Replacing a combi

[terry999]

Live in a smallish 3 bed house.

UPSTAIRS
Have a simple mains fed gas water heater upstairs - brilliant it has lasted for at least 20years - no electronics in it at all. It just supplies the upstairs bathroom only.

DOWNSTAIRS
An Ideal combi response 80 was installed 10yrs ago, for the new central heating (whole house) and provides hot water for the kitchen and sink in bathroom downstairs.

Reading posts here I see how bad combi's are. There is a possibility to get the water heater upstairs to supply the whole house and fit a central heating only boiler. The disadvantage is it wouldn't be able to use water downstairs and upstairs at the same time. But would this be more reliable? What are the pros and cons of this?

Out of interest current Combi problem is:
EveryDay for last few months find the pressure guage reads zero, can find no evidence of a leak. So I top it up by smallest amount (0.2 bar pressure reading) to get the burner to fire. Once it gets 3.0 bar+ the expansion chamber starts to leak - so can have CH on for 40 mins at a time before it starts to leak.

Last 2 fixes by Ideal; replaced low water pressure switch and they added an extra thermostat.

Thanks Terry

 

[Dan Robinson]

You need a new expansion vessel.

Look at the Atmos InterCombi.

 

[terry999]

Apparently would be expensive - because whole boiler would have to be taken off to fit - also at 10 yrs old I would change it and next year something else would go wrong. I've spent more on this combi than on my wife!!

Never had CH before, but mate's house as a CH boiler only - not Combi and has never had probs.

 

[Dan Robinson]

You don't necessarily have to take it off the wall.

And you could fit one elsewhere.

How much you have spent on it is relative to your missus - pics always welcome

Oh, forgot to mention last time, your pressure sensor is clogged again if it is not tripping at 0.2 bar.

 

[nicknox]

The Ideal Response is a terrible boiler but the expansion vessel if I remember rightly is on the right hand side and easy to change, but if its 10 years old you've been very lucky with yours

 

[AndrewMillward]

Expansion vessell may just need topping up. If it does check the prv isnt damaged.

 

[Dan Robinson]

The Ideal Response is a terrible boiler but the expansion vessel if I remember rightly is on the right hand side and easy to change, but if its 10 years old you've been very lucky with yours

I didn't mind them - although we have on or two problematic ones...

Far better than Potterton and the like.

They were let down by some basic design floors.

 

[terry999]

The Ideal Response is a terrible boiler but the expansion vessel if I remember rightly is on the right hand side and easy to change, but if its 10 years old you've been very lucky with yours

Guys as you may have guessed I've know nothing about CH. Managed do without (until I got married). Glad to say marriage has been far more pleasant experience than CH.

Its on RHS - but close to wall I guess thats why must come off.

Last time my regular Service Guy couldn't fix it - so didn't charge me. Advised me to call Ideal out, they came out twice and it cost £180!!


I've had enough of her (the combi that is), and will change it - actually would like to take a tree branch to it a la Basil Faulty.

Is it worth me getting another combi? Atmos InterCombi
Or
Getting hot water for whole house from My super reilable main medway heater and replacing combi with a Heating only boiler?

 

[Agile]

Managed do without (until I got married). Glad to say marriage has been far more pleasant experience than CH.

I suppose getting married is one way to end "doing without" !

Your boiler is now 10 years old and it was never a good one!

Have you been married for as long as you have had the boiler?

I know a lady who has had one of those boilers which has never given any trouble apart from a slight leak from the mains water connection which was so easy to fix I didnt charge her. Never serviced either! Her Ideal boiler is still going strong but her ideal husband died last year.

Tony