New boiler recommendations
 

Hi all,


I moved into a new place last year and the boiler is about 20 years old and isn't operating as efficiently as it should. No surprise really seeing it's age.


I'm keen to get it replaced in the summer and wondered what you would all recommend.


The current setup: A system boiler with hot water cylinder in the airing cupboard upstairs. There are then water tanks in the loft that I'm keen to get out of there too.


What I would like is a new combi boiler and to rip out the old tanks in the loft and also the big hot water cylinder which would free up space.


It is a 4 bedroom house, one bathroom with bath, and one en suite which has a shower.
We would quite like to be able to have baths and shower at the same time so I'm thinking it's going to have to be a pretty powerful Combi.



What would you guys recommend? Thanks in advance for your replies.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

I changed my boiler to a Woster Boch

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

Pretty sure you will struggle there.

By design the combi system provides hot water on demand direct from the cold supply. Therefore your ability to run things simultaneously is governed by the incoming water pressure to your property.

Even running a cold tap will affect your hot supply.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

Pressure is pretty powerful straight out the tap. I've heard good things about Worcester Bosh.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

We've got a combi and as Julian says there can be issues with the setup you're looking for. A couple of things we did to try and mitigate issues were to get one with the best domestic hot water flow rate we could as the KW ratings they are labelled with are normally based on the central heating output. We ended up with a Worcester Bosch capable of heating much more than a 3 bedroom detached but it has a decent hot water flow. The other thing we did was to get a thermostatic valve for the shower so when a hot tap is turned on elsewhere then the water doesn't just run cold as the valve adjusts the flow on the cold supply to try and maintain the temperature with the resulting reduced flow on the hot. It's not a perfect solution but it makes the shower more usable.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

We have thermostatic shower so don't need an extra but that's by the by.


From memory on the Worcester/Bosch site their combi's have same rating on heating but differ on hot water so pick one to suite your water needs.


On Which? Valient were tops with engineers for fixing/repairs and WB for being great boilers, either brand would likely be fine.


You may(likely) need to update your heating controls. Combi won't need hot water controls/timer. Many controllers have wireless link to the boiler so you can site it more flexibly.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

Our Baxi combi was a total lemon. Almost every part was swapped to make it work, but in the end it was exchanged for a Worcester-Bosch.

But they, too, have common problems. The pressure control bladder develops pinholes that spray out small amounts of water from underneath. The unit has to removed from the wall before it is simply unplugged, one screw removed, then the unit replaced. The part is only £40, but a tech can charge £100+ to do the job. Plus the flue has to be replaced every few years as it corrodes from within. Many heating techs I know don't like them due to the amount of plastic parts that can also develop pinholes.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

If its 'not broke don't fix it'? Any efficiency saving from a new boiler will take decades to recover. Plus new boilers break down regularly, where the old ones keep going, as you've found.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

I kept my unvented cylinder so i can run two showers at once, i couldn't do that with a combi

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

Another vote here for Worcester and Bosch.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

You could try Boxt, they're a very good company IMO and it's all done online, you just provide various details including photos they ask for. You get asked about how many radiators, bathrooms etc and they will suggest a range of suitable boilers. If there's a problem with the water pressure there are things they may be able to do to mitigate it. I ended up getting a Worcester Bosch with them and it has been excellent.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

Beg to differ - we got a condenser boiler fitted 14 years ago, and it cut or gas bill by around 30%, which meant it took just over 10 years to pay back, and after that, more savings.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

We've had our Worcester Bosch combi 8.5 years now, we get it serviced every year to keep it under waranty, the only thing to have gone wrong with it was the timer a few months ago, but that wasn't too expensive to have done.

When we had it fitted. the company recommend worcester bosch, as with a service you get 7 year guarantie, and they're reliable. The guy said they could supply cheaper ones, some less than half the price BUT, they only had 2 year guaranty and he said sometimes some of the cheaper ones they have trouble getting the parts. So I guess it's like a lot of things, do you want to risk having to buy a brand new one every couple of years, or spend a bit more and hope you get your money's worth :)

We had to have central heating installed, so they measured up the rooms, sized the radiators, and worked out what size boiler we'd need bearing that in mind, and number of people in the house.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

I actually agree with your point and also Mr K's. The older boilers do seem to be more robust parts wise from experience but are far less energy efficient, so from a carbon saving POV then new boilers are the way to go . We got a condensor combi about 18 months ago and it's worked very well so far, but time will tell how much maintenance it needs in the future.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

Depends how many times it breaks down. Everyone with a new boiler I know has to keep getting engineers out or get another new one. Not saying we shouldn't get more efficient boilers, just not chuck away things that work which has its own environmental cost.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

Had ours 14 years now, only problems were with the condensate pipe freezing over in winter because the fitters had put one of the external pipes level, instead of at a slight incline.

Yearly service, no problems.

Not everything modern is badly built, or everything older well-built - you get mostly) what you pay for.

I’d rather have my modern unrusty safety-cage crumple zoned anti-lock braked car than a 70s rust bucket death trap like a Marina, Allegro, or Maestro,

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

How about a Vitodens 200-W combination boiler?

If you are anywhere in the SE I can recommend a fitter too.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

Going back to the OP - we have a Worcester Bosch Greenstar 24ri, and it manages two power showers at the same time.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

Thankyou everyone for your replies. :tu:




We've been quoted a Bosch Worcester 8000 Style 40KW Boiler with 12 years parts and labor guarantee.


I've already had a leak in the loft so am keen to get all water pipes and tanks out of there.

A house two doors away from us is bigger than ours and says they dont have any issues running a bath and shower together and they went for a Combi.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

One further factor is the older combi's can run on softened water in the heating circuit where newer models need to be fed standard hard water (doesn't affect soft water areas) so either you need to bypass the softener while topping the heating circuit or use the direct feed most softeners are provided with and plumb heating feed into that.


New boilers will(should) have some form of manufacturers cover and getting extra cover should be cheaper than covering an older boiler. We want to try to keep our old unit (still running at A rate efficiency) while we can for the above paragraph reasons as well as not spending thousands we don't need to yet.

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

If you don't already have them, any new installation should include TRVs on all radiators.

They help a lot with keeping costs down too (if you can convince your kids to shut the bl**dy doors after they go through them).

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

All the TVR's I had installed (British Gas) buggered up after a couple of years. I replaced the lot with ordinary valves and had no problems since.

I've had quotes for a new boiler over the last few years and all insisted I had to have TVR's fitted . . I'm still keeping the old boiler limping along :D

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

Sadly there comes at time when cosmetic surgery/valve replacements no longer work and one is forced to admit age and gravity have taken over and one has no choice but to replace the old boiler with a new model ;)

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

Already done that twice in the past :p:

Sadly, although I'm very interested in taking on a newer model with better aesthetics and appealing attributes, they also seem to be more expensive to maintain while satisfying my needs.

I guess the old boiler I have will keep me going with the application of WD40, gaffer tape and occasional words of encouragement :D

Re: New boiler recommendations
 

Thought I'd update this thread:


So we went for a new Combi Boiler, the Worcester 8000 Style 40KW.


This came with 12 years warranty and I now have it in my utility room instead of my kitchen which is great.


So the whole important question: What is it like?


Well the hot water pressure is a lot better. My wife loves the shower which was previously fed from the hot water tank.
We can have a bath and a shower without any issues.


If you do run a lot of water (maybe two baths and a shower) it can take a little while to reheat for another bath but that is not an issue.


Airing cupboard is now fully shelved and no big tank in there anymore.


Overall a good outcome.