HELP! I have recently been advised to upgrade my boiler from a back to a combi.I have had several prices ranging from £1400-£2600 depending on the boiler and the route of the gas supply pipe.Most installers favour a particular boiler and bad mouth other brands,can anyone give an honest opinion on a reliable make with a 5yr parts and labour g'tee in the middle range of brands i have also been told to get a boiler with a s/steel heat ex as the ally ones can erode quick,any constructive advice welcome. Some installers inc a powerflush some say not nessesary just add chemicals some say i must have trv's some not .
New combi boiler
- Thread starter caslau
- Start date
£1400 seems very cheap, I'd be wary of boiler for that price,
Viessmann and Vaillant are my preferred choice of boiler, I'd be looking at £2600 as a minus for back boiler conversion
Viessmann and Vaillant are my preferred choice of boiler, I'd be looking at £2600 as a minus for back boiler conversion
There is nothing significant to choose between an aluminium and stainless heat exchanger.
We only fit Worcester, Vaillant and Viessmann combis. Some we get 7 yrs on, the remainder, 5 yrs.
Powerflushing, done diligently, is your best insurance that your investment will be troublefree.
Your job will take at least three working days to do, so I think the upper end of your price scale is more realistic.
If heat exchangers were the important bit, the Viessmann is very well made. However, combi boiler is the sum of its parts, and frankly hardly any fail because of primary heat exchanger failures.
Which brings me to Intergas and Atmos. These claim to be potentially more reliable due to less moving parts. This has been done before by a variety of manufacturers including Worcester Bosch and Ferroli, and later dropped. Whatever you think of the design, bear in mind there is no service team for these units, they rely on the installer supporting you thereafter. So you are relying on both the importer and installer for warranty.
We only fit Worcester, Vaillant and Viessmann combis. Some we get 7 yrs on, the remainder, 5 yrs.
Powerflushing, done diligently, is your best insurance that your investment will be troublefree.
Your job will take at least three working days to do, so I think the upper end of your price scale is more realistic.
If heat exchangers were the important bit, the Viessmann is very well made. However, combi boiler is the sum of its parts, and frankly hardly any fail because of primary heat exchanger failures.
Which brings me to Intergas and Atmos. These claim to be potentially more reliable due to less moving parts. This has been done before by a variety of manufacturers including Worcester Bosch and Ferroli, and later dropped. Whatever you think of the design, bear in mind there is no service team for these units, they rely on the installer supporting you thereafter. So you are relying on both the importer and installer for warranty.
The make and model quoted to me is an Alpha cdx28 with a 5yr g'tee (2yrs by manufacter and 3yrs by installer).That is the £1400 price inc 7 trv's powerwash and inhibitor.The £2600 is a WB greenstar 26 junior NO trv's but inc powerwash rads individually and add an inhibitor.I just find it very confusing and a difference of £1200 is a lot of money to me (a months take home pay not one days earnings lol)
The Alpha is seen as a cheaper boiler although I thought the maker gave a five year cover.
The Intergas is supported by independent service agents ( although Simon prefers to discount any maker who uses them ). However, they are the most cost effective way to provide local cover on a pay as you go without the overheads of full time employed engineers as Worcester do.
Its better to go for a better quality boiler like the Vaillant, Viessmann, Intergas and possibly Worcester although the Junior is their economy model. Biasi M269 is a very reasonably priced and reliable model.
Its essential to fit a new boiler to a new system. Power flushing is good but not the only way to clean a system properly. Its all down to the installer and how much effort and skill he applies!
Tony
The Intergas is supported by independent service agents ( although Simon prefers to discount any maker who uses them ). However, they are the most cost effective way to provide local cover on a pay as you go without the overheads of full time employed engineers as Worcester do.
Its better to go for a better quality boiler like the Vaillant, Viessmann, Intergas and possibly Worcester although the Junior is their economy model. Biasi M269 is a very reasonably priced and reliable model.
Its essential to fit a new boiler to a new system. Power flushing is good but not the only way to clean a system properly. Its all down to the installer and how much effort and skill he applies!
Tony
Hate alpha and worcestor
Ask whoever turns up to give a you a quote which manufacturers give the best freebees to the installer and you realise why they recommend that particular brand. As the old saying goes, "Points make prizes" 
An approved Atmos and Intergas installer and you'll love him/her forever.
An approved Atmos and Intergas installer and you'll love him/her forever.
Until they go bust
The guy quoting £2600 for a worcester junior is a chancer don't have
anything to do with him.
anything to do with him.
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Tony,
Are you saying that if a boiler needs replacing then all of the existing copper piping under floorboards and through floors to different levels of a house supplying radiators and hot water system should be replaced at the same time?
Can a new boiler not be installed as a replacement for the old boiler into the existing heating and hot water circuits or is that a dangerous or bad practice?
Jack
C
compheat
Cheapo junior and a quote of £2600 I don't think so. Boiler flue and timer all in £900 for a 28kW one. So what is the £1700 going on? Especially if another quote was only £1400.
Nice work if you can get it. You can probably get away with it in London.
But not around where I live.
Guy across the road took up a quote for a Valliant combi conversion. £1300 all in.
Do you think that the cheaper quote£1400 is fair. After expenses the fitter says he will make about £450-£500 which he reckons is a good pay for 2-3 days of work.
Obviously a typo.
Depends on the boiler he was quoting.
If he was quoting a cheap £500 boiler then £1400 was reasonable.
for a conversion to a combi system.
I suppose we are all guilty of pricing according to the job and if we
want it or not.
If the job is difficult and awkward or we think the customer is going
to be trouble then the price goes up.
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