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.