combi boiler recommendation

finest1 · Post by **finest1** » Tue Dec 27, 2022 1:34 pm

hi all,

i had an earlier post regarding a failed water heater.

my parents have decided to change to a combi system. i wanted to get some recommendations as to what combi boilers are good out there. i personally have a Worcester Bosch at my place for the last 10 years and its been great. i spoke to my cousin yesterday who advised Valiant is the way to go.

also i used 2 online tools to see what power rating the combi needs to be. the online calculator worked out that the home needs 18kw . the combi's i've seen start at 25kw and 30kw. is 25kw enough?

thanks

finest1

Neelix · Post by **Neelix** » Tue Dec 27, 2022 1:40 pm

Why do they want a combi ?

wine~o · Post by **wine~o** » Tue Dec 27, 2022 2:38 pm

I'm with Neelix, Combis are suitable for some, not all households.

If you wish to run hot water at more than one outlet at the same time then generally a Combi isn't ideal.

In our house, although there are only 2 of us (3 bed bungalow, bathroom plus en-suite) a combi might suit us right now however when we move on a family of 4 could easily move in, so a combi would be a disadvantage if/when it comes to selling up.

Razor on here has recently fitted our new boiler, an Intergas Combi compact eco RF 24, despite it being labelled as a "combi" it is actually configured to heat our hot water tank as well as the radiators.

Cleverly it has a higher water temperature flow to heat the water than it supplies to the radiators, so it condenses 100% of the time, the boiler and thermostat communicate to each other so it runs the boiler at a lower temperature as it reaches the target temp selected on the thermostat and the way it's set up to provide Direct Hot water priority means that a hot water cylinder of say 125 Litres acts like a cylinder of twice the capacity.

This boiler also comes with a 12 Year warranty (parts and labour)

You do need an Intergas installer, if you happen to be within striking distance of Northampton then Razor is your man.

Razor · Post by **Razor** » Tue Dec 27, 2022 4:37 pm

Vaillant aren't terrible but they aren't anywhere near as good as they used to be.

It depends what you want. a 25kW boiler would give greater hot water output than the existing water heater but will take a little longer to fill a bath than the 30kW model

Neelix · Post by **Neelix** » Tue Dec 27, 2022 4:49 pm

When a combi goes wrong you have no heating or hot water ……

Razor · Post by **Razor** » Tue Dec 27, 2022 4:57 pm

Neelix wrote: ↑Tue Dec 27, 2022 4:49 pm When a combi goes wrong you have no heating or hot water ……

But you save several grand and space over fitting a 'conventional system'

Boilers are a damn site more reliable than there were 10 years ago - although not as reliable as they was 30 years ago.

If they went for an Intergas they could use it for hot water only whilst the rest of the system was being fitted

PS Cheers Wine O

finest1 · Post by **finest1** » Wed Dec 28, 2022 10:52 am

Neelix wrote: ↑Tue Dec 27, 2022 1:40 pm Why do they want a combi ?

there isn't much choice in water heaters. there would have to be some work to convert the BF water heater to Fan Flue. there is a water tank in the loft which is so cramped. my dad is 82. 40 years ago it wasn't so bad as that was most people had. we can do without the hassle of going up there if ever we needed to. the local plumbing merchants was not a fan of continuing the water heater and advised to go combi.

finest1 · Post by **finest1** » Wed Dec 28, 2022 10:57 am

wine~o wrote: ↑Tue Dec 27, 2022 2:38 pm I'm with Neelix, Combis are suitable for some, not all households.

If you wish to run hot water at more than one outlet at the same time then generally a Combi isn't ideal.

In our house, although there are only 2 of us (3 bed bungalow, bathroom plus en-suite) a combi might suit us right now however when we move on a family of 4 could easily move in, so a combi would be a disadvantage if/when it comes to selling up.

Razor on here has recently fitted our new boiler, an Intergas Combi compact eco RF 24, despite it being labelled as a "combi" it is actually configured to heat our hot water tank as well as the radiators.

Cleverly it has a higher water temperature flow to heat the water than it supplies to the radiators, so it condenses 100% of the time, the boiler and thermostat communicate to each other so it runs the boiler at a lower temperature as it reaches the target temp selected on the thermostat and the way it's set up to provide Direct Hot water priority means that a hot water cylinder of say 125 Litres acts like a cylinder of twice the capacity.

This boiler also comes with a 12 Year warranty (parts and labour)

You do need an Intergas installer, if you happen to be within striking distance of Northampton then Razor is your man.

thanks for that, i just googled it. but this set up requires having a cylinder somewhere. we don't have space for that and the loft is not tall

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Wed Dec 28, 2022 11:02 am

I have had Vaillant combi boilers for 30 years and never suffered any negative issues apart from the condensate pipe freezing so try to ensure the pipe drains internally. If this is not possible then an electric freeze prevention device or an internal bypass valve into a bucket will keep it running in a freeze. Your dad is past bothering about added value to the home, get what is affordable and easy to maintain which is a mainstream boiler.

DWD

wine~o · Post by **wine~o** » Wed Dec 28, 2022 2:20 pm

finest1 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 28, 2022 10:57 am

thanks for that, i just googled it. but this set up requires having a cylinder somewhere. we don't have space for that and the loft is not tall

Sorry misunderstood your OP, thought your "water heater" was a hot water cylinder... The inergas range can be installed as described or as a straightforward combi boiler, if you were to install say a 36Kw boiler for hot water the boiler is "down rated" to suit the heating requirement.

Intergas eco RF combis have the best warranty around @ 12 years when using their recommended filter.