Which New Boiler?

[BoltonSte]

OMO, there are a lot of people with better knowledge than me.


My boiler has packed up again, it's 20yo/obsolete and I've spent enough on it already so time to replace it.


House is a stone terrace, current combi is in the cellar (eventually will be an office/Bar/study) and will be staying there. 4 floors in total.
Electric showers (used most)
Bathrooms on floors 3 and 4.
Radiators in all rooms.
Heating is generally not needed from about March until October.


The questions are:
a) What type, b) which make? (I've seen Bosch banded about before).


Thanks in advance.


Ste

[daktulos]

I replaced mine with a Worcester Bosch this year (a Greenstar 30i) for a 2-floor plus cellar & attic terrace (just one bathroom, but boiler-heated shower). It was similarly a direct replacement for an old combi (a Potterton).

Current regulations mean that all new boilers have to be either load or weather compensating. In effect this means that everyone is bundling a "free" smart thermometer. If you need more than one zone, it may be worth getting something more complex - the Bosch one works with electronic TRVs on all the radiators ... but only works well if you have TRVs on all radiators and is more expensive. For me, a single thermometer/zone worked fine.

I bought the boiler through boxt.co.uk. I think I would have had better service if I had used a local installer which had been recommended to me, but I can't fault their speed - I ordered it, and it was delivered and installed the next day.

I would advise you to use the boxt site though, even if you're not going to order from there - it will ask enough questions to size the boiler and work out which accessories are needed (e.g. flue extensions). It also gives you a fixed price for installation, which can be used to benchmark other installers, if you're not using boxt.

Apart from the installation, which wasn't perfect - long story, the installer took photos of the installation and was sent back to do remedial work by Boxt/Worcester Bosch before they approved the work, so they definitely looked at the photos.

I'm entirely happy with the boiler. The Honeywell thermostat works pretty well, and I can control it from my phone remotely, which is nice. I worked out it'll save a fair amount, too. I'll post the graph if I can find it.

I didn't spend a long time looking at boiler makes, but I did know that I didn't want a Vaillant, and I had heard good things about Worcester Bosch. I picked the size as it was slightly bigger than my old boiler (in terms of capacity) but smaller in physical size, so wouldn't have a problem with fitting.

Be aware that if you have a 15mm gas pipe, then this may need to be upgraded to a 22mm pipe. I didn't need to in the end as they tested the pressure/flow, but it would have been included in the cost if needed.

I hope this helps!

Edit: here's the graph of my gas usage. The weather was getting a little warmer, but I do think it'll save me money long-term:

[BoltonSte]

Cheers dakyulos, I'll have a look at their pricing.

[maviczap]

Dirtydog is the org plummer and I remember him recommending Viessmann boilers, as the internals were made from stainless steel, so lasted longer than boilers that use aluminium internals.

It was only the other day, I think Seeker or Herot had just had one installed.

Think the Worcester boilers have a good reputation.

We've had a Volkera for about 18 years, and apart from one circuit board being replaced, touch wood it's been fine.

[Bike27]

Current Boiler Worcester Bosch Greenstar 28i Junior Combi running 1970s 3 bed det. fitted Dec 2014 and zero issues to date. (previous boiler was original to the house and several years out of use)

Last House Baxi (80e I think) fitted new 2004 threw up two issues in 8 years, but both were fixed easily and cheaply.

Temperature sensor (I think it was) packed in, but flashing led on the diagnostic panel pointed to that being most likely culprit. Sourced part on ebay myself for £6 and was an easy swap (front panel off and you're looking at it) .

2nd issue on the Baxi was not heating water effectively. Local plumber whipped off the heat exchanger and said he used to clean them out with acid but was no longer allowed to carry it. So we chucked in part of an old bottle of "wonder wheels" from my garage which worked a treat (flushed it out after with the garden hose - loads of black gunge came out) . Charged me £50.

So Baxi was ok really, but Worcester Bosch looking better so far.

[johnnyrod]

We've had a WB for 8 years now, FS30CDi if you wanna know. It has been good but we have had a few issues. The check valve on the condensate pump discharge packs up, though we re-routed the pipe at a low level so I disable the check valve anyway. It went out on high temp which turned out to be a fouled heat exchanger, this was replaced as they have a 10-year warranty on that part, as does the replacement. I suspect that it was the fault of the crappy old heating system but WB seemed unconcerned by the details. Also on a service visit they fitted new spark plugs (whatever the equivalent is, forgotten the name) as there had been a design revision. Thinking about it, the other problems we had were external, so the boiler itself has been pretty good. We've got it vented up the chimney.

[dirtydog]

Worcester Bosch are probably the market leaders for boilers purely for their well deserved reputation but Veissmann boilers are also very good.

As you've already got a combi boiler I'd stick with that otherwise you're looking at big bucks

I would start by testing the pressure of your incoming wate mains as that could dictate what boiler you go for.

Check boiler flow rates

Most of the manufacturers have boiler calculators on their websites

Also budget for the system to be washed through as the heat exchangers in modern boilers are much smaller so will block up real quick

[johnnyrod]

Very good last point, and the WB warranty should be (!) void if you haven't had the system flushed.

[Talking Heads]

My Worcester Bosch boiler has Italian made electrical and other parts.
I try not to think about it.

[dirtydog]

Both Worcester and Veissmann boilers come with 5 year warranty that can be increased up to 10 years if fitted by an approved fitter for whichever brand you go for