Potterton Heatmax 28HE or Biasi Riva Advance 32HE

[deanbayley]

Hi guys, just wanting to know what you guys would go for between the Potterton Heatmax 28HE (£590 @ PTS) or Biasi Riva Advance 32HE (£599 @ B&Q)?

Got an old system boiler at the moment in the kitchen, installing the combi in the loft or bathroom, which location will give the best performance?

Also the current electric shower should be renamed an electric dribble, will buying a higher capacity boiler mean a faster flow rate (bigger pump?)

It's a 2 bed house btw..

Thanks..

Dean.[/list]

 

[middlesbrough]

Heatmax any day of the week

Heatmax is what the old baxi duotec was .

Its a no brainer , also check ideal logic + 5 yr warranty

 

[dodgydiycom]

You need a RGI through to door to have a boo and advise accordingly...a combi might not be an option. As to the make....standard of the install is all...the 'best' boiler can fail if the install is a bodge....lots of examples on here.

 

[deanbayley]

A friend who is a plummer is going to run the pipe work, the boiler will be fastened to an outside wall with no openings on it.. The boiler will be commissioned by an RGI (£100)..

Will it make a difference having the boiler in the loft or upstairs bathroom? Ultimately an RGI will ensure all regulations have been followed but for now I need to plan what's going where and how much it's going to cost..

Thanks for your replies thus far..

Dean..

 

[middlesbrough]

If its in the loft you will need pipe stat ,frost stat, permanant fixed loft ladders and a permanant light plus a walkway from loft hatch to boiler.
If you need to take the flue vertically that also adds to the cost.

Bathroom wood be a cheaper option and would keep ya pipe runs down asuming youve got a suitable location for it eg like an old cylinder cupboard

 

[deanbayley]

Hi Mbro,

Yeah just finished installing loft ladder literally 30 mins ago, (wooden pull down type), fixed light and loft board out is coming tommorow (already knew abt that from my mate)

He didn't mention frost or pipe stats, if I installed an air stat in the loft set to 5 degrees, would that be enough to ensure frost protection?

Flue is going straight through wall..

Would rather have in the loft as we can't use loft for anything usefull because of the roof design..

Thanks again.. Will get boiler on Monday..

 

[middlesbrough]

No you need both frost stat and pipe stat .

If you didnt buy the pipe stat when the boiler kicks in at 5c the who house will heat up by fitting the pipe stat it will switch off when the return pipe reaches 25-30c.


What make boiler are you getting ?

 

[muggles]

A friend who is a plumber is going to run the pipe work, the boiler will be fastened to an outside wall with no openings on it.. The boiler will be commissioned by an RGI (£100)..

Will it make a difference having the boiler in the loft or upstairs bathroom? Ultimately an RGI will ensure all regulations have been followed but for now I need to plan what's going where and how much it's going to cost..

Thanks for your replies thus far..

Dean..

Your plumber fried can't legally fit the flue or do any of the gas work, some people will also argue that he can't hang the boiler on the wall either. Have you actually found an RGI prepared to commission the boiler, or are you just assuming you can bung someone £100 to do it? If you have found someone, have you agreed exactly what your plumber friend can and cannot do? It's illegal to sign off someone else's work so the RGI will need to do the bits mentioned at the very least.

Are you sure a combi is the best option for you?

If the boiler's fitted in the loft it'll need a froststat and a pipestat as middlesborough has already suggested. You'll also need to think about where the condensate drainage pipework is going to run to. If you put it in the bathroom, it needs to be in its own cupboard, you can't just hang it on the wall.

 

[deanbayley]

Yes we have a RGI that has already installed 3 boilers for different members of our family.. We will hang the boiler and cut the flue hole and route the ch flow and return and DHW and cold feed and loop leaving him to run the gas supply..

Going to get the Potterton, read some mixed reviews on the Ideal.. Plus it's another £200..

I've talked with a lot of plummers including our RGI and they said the combi was definitely the way to go.. In what situation would I use a system boiler over a combi?

Dean..

 

[middlesbrough]

For a 2 bed house a combi is the obvious choice most of the time.

Biasi used to make the old ideal mini's , total bag of ****e.

New ideal logics are completley different , thats all ive been fitting at the moment with a 5 yr warranty.

Ideal independant range are cheaper and with a 2 yr warranty but are basically the same boiler.

 

[muggles]

Yes we have a RGI that has already installed 3 boilers for different members of our family.. We will hang the boiler and cut the flue hole and route the ch flow and return and DHW and cold feed and loop leaving him to run the gas supply..

Going to get the Potterton, read some mixed reviews on the Ideal.. Plus it's another £200..

I've talked with a lot of plummers including our RGI and they said the combi was definitely the way to go.. In what situation would I use a system boiler over a combi?

Dean..

You still need to ask him the direct question about whether he's happy for you to do most of the work, if you haven't already...

Didn't spot the size of your house, a combi should be fine provided your dynamic flow rate on your incoming mains is sufficient, you need to test this. Bear in mind you won't be able to use more than one hot water outlet at onto one time without them going cold, so for example if you have a washing machine that requires a hot supply you won't be able to have a shower while its on if you change your electric to a mixer, as the shower will go cold.

Search for Baxi Duotec reviews, as that's what the Heatmax is, then you'll see mixed reviews on that too, although not many. The which combi is best debate has been done on these forums many times, so I won't start it again here, but there's better kit out there, you just need to spend a.bit more.

 

[deanbayley]

That's always been my experience, if someone's having a shower don't flush the loo or use the taps or start the washer etc (even though the loo and washer use only cold they make the shower hotter)

Already asked him and he said asking as we don't cover anything we have changed he's fine with it..

Was looking at saving up for a £1,200 Worcester but loads of people said don't because they are unreliable..

My mum has one that's a few years old and it breaks all the time (and no I've never touched it, only RGI's)

 

[namsag]

As usual on here a simple question becomes a lecture for the poster.


Heat max is a good boiler and wont need additional frost stat if fitted in loft as it has one built in.

 

[transam]

Biasi made or have made some pretty reliable boilers in there day , how ever IMO , they are a lousey company to deal with !

So go for the Potty

 

[deanbayley]

Potterton it is then..

Thank you to everyone that has posted, will keep you guys updated on what happens..

Regards,
Dean.