Baxi Main Eco Compact 30kw

I was in a similar position as you last year. Didn't know the difference between heat only, regular or combi!

This forum has taught me so much that I not only did a heatloss calculation of my property but it helped me select an appropriate boiler to suit the property. I had a system installed which was very inefficient (undersized rads in colder rooms and oversize boiler to name a few).

Thanks to this forum I now have a working and efficient heating system to suit my property and pocket! Couldn't have done it without help from members in this forum.
 
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To be honest it’s be wonderful and very enlightening, yet helpful to learn a thing or two about boilers when choosing one.

The view points expressed all make perfect sense, I’m definitely agreeing with muggles about having a boiler that can operate at a lower ratio allowing it to be more efficient and economical…..

But it begs the question….. Here goes (fingers crossed):

Main Eco Compact 30 kw (5 Year Warranty) / Baxi 830 (10yr warranty)
Or
Vokera Vibe Max 30kw (5/6 year warranty)

7 Single 600x1000 rads
2 Towel Radiators
1 Bathroom
1 Shower room
4 Bedrooms (that includes a loft)

I’ll buy tomorrow before price hikes kick in - I must put an end to this debate with all due respect by actually making a purchase based upon forum suggestions before I actually freeze me nuts off….

Again - Thanks a million!!!
 
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Sorry but this whole heat loss calculation hoo haa is nothing but another farce in the modern day era.

I had one clown come out, do a heat loss calculation and did not give a monkeys about what's above the rooms (type of insulation, flat roof etc) or cavity or solid brick etc etc and all he was doing was measuring length and width of room (not even measuring the height and some rooms have different heights).

And he said "I have to do a beat loss calculation before I can size up what radiators you need".

A proper heat loss calculation would also include -3 outside but what does the wind chill factor make that -3 feel like? -6?? Is the house on a hill? Houses higher up will get more cold weather etc. If you're in north or Scotland you'll get more colder weather than in London for example.

And this guy was a gas engineer. I am not even going to start on the lack of fault finding gas guys are able to do and let alone their lack of electrical knowledge to wire programmers etc and now heat loss calculations.

If you're sizing up a boiler, you also need to be able to work out the total output of your radiators. If you got 7 large rads that are pushing out 10,000 btu then a 8kw (27,000btu) boiler is not good enough particularly if its a combi and it's -3 and you're pushing max heat and wanting a bath at the same time.

They talk about efficiency this and efficency that, but in reality with the constant price hike of energy bills, cost of boiler repairs = inefficiency and ££££


At least the old glow worms of the 80s heated up homes properly, and didn't break down.

Do lower output boilers have smaller pumps? Worth researching as then the distribution would be poor.
So you're saying heat loss calculations are a farce because you had someone out to do one who didn't know/care how to do it properly?
 
Pros here can advise you about which brand to buy but if I were you:
- this is the worst time of the year to buy a boiler but if you have to (because your current one is not working) then get hold of a reliable heat engineer in your area for the peace of mind and do it properly.
- I wouldn't take a decision in haste (because of price hike) without knowing the heat load first. It will help you prioritize which boilers offer the best turn down ratio. Without HL you will be guessing.
 
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I understand - but I just want to purchase one and have it installed honestly - as Michael Bubble said ‘Baby, it’s cold outside”…….

But which one?
 
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So you're saying heat loss calculations are a farce because you had someone out to do one who didn't know/care how to do it properly?

Yes, he had a clown apparently so that means we should go back to a SE Glow-Worm sized by adding up the output of radiators already there because of an unfortunate choice of installer. One bad, all bad.
 
So you're saying heat loss calculations are a farce because you had someone out to do one who didn't know/care how to do it properly?
They still are a farce because like I said several factors aren't taking into consideration.

All this energy efficiency crap is part of the going green climate change nonsense to make corporations rich.

Boilers nowadays are hard to fix because the gas guys are poor at fault finding. They play parts darts and then say get a new boiler because it's 10 years old. Unless your gas guy is over 55 and has that experience of fault finding and repair you'd be expected to dump a perfectly repairable boiler under the bs it isn't efficient. And that boiler is going to landfill / waste. Where's the climate change hoodee ha there?

It isn't just with boilers it's with everything nowadays cars, phones, fridges, tv's etc

The days of repair are gone, it's just about replace.
 
Yes, he had a clown apparently so that means we should go back to a SE Glow-Worm sized by adding up the output of radiators already there because of an unfortunate choice of installer. One bad, all bad.
The glow worms heated a house up properly, these modern boilers dont. If you haven't experienced the glow worm era and just are one of those heros that completed a 6 week gas course then you wouldn't understand as you're all about profit and "recommending new boilers (a combi as the wiring is easier) under the energy efficiency nonsense"
 
Pros here can advise you about which brand to buy but if I were you:
- this is the worst time of the year to buy a boiler but if you have to (because your current one is not working) then get hold of a reliable heat engineer in your area for the peace of mind and do it properly.
- I wouldn't take a decision in haste (because of price hike) without knowing the heat load first. It will help you prioritize which boilers offer the best turn down ratio. Without HL you will be guessing.
Spot on advice.

