Conventional (compact) boiler replacement: suggestions/advice pls.

[muggles]

It's a parameter adjustment in a menu on the screen. The temperature control adjusts the temperature (unsurprisingly) whereas range rating adjusts the maximum power output. It's a case of reading the installation manual usually

 

[sxturbo]

If you have opentherm controls then it's likely the boiler won't need range rating as the controls will sort it, but it would only work if the boiler has good modulation ie the minimum power and maximum power.

Some boilers have a max power of 18kw but a minimum of 11kw so would not be helpful. Others have a max power of 18kw and a minimum of 3kw, which will be great if the boiler installed is slightly oversized (i.e to powerful)

 

[Laurence Harvey]

It's a parameter adjustment in a menu on the screen. The temperature control adjusts the temperature (unsurprisingly) whereas range rating adjusts the maximum power output. It's a case of reading the installation manual usually

Fair do’s, thanks for explaining that,...it makes sense, even to me!

I’ve just had a search through the installation/service manual for my Baxi424 and there is no mention of range rating, or any parameter screen/adjustments.

The front panel has a temperature control bezel, a re-set switch and something called the ‘chimney sweep button’. Would the ‘chimney sweep button’ have something to do range-rating?...or can I assume that my Baxi424 doesn’t have ‘range-rating’ capability?

My boiler is due its annual service so if something needs tweeking I'll ask the engr to check/adjust if necessary.

 

[vulcancontinental]

My most recent post (last week) was about my sons combi boiler problems,..now sorted thankfully;...however, my daughters (very old!) conventional boiler has just packed in,...again!...it needs replacing,...never rains but it pours.

She’d prefer a replacement conventional boiler (not a combi) as she likes her airing cupboard and power showers. She uses lots of hot-water. It’s a largish 3 bed detached house with 2 bathrooms.

For aesthetic reasons she wants a conventional boiler that will fit neatly inside a 30cm deep kitchen wall cupboard.

I had a large kitchen extension/renovation completed 2 years ago and I had my old boiler replaced with a (conventional) Baxi424 boiler. I'm really impressed with it;...it’s completely tucked away inside a standard kitchen wall cabinet and it’s whisper quiet in operation. All the piping is neatly hidden away and unless you open the cupboard door you’d never know it housed a C/H boiler.

However, things move on. Any up-to-date boiler suggestions or ones you think are best avoided?...any other suggestions/advice?

She’ll pay cash for the new installation,...doesn’t need a finance package or similar.

As ever, all replies gratefully received. Thanks in advance.

I work for a manufacturer, would you like a suggestion for a biased source?

 

[muggles]

Fair do’s, thanks for explaining that,...it makes sense, even to me!

I’ve just had a search through the installation/service manual for my Baxi424 and there is no mention of range rating, or any parameter screen/adjustments.

The front panel has a temperature control bezel, a re-set switch and something called the ‘chimney sweep button’. Would the ‘chimney sweep button’ have something to do range-rating?...or can I assume that my Baxi424 doesn’t have ‘range-rating’ capability?

My boiler is due its annual service so if something needs tweeking I'll ask the engr to check/adjust if necessary.

No, your boiler is about a basic as they come, it can't be adjusted

 

[Laurence Harvey]

No, your boiler is about a basic as they come, it can't be adjusted

Is that a good or bad thing?....in as much as very little to go wrong?...My previous Potterton conventional boiler ran sweet as a nut for 25 years and hardly spent a penny on it in all that time. If my Baxi lasts that long I’ll be well pleased,...assuming I’m still around.

 

[Laurence Harvey]

I work for a manufacturer, would you like a suggestion for a biased source?

As I stated in my thread starter.."all replies gratefully received."

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

You won't be so impressed with that 424 when it breaks down outside the warranty period - they're extraordinarily expensive to repair.

What make/model boiler does your daughter have now? Has a heat loss calculation been done to determine the heat requirements for the property? If not, that's the first step. Look at www.heat-engineer.com for a good heat loss calculator. Can't recommend a boiler until we know what power is needed

I wonder if an heat loss calculator, might work even better, if there was some input from present actual annual consumption? I ran through the above calculator for my home - It came up with an annual Kwh some 20% higher than we actually used, with just the boiler, gas hob and double gas oven consuming gas - so the 20% high would be even more.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Is that a good or bad thing?....

The lower a boiler can modulate its output down, the more efficiently it will run once the demand has been matched. Being able to reduce it's heat output to low value, avoids it constantly cycling, plus that extra wear and tear of constantly firing up.

in as much as very little to go wrong?.

Yes, the less complex the boiler, the less there is to go wrong and the easier they are to fix when they do go wrong - but you pay for it in less comfort and extra gas consumption.

 

[Laurence Harvey]

I wonder if an heat loss calculator, might work even better, if there was some input from present actual annual consumption? I ran through the above calculator for my home - It came up with an annual Kwh some 20% higher than we actually used, with just the boiler, gas hob and double gas oven consuming gas - so the 20% high would be even more.

Gas approx 18,000Kwh per year.

 

[Mottie]

Yes, the less complex the boiler, the less there is to go wrong and the easier they are to fix when they do go wrong - but you pay for it in less comfort and extra gas consumption.

A bit like old cars Vs new cars then.

 

[Laurence Harvey]

The lower a boiler can modulate its output down, the more efficiently it will run once the demand has been matched. Being able to reduce it's heat output to low value, avoids it constantly cycling, plus that extra wear and tear of constantly firing up.



Yes, the less complex the boiler, the less there is to go wrong and the easier they are to fix when they do go wrong - but you pay for it in less comfort and extra gas consumption.

Thanks for that Harry;...could you please qualify how ‘less comfort’ would manifest itself?

 

[Laurence Harvey]

Are Vaillant much cop?....would this one fit the bill?...it mentions an array of menu parameters.

I don’t know anything about Vaillant boilers;...the last time I had any dealings with Vaillant is when I installed IT and data comms equipment in their Bradford-Euroway northern office,...many moons ago. Their boilers were probably coal fired back then.

https://www.directheatingsupplies.co.uk/vaillant-ecotec-plus-415-regular-boiler-0010015670

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Thanks for that Harry;...could you please qualify how ‘less comfort’ would manifest itself?

A much steadier temperature in the home. No wide excursions in temperature because the boiler has reached temperature and shut down. I have a modern Vaillant to which I added the Vaillant Ebus control system with outdoor sensor. Which means it can precisely match the demand for heat, without having to run flat out then off, then flat out again as the house cools down. It knows what the temperature is, knows what temperature you have set, brings it to the temperature and as it nears it, ramps itself gradually down so it doesn't overshoot, then just gently maintains that temperature.

We used to know when the old boiler fired up, by the creaking of the pipes as they expanded. That no longer happens, because the boiler can just tick-over gently, working at maximum efficiency. We can no longer tell how cold it is outside, by how often the creaking begins, we can only tell by either looking at the outdoor temperature, or feeling how warm the radiators are.

 

[bernardgreen]

The lower a boiler can modulate its output down, the more efficiently it will run

That is in dispute,

The constructional design of the air intake, fan, burner, combustion chamber, heat exchanger surface and flue will be optimised for one rate of burning. When a boiler is burning at a rate that is either lower or higher than the rate for which the construction was optimised then the boiler will not be as efficient as it is at the designed rate of burning.