Replacing old Baxi floorstanding boiler with a HE Combi

ALEC1 · 14 Jul 2012

you have to compare usage like for like...thats hours, and temperatures indoor and outside....thats not always easy...

On several occasions I have upgraded on-off controls to compensation controls and clients have reported savings of up to 20%...

hammerswinger · 14 Jul 2012

Fair enough but if the new boiler is 20% more efficient you would still expect to see some saving.

Unfortunately the boiler we have Potterton Gold (don't Laugh) doesn't have provisions for compensation control.

I would be very very surprised if tahir2 managed to achieve the 30% saving that he's basing his calculations on.

Cheers.

ALEC1 · 14 Jul 2012

condensing technology is poorly understood in this country...in part because we do so little research and product development...and the gas bills are still relatively small as we have so many small heating systems.. nevertheless any saving on every gas boiler would be significant...

Compensation controls are more expensive...

tahir2 · 14 Jul 2012

I have a cunning plan to achieve the 30% saving, one day out of 3 the boiler gets turned off at the electrics. That'll learn it!

It seems the best thing I can do is get some thermostat valves for the radiators and get the boiler serviced for now.

A local trade plumbing outfit has been trying to sell me a Biasi Riva Plus HE 28 and another a Potterton Gold advising after the 2 year warranty get it insured by BG - bless them!

When I first moved into the property (late last year) an experienced gas engineer advised I should keep my Baxi boiler as these old things run and run whereas the newer stuff isn't up to much build quality wise.

I am officially more clueless now than when I started my pondering ... perhaps the itch to spend not so inconsiderable monies on retiring a perfectly functional boiler is best left unscratched??

ALEC1 · 14 Jul 2012

One of the condensing boilers I look after is 12 years old, and has compensation controls..its only had a couple of electrodes, more preventative than out of need...

Its installed as the design engineers intended...I have no doubt that it will easily do another three years probably another 5....

On the basis that everyone wants cheap manufacturesr cut corners in the UK...one of the corners is training....draw your own conclusions....

hammerswinger · 14 Jul 2012

We only replaced our boiler because of the scrappage scheme that came along, a friend of mine who is gas safe registered fitted it for me at cost so I ended up getting the boiler cheap.

I believe that in the near future our homes will have some sort of tax imposed on them based on their it's energy efficiency rating, maybe this will be added to your council tax or something but one thing is for sure it will end up costing us.

I would advise you to keep a look out for deals offered to replace old boilers...you never know they may reintroduce the scrappage scheme.

Cheers.

onlyfitidealboilers · 15 Jul 2012

hammerswinger said:
Fair enough but if the new boiler is 20% more efficient you would still expect to see some saving.

Unfortunately the boiler we have Potterton Gold (don't Laugh) doesn't have provisions for compensation control.

I would be very very surprised if tahir2 managed to achieve the 30% saving that he's basing his calculations on.

Cheers.

Ever heard you get what you pay for?! Should of had a vaillant

hammerswinger · 15 Jul 2012

Well so far this Potterton has outperformed my mates Vaillant that was fitted a month later, so far he's had a new expansion vessel and the valve block had to be replaced as one of the plastic pipes had cracked!

Why do installer love Vaillants so much...do you get a free T-shirt or something for fitting them

Dan Robinson · 15 Jul 2012

Vaillant sponsored the weather for a while... so everyone likes them.

You are I am afraid giving advise based on next to no useful knowledge. Not least because you own a Potterton; but also because it is obvious it has not been installed and used as it should (well, change the word "installed" with "specified").

Your bills probably haven't changed, but in reality that could mean a real terms saving of 30%+.

Now, to the OP. Your boiler.... certainly don't replace it for the sake of it. Get a THOROUGH strip down service done by some one who knows what they are doing (NOT British Gas) and ascertain the condition of the flue and burners. These are no doubt unavailable as spares and are likely to be close to their end of life.

If all is well proceed as above by sorting all the other things first. They will be an investment anyway.

But don't flog a dead horse unless it has a good number of furlongs left in it.

macfudd · 15 Jul 2012

Tahir,try and get hold of a boiler thermostat for your particular model of boiler,if that goes you may have no choice but to replace it,If you can get the GC number or the model I`m sure some good natured soul on here can point you in the right direction,also check which gas valve it uses and whether they`re still readily available and keep getting it serviced regularly ofc.

ALEC1 · 15 Jul 2012

I don't like vaillant boilers because they sponsor the weather...correctly installed they are great boilers...but they do need the compensation controls to make them efficient!

Hammerswinger... the contract valiant is practically made of plastic...thats where your mate went wrong!

Agile · 15 Jul 2012

Dan_Robinson said:
Vaillant sponsored the weather for a while... so everyone likes them.

Just as well they are not sponsering the current weather!

But here in France, in spite of a poor forecast its sunny and about 20 C at the moment.

We have about 20 coming to lunch today but thats going to be on the covered patio where we can sit and watch the rain all around us.

Tony

ALEC1 · 15 Jul 2012

How the rich live Tony... it must be that fat BBC pension!

hammerswinger · 15 Jul 2012

Dan_Robinson said:
You are I am afraid giving advise based on next to no useful knowledge. Not least because you own a Potterton; but also because it is obvious it has not been installed and used as it should (well, change the word "installed" with "specified").

Your bills probably haven't changed, but in reality that could mean a real terms saving of 30%+....

I was expressing my own personal findings which are that the 20% (minimum) more efficient boiler wasn't saving us any money. (I compared gas usage not bill price)

hammerswinger said:
Unfortunately the boiler we have Potterton Gold (don't Laugh) doesn't have provisions for compensation control.

I stand corrected, apparently there is a weather compensation kit available

http://www.potterton.co.uk/1053.htm

Fitting & setting instructions:
http://www.baxiknowhow.co.uk/assets/Weather_compensation_kit_installer_guide.pdf

Cheers.

Dan Robinson · 15 Jul 2012

I shall stand very partially corrected... But you measuring the kW's only confirms my statement, or proves that you are not using the boiler properly

.

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Replacing old Baxi floorstanding boiler with a HE Combi

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