You could consider a Ravenheat CSI85 They were about £540 inc the flue out of B&Q! You'll have to check latest prices. I think they still do that thing where if you take your granny you get another 10% or so off.
3 year guarantee!
don't go near at all. after sales,warranty is poor - there own 'experts' couldn't repair,find the fault and dumped it on us to resolve and we did.
buy cheap, get cheap, invest some more get worcester bosch.
If you feel that badly about them then why don't you go on Ravenheats FREE training course. You will then be privy to their out of hours advice line where you will get the attention that an installer deserves. You will also be able to take up this grievance with their man.
The main reason they have a bad name because DIYers have been grabbing them out of B&Q and fitting them on dirty systems which would kill any boiler. Another reason is that many in the trade regard them as a DIY boiler and the standard attitude is 'If DIYers fit them then they can bloody well fix them'. That was my attitude too until faced with a task of maintaining about 40 of them I decided to do something about it and actually GO on the FREE training course.
Now I get work fixing them from both Ravenheat and other plumbers who know I'm not scared of them.
Now so you know I'm trying to show a fair opinion here I will give up one point and agree. The LS series was a crap boiler. There you go I said it!
It was and still is a thorn in the side of a progressive company who progressed a little too far due to customer and industry demands. BUT having conceded that point I would still rather see an LS80/100 than a [Less than] Ideal Isar
Ravenheat are currently touring the country along with an analyser manufacturer. No I'm not on commission! I just went for the free booze and munch. I'll try and get the dates and places so that RGI's can at least get their free booze and munch. btw its not a sales thing but useful practical advice on their products if you're still sober enough to take it in.
All I need now is someone to try and restore my faith in Ideal [excluding the ones that also had a biasi badge, they're ok]
Worcester bosch I agree are a great boiler but in the letting sector it can often be the case that a tenant moves out in a hurry and takes the boiler with them. Unless its a mid-high range letting an expensive boiler might be at risk from disappearing.
I lost my faith in Baxi since I met former baxi engineers that also lost faith in baxi. Baxi and Main are the same outfit btw. Since they won that Which award a few years back they seem to have sat on their laurels.
The straw that broke the camels back was when I tried to get them to honour their guarantee on a platinum. They had already sent someone out to replace a faulty fan in the first year but when it went again 18 months later they said the guarantee hadn't been registered. I recall telling them that if this was a ravenheat they would know by the serial where and when it was sold, log it on the system there n then and someone would be out to sort it ASAP.
The customer lost out on the £200 guarantee charge that is the difference between the 'platinum' and the identical 'gold' boiler, the price of a new fan, another £200 IIRC and I lost cred by recommending an expensive boiler with a design flaw and no guarantee!