I would recommend speaking to a plumbers merchant and asking them who'd they'd recommend that can fit a boiler.

I did this 15 years ago and my guy was good at diagnosis, wiring and installation. He advised at the time to get a Vaillant or Worcester as they were the Rolls Royce and Bentley at the time.

Vaillant have a stainless steel heat exchanger and other boilers have aluminium ones.

My vaillant is running perfectly fine for 15 years and had a hiccup this summer which was sorted out by a vaillant specialist. Apart from that I've had pump and valve issues etc
 
Look, either or any boiler will give you the heat you require.

I work for Vokera, all I am allowed to do is tell you what the product can do then you can compare it with others.

The Vibe Max will have an output of 30kW for hot water and 25kW for heating but the heating output can be range rated to any output down to its minimum of (3.8kW) matching the requirement of the property.

It has soft start meaning it will fire at 60% of the range-rated not it's maximum output for the first 15 minutes before increasing output in 10% increments. Why is this important? Well, the world will not stop turning if a boiler comes on and cycles trying to put in more heat than the property can absorb but as the vast majority of restarts are with an already warm system and not a stone cold one it makes a more adaptable starting sequence.

As an addendum to that the anti- cycle delay is adjustable to 20 minutes meaning it can be lengthened from the factory setting of 3 minutes to reduce cycling further.

The pump is modulating of course but in addition the pump duty cycle can be adjusted to the requirements of the system avoiding over pumping. Why? Most systems need around 1-1.5 metre head to overcome resistance; your system will require around 400l/hr with an ideal ∆T of 20⁰C across the F&R. Even though the pump is already set at 85% of it's output from the factory that will still result in over pumping by a factor of 3-ish and narrow the ∆T (the wider the better). Who cares? If you don't, don't worry, you'll be just as warm while the boiler cycles unnecessarily

The boiler can be controlled Open therm which the EU reckon is a 4% saving over an ON/OFF thermostat or by dual temp weather compensation which is reckoned to be a 2% improvement.

Other things of less importance; the optional Wi-Fi key offers remote access to boiler pressure etc, downloads external temperature from the internet for the WC as well as a year warranty extension. There's the included Bluetooth timer, handy if you use dual temp WC. Smart hot water preheat plus two other preheats and if you ring 01727 744002 they'll give you the names of installers in your area.

It's up to you but there's something there to get your teeth into.


The glow worms heated a house up properly, these modern boilers dont. If you haven't experienced the glow worm era and just are one of those heros that completed a 6 week gas course then you wouldn't understand as you're all about profit and "recommending new boilers (a combi as the wiring is easier) under the energy efficiency nonsense"

What if I started installing boilers in 1976 and have done so until present?

What if I'd been involved in thousands and thousands of installations and now include heat pumps?

Then again I could have gone to builders merchant and asked counter staff who hadn't actually installed a boiler what boiler they'd choose not knowing what offers of counter cash or incentive that branch might be getting from a particular manufacturer.
 
Then again I could have gone to builders merchant and asked counter staff who hadn't actually installed a boiler what boiler they'd choose not knowing what offers of counter cash or incentive that branch might be getting from a particular manufacturer.
Exactly my point when 6 week course heros go on yet don't read what I wrote.

I stated if the staff could recommend someone to fit, not recommend a boiler.

Most merchants have a variety of boilers not just a few. So they won't recommend any particular one because they're in bed with that manufacturer. Such comments do give away how long someone has been in the game.
 
Exactly my point when 6 week course heros go on yet don't read what I wrote.

I stated if the staff could recommend someone to fit, not recommend a boiler.

Most merchants have a variety of boilers not just a few. So they won't recommend any particular one because they're in bed with that manufacturer. Such comments do give away how long someone has been in the game.

Yes you did, I skimmed it, pleased it worked out for you. How did the heat loss the guy you were recommended compare to the clown's?
 
Tea any body….

Peter Barlow just having a chat with the mother of his liver doner - corrie that is…..
 
Old is gold and still going strong and very efficient - Audrey Robert’s from corrie that is - still wants to manage the salon!

Wish they had a boiler named after her, would have bought it in a heart beat….

Talking about boilers which one am I buying - I think I might just toss a coin….
 
I was in a similar position as you last year. Didn't know the difference between heat only, regular or combi!

This forum has taught me so much that I not only did a heatloss calculation of my property but it helped me select an appropriate boiler to suit the property. I had a system installed which was very inefficient (undersized rads in colder rooms and oversize boiler to name a few).

Thanks to this forum I now have a working and efficient heating system to suit my property and pocket! Couldn't have done it without help from members in this forum.
This really. Really.REALLY ****s me right off that the industry and it's agents ensure that you have to become an engineer to get something correct fitted correctly.

Absolute ****show.
 

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