Which combi boiler, that is the question?

[fracmo2000]

I've got an old Glow-worm boiler that's been in the flat (2 bedroom flat/1 bathroom) since it was built (80's style). Its so bad that I've saved up to get a new one, however, nobody can agree on which make/model to buy...


British Gas Engineer recommends:
Worcester Greenstar Junior 28I Combi Boiler Natural Gas (£979)

Usual boiler guy recommends:
Vokera Compact 28SE (£449)


I thought Vaillant was a good brand (but pricey!) Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 824 Combi Boiler Natural Gas (£1040)


I've heard I should clean out the heating system (radiators etc) before putting in my new boiler...last time I did that it fired out a 10 foot jet of chocolate milk all over the backdoor. My new flat is three floors up and is almost touching the other flat adjacent, so it will go all over the other building, any suggestions on how you guys would go about this.

Any advice would be great, thanks folks.

 

[dcawkwell]

Baxi duo tec and it comes with a 7 year warranty.
Or baxi platinum and it comes with a 10 year warranty.

 

[Agile]

Usual boiler guy recommends:
Vokera Compact 28SE (£449)

As far as I can tell that's not even condensing so contrary to Building regulations in most areas.

Tony

 

[fracmo2000]

The Baxi duo tec boilers seem to be getting good reviews (combi boiler of 2008!)...plus its around the same price as the Worcester Greenstar Junior.
Thanks for the suggestion.

@Agile
Ah, that must be why its so cheap. I live in Scotland, never knew about the regulations on condensing boilers, I will call my local council and see if they can help me on that.

 

[Agile]

You did not put your location on your profile.

In Scotland as far as I can gather you are still expected to use a condensing boiler but it is not policed and new boilers do not have to be notified to the LA.

As a condensing boiler is up to 12% more efficient it would be very stupid not to fit one. I am not permitted to say what I think of your "usual man" here!

Tony

 

[fracmo2000]

Ah, didn't know about the location (updated now).

I'm not 100% sure if my current boiler is a condensing one, but it sits in the kitchen above my sink...so hopefully it shouldn't be too difficult to tap into an existing waste water pipe internally (in case it freezes).


I called the shop he goes to and they also recommended the Vokera SE, I asked him the benefits of a condensate boiler and he said you won't save any money on your heating as it needs to be working at full capacity all the time for any savings in heating bills. I wouldnt know for sure, but there could be some truth to that i suppose, anybody got any thoughts on that?

Glad I asked on the forum now, cheers for the advice.

 

[fracmo2000]

Im getting my boiler guy out this week to help do a flush on my system before the new boiler going in...any suggestions on how to keep it as clean as possible? Im three floors up and afraid that since its most likely never been flushed in 30 years...its going to rain out black sludge all over my neighbours building.

 

[David937]

I called the shop he goes to and they also recommended the Vokera SE, I asked him the benefits of a condensate boiler and he said you won't save any money on your heating as it needs to be working at full capacity all the time for any savings in heating bills. I wouldnt know for sure, but there could be some truth to that i suppose, anybody got any thoughts on that?

Not true, condensing boilers 'condense' and are at their most efficient when the return temperature is below approximately 55*c, the lower the return temperature gets, the more efficient they become. Even when not in this condensing mode, they will still be more efficent than a standard efficiency boiler.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Go to a different shop and find another installer.

 

[fracmo2000]

I called the shop he goes to and they also recommended the Vokera SE, I asked him the benefits of a condensate boiler and he said you won't save any money on your heating as it needs to be working at full capacity all the time for any savings in heating bills. I wouldnt know for sure, but there could be some truth to that i suppose, anybody got any thoughts on that?

Not true, condensing boilers 'condense' and are at their most efficient when the return temperature is below approximately 55*c, the lower the return temperature gets, the more efficient they become. Even when not in this condensing mode, they will still be more efficent than a standard efficiency boiler.

Awesome david, thanks for taking time to answer my question . Good to get the facts from the guys in the know. Perhaps Dan is right, find a new shop (I do like the guy I use to fit my boilers, I will see if he is comfortable installing a different brand).


Any suggestions on my "flush" problem? Or is there no way round this (I just wondered if you guys had a tip/trick for this)