Do Heat Only Boilers Last As Long As They Used To?

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Rightly or wrongly modern boilers, especially combis, come in for criticism from some quarters.

Heat only boilers are a bit more technical these days, what with electronics and condensing. It isn't unusual to hear of heat only boilers still going strong after thirty years, like my Concord WRS.

Will the heat only boilers being installed today still be around in 30 years time, or have we sacrificed durability at the expense of squeezing a bit more heat out of the gas that is burnt?

Also, if in the near future I had to replace my heat only, what boiler would give me the least trouble and hopefully the longest life?
 
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im afraid they maybe more efficient to run.but id bet against,for instance a baxi 552 against a gloworm hxi.on the reliability stakes.personally if i were to go for a heat only boiler.it would have to be the viessmann open vent or the glowworm hxi.
 
I think the biggest problem with modern boilers will be obsolesence, most have unique parts (no universal thermocouples!) which will become unavailible a few years after the next new model comes out- so all you ICOS/ISAR owners look out ;)
 
Nothing wrong with modern suprima or the glow worm ,theres not much to them apart from the heat engine .
 
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The concord WRS is just a big iron kettle really. There's not a lot of subtlety to them. They've been good in their day, but I wouldn't mourn one being retired as by todays standards they are gas chompers. The first ten minutes is spent heating the vast chunk of iron they call a heat exchanger.

Will new heat only's last as long? I doubt it, but my alloy H/E Ideal Turbo2 condenser is 17 years old, so just over half way there. Even so its not that clever compared with some of the latest heat only's. I happen to quite like the Viessman Compact in heat only form

Alfredo
 
The old cast iron boilers are very inefficient compared with modern low water content boilers.

Yesterday I replaced a diverter valve in a 14 y.o. Ravenheat boiler. It should go for another six years and with a copper heat exchanger its fairly efficient although let down by the permanent pilot.

I also maintain an old Vaillant combi that is about 27 years old.

Does anyone remember the Austin 1100 ? They were fun to drive and quite economical but very unreliable and rusted badly. Its years since I saw one in the UK but there is one still being used daily in Bulawayo!

Tony
 
You can buy a condensing heat only boiler today that was first in production in 1982.

It's expensive, large and ugly but time has shown it will last as long as your Concord WRS.

It is called a Kidd VHE, and is available from 28kw upwards. I have one in my house, they are made near Devizes - near to the OP!
 

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