To buy or not to buy? The same old question!

Joined
25 Feb 2004
Messages
87
Reaction score
0
Country
United Kingdom
Guys,

Thanks for the advice regarding a Main Trent water heater in one of my rented properties. I've decided to bite the bullet and replace the water heater and the CH boiler with a condensing combi.

I've looked at the posts on this site in great detail and think I have a choice of 2....

25kW Riva Compact Combi Boilers High Efficiency Condensing (HE) £458

Baxi Potterton 24HE Gas Condensing Combi Boiler £515

Both include a timer and flue.

The views of you guys will help me bite the bullet and by either of these or something else within the price boundaries.

Once again many thanks,

Terry
 
Sponsored Links
As you are looking at prices I would say Baxi not sure what others think
 
Thanks for the response, price is an issue unfortunately because I realise that this reduces the choice.

Am I also right in thinking that the Main 24HE condensing boiler is just the Baxi Potterton rebaged? I know when the heating engineer I use located a replacement thermostat for my Main water heater it was produced by Baxi Potterton.

Terry
 
I dont blame landlords for using the cheapest kit and as a landlord myself I know that tenants have a habit of moving out and taking the combi with them, or selling it to recover moving costs, loss of bond cos they trashed the house etc.
I am doing a lot of stuff for lots of different landlords lately. I dont want or have time for the install work just the LGSC's and repairs.

Most of the ones that seem to be going in at the moment in order of my preference are:
Heatline Vizo
Biasi ... Usually the 24s/m96
Main 24.... and to hell with the HE bit 9 times out of 10

I'm not saying they don't have faults but I am saying that I haven't seen any on the Heatline Vizo's yet. I would vote it the landlords favourite boiler of the moment very closely followed by the Biasi.
Every Main 24 I have seen so far has had a fault.
The good thing about the Main from a Landlord point of view is that they look very basic and not worth pinching but they do need to get their build quality up there with the boyos before I would consider one.

The above applies to landlords with properties at the cheaper end of the market only. Anyone else I would advise only on what not to buy
 
Sponsored Links
It does depend on your tenant population. I only have two flats, so no big landlord, but I waited 6 months for the right tenant last time I had a void. (Having had the drug dealers etc I determined to wait for this sweet simple guy from Church to switch landlords to me, it worked, I should have a safe tenant for his life, low rent of course, it's not about short term gain).

Long story but relevant. For this tenant I would fit a Buderus. Would cost me twice what the above listed boilers cost. At the moment he juat has a Eurocombi which I fitted new in '98, but I can't seem to get it to fail completely, it's a pain in the rear but no absolute fatal faults.

My other teneant, a friends dear old mum, friend sof above mentioned drug dealers used to inhabit her flat. Anyhow she's also as good as gold, when her Ideal Vulcan started boiling itself to death and I couldn't get the stat out to change it, I said Oh to hell with it, and put her a Buderus 500-24c in. Playing the long game this is the right choice.

For your cheap boiler choice consider the Sabre 25he it's actually a Vokera Compact, but much cheaper. Local Vokera rep has given me a deal to stop me using them, but it's your best bet. mrcentralheating.com is where you get them.

Vokera haven't yet learned how to make a pigs ear, I expect they'll get one sooner or later, but this boiler isn't it. I've fitted at least 30 in as many weeks and not a single problem, in any way shape or form. I have enormous confidence in them because of the pedigree of the boiler they are based upon, the original Linea, but without the dodgy knobs.
 
Am I right in thinking that I should avoid the Main boiler (and therefore the Baxi Potterton one as well)?

The Biasi seems to be popular be populr amoung some of you.

Paul, I'll call Mr Central Heating to get an idea of the cost of the Sabre 25HE by itself?

By the way the tenant will be in there long time as he's my brother!
 
By the way the tenant will be in there long time as he's my brother!

You didn't tell me that!

Your brother deserves better so the non 'slum landlord' scenario applies.
Get him a boiler that is at least 28 Kw
Don't buy a Glow Worm or anything French


Main - Baxi - Potterton are like
Skoda - VW - Audi

Also many Ideal boilers are the same as Biasi According to the guy from biasi theres a £10 price Difference between the biasi 24/28s and the ideal mini HE when they leave the same factory with different badges on.
Dont quote me on this but I think the Ideal gets a 6m head pump compared to the 5m
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Back
Top