Is the Potterton Performa 24 HE a good boiler.

[DIYSparky]

Hi,
I am putting in a new boiler in a two bedroom flat, 5 radiators, 1 towel warmer, 1 bathroom.

A plumber whose quoting for the work has said he'll give me a great deal if I have a Potterton Performa 24 HE as he can get them cheaply from his supplier at the moment.

Looking through the forums there have been a few specefic problems raised against these boilers and so i wondered if any of you experienced plumbers out there had any comments to make on whether or not this is a decent boiler.

The intention is to rent the flat out so I am more interested in relaibility than energy efficiency.

As a guide, he can install this Potterton £500 cheaper than the Vaillant ecoTEC plus 831.

Any comments gladly received.

Thanks,
Aaron

 

[Agile]

I am not a plumber!

The Potty boiler is cheaper than a Vaillant. Most consider its of lesser quality.

For a rented property I would suggest a Viessmann with a 5 year guarantee when fitted by an approved installer.

A long warrantee would be very good for you but the most important aspect is if the system is properly cleaned ( power flushed ) and the the installer guarantees the system againat any problems from dirt.

Tony

 

[DIYSparky]

Thanks Tony! It's £350 extra for a power flush so I will be doing that.
Any other comments anyone?

 

[Agile]

As its the installers responsibility to clean the system before fitting any new boiler it should always be included in the installation price.

Its not optional!

However, the cleaning required depends on how dirty the system is and thats in the judgement of the installer who should advise you accordingly.

I see many broken down boilers where the owner refused to pay for it to be power flushed and the installer just says "I told you so" when the owner complains its not working.

The quality of power flushing also depends on how its done and what chemicals are used. I have seen one carefully power flushed for a whole day with the wrong techniques and chemicals which had been a waste of time. Luckily the installer was very helpful and non abusive and took my advice on how to do it properly and then did it again.

Tony

 

[DIYSparky]

Thanks Tony. He does strongly recomended it and I'm going to.

With regards the many broken down boilers that you see... how do Pottertons compare? Do they seem to be more likely to break down / less likely or about the same as the average? Do they go for years or is it quite rare to see one over 10 years old?

It's very difficult to get statistics on boiler reliability, I guess the nature of the problem is that they are around for so many years its difficult for someone like WHICH to test them accuartely.

I understand British Gas only sell Vaillant, Baxi, Worcester and Potterton as they say they are most reliable... however they dont release there data....

 

[gas4you]

If you have a bath in the bathroom as opposed to just a shower, then don't go for the 24. You will need to have a 28Kw at least.

Personally I wouldn't fit a Potterton, but there are loads about, mainly because they are given away with cornflakes

 

[DIYSparky]

Thanks for your comments. There is a bath with a shower over the top... Why do you think this means I need a 28kw at least? Is it because it will take 2 weeks to fill the bath or is there another reason?

 

[baxpoti]

Personally I wouldn't fit a Potterton, but there are loads about, mainly because they are given away with cornflakes

Now Now

 

[gas4you]

Thanks for your comments. There is a bath with a shower over the top... Why do you think this means I need a 28kw at least? Is it because it will take 2 weeks to fill the bath or is there another reason?

Yes, mainly in the winter when the cold mains is colder.

Sorry Bax

 

[kevplumb]

point to bear in mind ANY boiler is only as good as the installation

 

[gas4you]

Unfortunately though, many a cheap boiler is fitted by those who cut corners to make the whole job even cheaper

 

[kevplumb]

Unfortunately though, many a cheap boiler is fitted by those who cut corners to make the whole job even cheaper

which is why the sheds shouldnt be able to sell them

rant over

 

[BingoBongo]

tony ive been fitting viessman for a while now but the last 1 chucked it after 3 days on a friday night.

the customer service was terrible,they said the couldnt get any1 out til
tuesday

didnt phone the customer as promised and after phoning the rep umpteen times finally got sum1 to cum out between 5-7 on monday night

phoned rep back when no1 had appeared by 8 and i quote
"thats the heating game your in"

finally got ther at 8.30 and changed the pcb

take it the new models pcb is the same as the last.

oh and ther 24hour 365 call call centre is an answer machine that says our
opening hours are9-5 blah blah

every boiler can break down,its how they respond to it and from now on
ill be giving worcester a second chance

for the cheaper end ferroli are throwing in an off the shelf 5 year guarenteee i

 

[DIYSparky]

So from the comments I'm assuming that a "Potterton Performa 24 HE" is an OK boiler but not the best. I'm assuming its fairly reliable as no one has said that it's crap. But its even more important to make sure I get a good installer ....and in Winter the tennants of the flat can expect to wait a long time if they want a bath.
Thanks for your comments, much appreciate them.

 

[gas4you]

That just about sums up all the posts