Replacement boiler

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Good evening gentle folks,

I have currently an Alpha CB28 which is frankly getting a bit old. (Aren’t we all) It’s in need of another diverter valve as the radiators are heating when running the hot water. This would be its 4th, but the last one has lasted about 8 years. However I think it’s time it went.

I have had my regular plumber suggest a Glowworm Ultimate 30c and he has said it comes with a full 10 year warranty.

Size wise it’s got capacity, 30kw versus 28kw, so my question really is whether it’s a reliable practical unit.

Worcester Bosch may be a better brand, but unfortunately both my neighbour and son have had significant problems with their units, so much so that WorcsBosch have just replaced my sons and it seems to be developing the same faults, so despite the brand am a bit put off.

Suggestions and comments are welcomed.

Thank you all in advance, this forum previously helped me with a Hive fitting question for which I was grateful.

Cheers

Steve
 
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The GW will be OK, not the best but decent. I'd mark it down on having a fairly poor heat modulation range of 4:1 with a high minimum output of 6kW, the inability to configure it to run on the system it's fitted to, an aluminium heat exchanger which is inherently more sensitive to system water quality than something with stainless steel or copper waterways, and the fact that if you as a homeowner were to call them out under warranty they'd charge you £90 before attending (which you get back if they decide it is a warranty fault, but always the risk they won't refund it).

Good choice on avoiding WB. They aren't a better brand, they're just better at marketing. Spend millions of pounds a year on telling people you're the best, and they'll start to believe it.

Have a look at Intergas - my brand of choice over the last 8 years which I've had great success with. 12 year warranty on the Xclusive when fitted with the Intergas system filter, no pesky diverter valve to keep failing as they've designed it out, only 4 moving parts in total. Good modulation with a minimum output of 3.6kW (minimum output is important with combi boilers as it helps with heating system efficiency), compatible with high efficiency OpenTherm controls, large bore copper waterways inside the heat exchanger, all metal internals (a lot of "premium" brands use plastic and rubber instead of brass & copper now), and very well laid out internally for ease of maintenance.
 
Add me as an Intergas fan- very simple internals, very quiet, very flexible (can run open vent or pressurised, up to you)
 
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but still ( like some other boilers ) has that lump of aluminium to heat up before any heat can reach the DHW heating coil when a hot tap is turned on.
Yup. But I'll live with it. Once I get the bathroom finished I'll do some comparisons- cost to heat the thermal store (hot water via plate hex) Vs cost using combi water. Setup is kitchen & utility use combi hot, bathrooms use hex hot by default, can switch to combi
 
but still ( like some other boilers ) has that lump of aluminium to heat up before any heat can reach the DHW heating coil when a hot tap is turned on.
Yep, which takes very little time at all (and using the smart self-learning preheat isn't even necessary).
 
Hi,

Many thanks for the replies..... Our currentAlpha takes a long time to feed the hot tap, not least because it’s location is some distance, but a little intrigued that some combi’s take longer than others to supply the hot water? So any that are known to take longer are unlikely to be top of the list. So was that a de-merit for the Intergas.

We previously had a Vaillant combo which ate three heater matrixes, so not keen on them too....

Not heard of Intergas boilers before, I’ll have a look.

Steve
 
using the smart self-learning preheat

which I understand burns gas from time to time to keep the heat exchanger warm even when no heating or hot water is being called for.

The smart self-learning function apparently gets used to when hot water might be needed and turns on the gas to pre-heat the heat exchanger just in case hot water will be required.

Of course I could be wrong.......
 
which I understand burns gas from time to time to keep the heat exchanger warm even when no heating or hot water is being called for.

The smart self-learning function apparently gets used to when hot water might be needed and turns on the gas to pre-heat the heat exchanger just in case hot water will be required.

Of course I could be wrong.......
Think that's the plan, not used that feature-boiler is 4m pipe run from kitchen tap. OP to give you a clue, the thing fills a deep sink (not Belfast deep) from cold in 2 minutes, if you fill the sink it's at washing-up temperature (that's with dhw temp set at 50)
 
Hi,
So any that are known to take longer are unlikely to be top of the list. So was that a de-merit for the Intergas.

Not heard of Intergas boilers before, I’ll have a look.

Steve

No, they don't take longer, they're very quick. You can safely ignore Bernard's ramblings, he's not an installer nor an owner of an Intergas boiler (or indeed any combi boiler). Much of what he posts on here has either been extracted from Google or based on snippets of half-remembered information from previous threads.
 
Bernard's ramblings, he's not an installer nor an owner of an Intergas boiler

but I now know the ex-owner of an Intergas boiler, ( 5 years and then replaced by another make ) and installers tend to be biased as to which boiler ( manufaturer ) treats them best
 
but I now know the ex-owner of an Intergas boiler, ( 5 years and then replaced by another make ) and installers tend to be biased as to which boiler ( manufaturer ) treats them best


All of which goes to prove what, exactly?
 
Personally, i recommend and fit Ideal boilers. Preferably the Vogue model. Stainless steel heat exchanger as opposed to most with alu and 10-12 year warranty depending on who fits it. So far ive never had a Vogue go wrong on me.
 
Hi, so votes for Intergas and Ideal vogue, and the Glow Worm coming in as dependable but not the best? And definitely not WB the or Vaillant...

Thanks for your comments so far.

Steve
 

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