Cooker Boilers

[dunny]

Such as the Sandyford and Marshall ranges...

Are they any good as boilers??

Would you normally have them in addition to a CH boiler or instead of??

Thanks
D

PS - I am planning underfloor heating and mains pressure hot water

 

[Agile]

As far as I know they are not condensing boilers so less efficient.

They are a very expensive way to buy a heating boiler!

Condensing boilers are a very efficient way to heat an underfloor system.

Tony

 

[mairimc]

Can speak about the Marshall - have a marshall with boiler as well as cooker. Boiler is condensing, flued with plastic pipe. House is roasting. Cooker is great - I cook on Marshall as well, oil bills well down from traditional boiler, electric bill down as well - we are using less oil than we were when we had an oil boiler only for heating, never mind the cooking!!

 

[simond]

We fit the Heritage range of cookers, I have one at home and there are a fair few round here of ours.

They are made in Cornwall and are very quiet in operation, see www.heritagecookers.co.uk

 

[JPH/01]

IMHO, and a long time working as a service engineer there is no such thing as a good range cooker that also serves as a boiler.
They are a compromise appliance and do not perform either function well, they are inefficent and costly to maintain.

 

[crispins]

I am really interested in buying a Marshall cooker with a condensing boiler and would love to find out more. At the moment, we are have a boiler 35 years old and are using about 700l a month of oil to heat our 500year old 5 bed house. I want a cast iron range, but don't want it on all the time. The Marshall seems like a great idea, as will be able to replace the boiler and have the cooker too. And it would be neat to fit the boiler away in the cooker freeing up space.

BUT.. I have been advised that the old Alpha, which the Marshall replaces got extremely hot.
Also I don't know if the condensing boiler in the Marshall is as efficient as a regular condensing oil boiler.
My other concern is having someone to service it, and if Marshall goes out of business how will I get spares. Please, more advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

[simond]

With condensing boilers there is a lot more to go wrong. The presence of a corrosive substance inside the combustion chamber means that the boiler design has to be substantially changed.

You will find that a significant number of boiler-only manufacturers brought out products with limited lifespans. Some are still doing so.

Marshall, Sandyford and Rayburn all do condensing boilers inside range cookers. None of them have been in production for very long.

The Rayburn will have the best long term back up because they are part of the huge Aga Foodservice Group. Doesn't necessarily mean its the best product but they will be around.

Our preferred manufacturer, Heritage, have a number of trial condensing units out there but are doing reliability tests over a few years to see how their design copes. They are also a boiler installation company so know that adding condensing technology is not for the fainthearted. Ask Baxi Group!

Personally, I would not buy a condensing cooker/boiler just yet. I would either wait a few years or buy a top spec non condenser, some of these would be Band B Sedbuk if the Government had not artificially capped the rating for oil boilers.

The Alpha was not the most reliable cooker/boiler ever, however AGA Foodservice have bought the remnants of the company. I guess they can afford to, although our local agent is offering £1300 discounts at the moment

 

[crispins]

Thanks for the reply, useful information.
As we are doing up our kitchen and our boiler is so old, I really can't wait a few years.
Would it just be better to buy a separate boiler and a "dry" cooker range. If so would it be worth buying a cooker that did hot water too or just a cooker only. Which out of the single jet burning cooker do people recommend. I really don't want a Aga, the thought of having it on constantly seem quite crazy.
I have looked at the EST website on efficient oil boilers and they are all condensing, are these stand alone condensing boilers reliable yet. Am I right in thinking that I have to buy a condensing boiler if it is out of a stove?
Thanks again

 

[potshot]

We have got a Heritage range and they are brilliant - it has halved the oil bill from the old Rayburn and Trianco boiler and now does all the CH, hot water and cooking in a 4 bed house. We reckon at current oil prices it will pay for itself in 7 years through the savings in oil usage