Is the Vaillant ecoTec Plus Combination Boiler suitable ??

[diy2010]

I apologoise for the waffle but would really appreciate advice from those that know.

We have typcial 70's 4 bed detached house with warm air - just had BG and an independent heating company quote to install new wet system and now really confused. We have good water pressure.

BG suggest traditional open vented system - they said that combi cannot supply hot water as good and that it can take a long time to provide hot water in the summer when the heating is not on and the boiler is cold.

Independent company suggested combi based on Vaillant ecoTec Plus Combi Boiler 837 boiler - they said water would be fine and we could remove the hot water cylinder and water storage tank to give more room.

The combi option is attractive but I have a number of questions:

(1) Is the combi arrangement recommended for our type house or should we really be keeping a hot water tank (1 bathroom with shower, 1 cloakroom, 1 kitchen, 1 utility room). Does it take ages for the hot water to come through?

(2) Are the valliant boilers any good

(3) Water pressure is out of my control - I guess it could change in the future and stop the heating working as well.

Thank you very much indeed.

 

[kevindgas]

don't see any reason why it shouldn't be ok
if your local to Southampton we would be happy to quote you for the job. we use 831/837's predominently

 

[kevindgas]

BG suggest traditional open vented system - they said that combi cannot supply hot water as good and that it can take a long time to provide hot water in the summer when the heating is not on and the boiler is cold.

LMAO !!
nobody installs open vent systems any more - sealed system either with a combi or a heat only boiler.

a system or heat only boiler would reheat a 36x18 standard cylinder in under 25 minutes from cold - hardly a long time.

they probably quote over 4K as well!

 

[diy2010]

Thanks for the info.

Maybe I have this wrong - BG said we need to keep the cold water tank, hot water cylinder AND ADD A HEADER TANK - I assumed this is open vent system.

So, the options are combi with just the boiler and no other tanks or sealed heat where we keep the hot water cylinder.

KevinDGas we are on the Island.

 

[kevindgas]

don't cover the isle of wight sorry!!

 

[mickyg]

Maybe the BG sales rep doesn't trust the BG installers not to leave leaks. If installing a system from scratch, there is not one good reason to install a vented system heating system. As long as the water pressure is adequate I'd say the ecotec quote is more sensible and I'd hazard a guess cheaper and with a quality product. I would just be aware that if you wanted at any time to run 2 hot water outlets at the same time it would just about manage but not with any great force.

 

[diy2010]

BG have maintained our warm air system for the past 10 years and have been very good (although nothing has ever gone wrong) but I WOULD NEVER USE THEM TO INSTALL A NEW SYSTEM. They were not interested in what we actually wanted - they simply told us the boiler will HAVE to go here, we will run pipes here, etc - everything for their convenience - they had no interest in what we wanted and treated us like total idiots. They quoted 6.5K, then dropped to 5.5K, and finally asked what we were prepared to pay - but at no time were they prepared to tell us what we would be buying in the way of radiator sizes, positions, etc.

However, the dilema is that we like the idea of combi but worry about the pressure at the taps, we are happy to go with sealed system with water cylinder but another suppier tells us the boilers are unreliable - everybody seems to have a different opinion - I guess you just have to find somebody with good references who you trust and go with their recommendation - right this minute we are thinking of keeping the warm air as it is all just too much hassle.

 

[kevindgas]

However, the dilema is that we like the idea of combi but worry about the pressure at the taps, we are happy to go with sealed system with water cylinder but another suppier tells us the boilers are unreliable -

the ecotec 624 / 630 are as reliable as the 831/837 as they are the same unit without the water section.

 

[AfterburN003]

It is my experience that when an existing bathroom is fed of off storage(ie. tank fed) , BG want to fit an open vent system to save changing bathroom from storage to mains water. generally this is because of leaks due to addedwater pressure. TBH i have done it a hundred times and had no real problems apart from the oddfibre washer to replace in a tap adapter.