Best Combi Boilers

[CombiMad]

What is the best (most reliable) Combi boiler these days?

 

[just-thinking]

impossible to say as a brilliant boiler can be easily be messed up by a poor installation or on a poor system.
boilers now days are very technical and expensive to repair.so i reccomend a vailliant or worcester boiler AND get makers service cover,it seems costly but the peace of mind is priceless.

 

[cross thread]

VAILLANT ECOMAX EASILY THE TOP DOG

 

[Mikeyboy]

A major manufacturer is now offering a solid 5 year guarantee on its condensing combi range of boilers,with the proviso that the boiler is serviced yearly by a legit corgi registered company.

 

[ArtfulBodger]

A major manufacturer is now offering a solid 5 year guarantee on its condensing combi range of boilers,with the proviso that the boiler is serviced yearly by a legit corgi registered company.

Yep, but their reputation is not particularly good on this board. Personally I think they OK for middle of the range gear. And, I'm fitting the 5 year guarantee one next week - 5 years for a combi? I wouldn't expect it to last more than about 7 or 8 tops!

 

[Bahco]

5 years for a combi? I wouldn't expect it to last more than about 7 or 8 tops!

I must say that I had a BKL combi that lasted 12 yrs before giving up the ghost. Very reliable apart from eating thermocouples, I had to change them every 9 months or so (supervised by a Corgi of course).
Incidentally, does anyone know anything about these BKL boilers ,i.e who made them.

 

[meldrew's_mate]

Buy a British made boiler, and if you must have a combi get the highest power model for best hot water performance. You pay more, but you get more.

I've been fitting the Ideal range for the past 4 years (now called the Icos & Isar HE) and had very few problems. Of those, one was a failed pump after 1 week, the other had a failed PCB on delivery; both covered by g'tee, and Ideal even came out next day on a Bank Holiday. Try ringing Vaillant at the w/e!

As previously posted, most failures (of any boiler) are down to poor installation - dirt in system, poor load balancing, dirt in system, scaled heat exchangers, dirt in system, existing leaks not rectified leading to dirt in system. Oh, and did I mention dirt in the system?

Isar HE combi comes in 24kW, 30kW, and 35kW, get the 35kW - see above.

Incidentally. Plumb CentRE market a rebadged Isar as their EVO brand, so worth a look.

 

[Paul Barker]

Boulter Buderus. Well layed out, even engineers with big hands can get them in to fix it and service it properly.

Boilers that fiut in kitchen cupboards are a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[gazthepottertonengineer]

Baxi Platinum combi 5 year guarantee stainless steel heat exchanger 16 litres a minute on the 33kw model wot more do you want

I know im biased

 

[cross thread]

IDEAL ISAR/ICOS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 NO TROUBLE YOU ARE HAVING A LAUGH

 

[chrishutt]

Gordon, are you still SHOUTING?
Just press "caps lock" button....everybody else can manage it.

 

[gazthepottertonengineer]

and he repeats himself and he repeats himself

 

[bogstandard]

Vaillant. I used to think it bad that they made so many of the parts incororated themselves - but the parts ( and the boilers) just don't wear out just the rubbers! Vailllant are very understaffed so getting them out except to a new boiler aint easy to say the least

 

[gasmanste]

i repair boilers every day. ideal are ****, isar's/icos are awfull. pop boards, block up, thermistor faults the lot. even replaced the heat exchangers on them too- less than 5 years old. all idela boilers are **** for replacing heat x's especially response. best boilers or worcester/vailliant (like the bmw /audi's) then baxi/pottertons/glow-worms. trust me....i know what im on about. 10 years british gas technical engineer

 

[adlplumbing]

depends on what your willing to spend
good cheap boiler would seem to be main
broagh are good
ideal logic + jurys out
worcester have a habit of frezzing
vaillant technical are hard to get through to
baxi are god