Replacement Combi Boiler

[wibbit]

Hello All

I recently moved in to an ex-council property, that has it's own central heating system, I've been having problems with it over the last few months, and as such am looking to replace it.

At the moment I have a Potterton Performa 28i, however was hoping to find a smaller unit, so as not to take up quite as much space in the kitchen near the window (horrible horrible location).

Does any one have any suggestions on physically small combi boilers?

Thanks in advance.

 

[gordy13]

I,m no authority but i have an Ideal C24 mini combo boiler, have a look and see.

Hope this helps.

 

[Rob]

not many combi boilers much smaller than performas. if it bothers you that much then consider having it moved to a different location. get a good quality boiler rather than one which suits cosmetic reasons

 

[wibbit]

Thanks for the quick responses, it would appear that the mini boiler is only a few CM's in each direction smaller (which is still nice to know), however, it wasn't the substantial reduction I was hoping for

Regarding moving it, unfortunatley being in a block of flats the options are very limited as to where it can go

Leaving aside physical dimensions, what sort of recommendations for a boiler would people make?

Are there any features or gotcha's that I should look out for? I am very new to this, so havn't got a clue.

 

[Paul Barker]

There are many features and gotchas, the worst gotchas accompany the small boilers and the best features accompany the large ones.

But what do I know, as one of my customers said to me, you're a plumber, of course you like the look of your boiler. I don't. So I fitted her an Ideal boiler to meet her cosmetic needs and she will live with the consequences.

 

[simond]

If you must have an Ideal Mini, why not buy the cheaper and near identical Biasi instead? Is it wickes or B&Q that sell them?

 

[Slugbabydotcom]

You know ... Some people think we fit boilers to keep their houses warm.
Well they aint looking at it right. They have houses to keep our boilers dry!

Well I wouldnt dream of ripping out a Performa to put anything in but you are the man with the money so you do what you like with it

Just a suggestion to go with all the others but THIS might do the job

 

[wibbit]

Thanks for all the helpful replies all.

It looks as though people seem to feel that the Performa range is in it's own right a good model to have, so I will probably go with a new one of those.

Just to clarify or re-emphasize a point.

The current boiler is knackared, and we need a new one.

I am not looking to just swap out the boiler because I don't like how it looks.

 

[Slugbabydotcom]

Whats knackered about it?

Who says it cant be fixed?

Performa's aren't that old and unless you have been giving it a hard time there shouldnt be that much wrong with it.

Those who fit and dont know how to fix boilers say that they are knackered so that they can have the big expensive job of replacing it.

 

[wibbit]

Whats knackered about it?

After summer, I had to call out a plummer, due to the heating not working, it turned out to be due to the valve that controls whether it is the heating that is heater, or the hot water.
After a bit of fiddling (hitting it mainly), it was unstuck, and the heating started to work.

However, I am now in a position where I can only heat one radiator at a time.

As I switch off radiators further away from the pump, they will heat up, however if all valves are left open, then only the radiator closest to the heater works. I can only put this down to a failing pump, as I believe I have ruled out blockages.

I have done some searching on the net, and for the life of me I can't find the same model pump as that wich is used in my model, and I am not comfortable picking up another one, and hoping it works.

Who says it cant be fixed?

Performa's aren't that old and unless you have been giving it a hard time there shouldnt be that much wrong with it.

I have only been in the property for a year, at the time of moving in, I was told that the boiler was around 6 years old, if the Performa's are not that old a model, may be I was misslead. However, I do not know how it was treated before moving in.

Those who fit and dont know how to fix boilers say that they are knackered so that they can have the big expensive job of replacing it.

Isn't that always the case?

In addition we DO want to move the boiler from one area of the house to another (bathroom to kitch), and considering the cost of the work, and the possible ago for the boiler (plus the problems of late), I was considering just replacing it.

 

[dan the man]

Id clean all the system and bang a remeha in. awsome boiler and small too.

up to 18 ltrs a min if u want it.

 

[JohnD]

...As I switch off radiators further away from the pump, they will heat up, however if all valves are left open, then only the radiator closest to the heater works. I can only put this down to a failing pump, as I believe I have ruled out blockages...

Have you balanced it? Has it got TRVs?

A new pump is not very expensive, and on a newish system where the pump valves have not seized yet, is not difficult to replace.

 

[joe-90]

It would seem to me that you need to sort out what's wrong with this boiler before you buy a new one. I would guess that the cause of your problem is either a pump that is failing or your pipes and rads are full of magnetite (that won't simply wash away). If you just go ahead and change your boiler - you may find that the fault is still there when you fire it up.

 

[wibbit]

Id clean all the system and bang a remeha in. awsome boiler and small too.

What is a remeha? I had a quick look on the definitions page, and there was nothing mentioned.

With regards to cleaning, when I was checking to make sure there were no air bubles, I recycled about 10 litre's of water, and there was no disculouration at all, so I'm assuming that it is clean?

up to 18 ltrs a min if u want it.

It's not a bad boiler, pity about the rest of the house )

 

[wibbit]

...As I switch off radiators further away from the pump, they will heat up, however if all valves are left open, then only the radiator closest to the heater works. I can only put this down to a failing pump, as I believe I have ruled out blockages...

Have you balanced it? Has it got TRVs?

Nope, none of the radiotors have their own thermostats, the hot water gets to all radiators, one at a time, but not all at once (or even three at a time, there are 4).

When you say balancing, do you mean some thing along the lines of the following "restricting the flow of water through the radiators (more restricted closer to the pump), using one of the valves on the radiator, and gradually opening them up the further away from the radiator you go".
If so, in the past, this has not been a problem, so I am not sure why it would be now?

If balancing was some thin else, then I am not sure what you mean :/

A new pump is not very expensive, and on a newish system where the pump valves have not seized yet, is not difficult to replace.

I had a look at the pump, and where it is, and I think I could almost certainly replace it with out too much trouble, however, I spent about 2 hours searching on the net for the pump, and I couldn't find it any where :/

I found one very close UPS 15/60, however, I need UP 15-60 A0 and for the life of me could not find it.

I don't particularly want to pay for a plumer to come in and do it for me.