)
Also make sure he is
1. Gassafe Registered (must be able to produce his card)
2. registered to work on the type of appliance (look on back of his card)
 
cheers all. quite a few questions, but here goes

pressure at the meter is 20-21 mb
pressure at the boiler (hot water on) is 16 mb (he said 18 would be better)
pressure at the boiler (hot water and hob on) pressure down to 14mb
The chap said that what had probably happened was that a smaller boiler had probably been replaced by this one but the pipework diameter had not been increased, so the flow through the system was getting dangerously low.

The boiler doesn't just need to be replaced, ideally I want it to be moved as well. Replacing the pipework would mean taking out some units etc in the kitchen already, so again, for the upheaval I might as well get a new one. The boiler is currently about 6-7 yards from the meter, 2-3 90 degree bends I would say. I would be looking to move it closer, probably about 1-2 yards away, though still the other side of a wall.

Current one is a WB 28CDi. I got the PV changed a few months ago and the WB installer who did it said that it wasn't in great shape and the efficiency of new boilers is such that a new one would be likely to be more cost effective in the long run, which is pretty much what the dude yesterday reiterated. He also said that he is happy to fit any boiler and that they are all pretty good but in his view Viessmann, though not that well known in this country, have a good worldwide reputation and their guarantees/components/efficiency are such that he prefers them to other makes.

Thanks for your help everyone
 
A new one will be more efficient than an old one, and the saving in gas will probably pay for the new boiler installation in ten or twenty years or so.

For example, when I had my 25-year old inefficient iron boiler replaced by a Viessmann just over a year ago, the gas used per year dropped from 1650 to 1170 cu metres, which was a big 30% drop of 480m/5304 kWh. At curent prices that would save me £185 per year. You will be lucky to get such a big improvement.

On the other hand you could just invest your money until there is some good reason to change the boiler.
 
The 28 CDI is a pretty good boiler, and has probably quite a few years left in it. Several reasons why it would heat slowly like a sludged up system or poorly balanced. I have yet to come across the first CDI that was not worth repairing, and dount very much yours is beyond salvage.

If your pressure is 20/21 mbar at the meter, it should be 19/20 at the boiler, and not 18; the maximum difference between the meter and the boiler is 1 mbar, end off.

The most you can hope to safe with an expensive (band A, condensing in both dhw and ch) boiler is about 15%, IF it is installed perfectly, the system balanced perfectly, and the rads are large enough to run the boiler a lot lower than you can do currently. Averaging a 10% saving compared to the current one is more likely, which means a break even point after around 20 years.

Almost forgot, the Viessman is a pretty good boiler too.

Keep what you have, although not perfect, 16 mbar minimum pressure at the boiler is perfectly safe; no need to upgrade the gaspipe if all else is fine. A bigger gaspipe will not make the place heat up quicker, nor will a new boiler.
 
Thanks very much again chaps. I don't know why the difference between the meter and the boiler is so big, but it is. The guy said that if it stayed at 16 that wouldn't be too much of a problem, but the fact that it drops to 14 when the hob and the hot water are on at the same time could cause problems (eg CO, or the hob being starved of gas, the flame going out, and the gas then coming back on at the hob without being ignited and filling our kitchen up with gas). His general view (and I tend to agree with him) is that it will PROBABLY be fine, but with two young kids running around I might want to up the odds of it being fine on the basis that I was going to change the boiler at some point soon anyway. How much would a sensible quote to supply and fit a Viessmann be in your view?

Thanks again for the helpful responses.

Cheers
 
As Ben has said your boiler is quite repairable.

The gas supply has to up graded for a new boiler anyway.

There may be considerable improvements to be made to pipework at the meter.

Can you describe the pipework sizes and elbows at the meter area? Or better post a photo as in many cases upgrading at the meter is very significant as each elbow is equivalent to 0.5 m pipe length.

Tony
 
What do you mean by: "sensible" quote?
To have it done properly involves quite a bit of work. New gaspipe is impossible to guess without seeing the work involved; could be £100 or just as easily £500.
The system needs cleaning, which could vary from a couple of hours chemical flush to a complete powerflush depending on how much the system is soiled up. It might not be possible to put the new boiler in the same place, so a lot of altering on the pipework needed.
To get a Viessmann properly installed will cost you more than £2000 in London, how much more depends on the particualars that can't be judged online.
There is really no point in replacing a good boiler with a new one that is not installed properly, which is why I recommended to get yours repaired. If it is kept clean and serviced properly, I would expect another 5 to 10 years out of it. The cdi is one of the most reliable boilers of its era if serviced as detailed in the manual. The problems your plumber described has nothing to do with the boiler, and is entirely due to the gaspipe.
 
Ben, it will not always be over £2000 !

We charge £840 plus cost of boiler to replace a combi with a combi, Viessmann or any make.

One of my ex-trainees recently replaced an Excell 80 with a new combi for boiler plus just £600. Thats 27% less than I had quoted that fellow.

He only found out later that I had been there to repair their Excell previously. He got that job from a price quote site !

Tony
 
Ben, it will not always be over £2000 !

We charge £840 plus cost of boiler to replace a combi with a combi, Viessmann or any make.
At a 5 mbar drop, it sounds like a rerun. To keep it under £2000, everything else would have to be hunky dory, and the Viessmann a 100, with the existing controls being compatible.
Possible, but being a bit hopeful methinks.
 

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