Choosing the right combi boiler

[natalita100]

I am doing up my house and putting in a new central heating system. Will be getting a CORGI installer to connect the boiler, but need some advice on choosing one.

I have a pretty small system - 11.5 kw total output of the radiators, one bathroom and a kitchen sink, in a small 3 bed semi.

I want a condensing combi boiler - all the ones I have been looking at are 24 - 26 kw, which I believe is fine, but dont know much about flow rates.

Dont want to spend too much as I will only be in the house for a year, and not that fussed if I cant fill a bath at lightning speed.

What do you recommend?

Seen a small 399 pound condensing combi in B&Q, 24kw, flow rate 10ish litres. Whatdya reckon?

 

[chrishutt]

Is it a Biasi or a Ravenheat? Both are very cheaply made but I'd be inclined towards the Biasi if it had to be one or the other. Personally I'm beginning to think cheap combis are a false economy, even in the short term. Best to discuss it all with your corgi first.

 

[fitz1]

i think its a heatline combi. fitted two in a restaraunt about 18 months ago, still doing well.

 

[fitz1]

heatline is a subsiduary of the fourth biggest company in the world. check the internet.

 

[Beans-on-Toast]

If you've got the 'getupandgo' to choose your own cheaply purchased combi look at

www.mrcentralheating.com

cheap as chips.....!

 

[Agile]

That is a Heatline Band B boiler !

Perfectly OK if they are properly installed on a clean system.

They are made in Turkey where the costs are low but they do have a Grunfoss pump.

They say that they are the fastest growing boilers sales in the UK but then they have only been going for four years here.

I do have to say that I would never recommend fitting anything less than a 28 kW because of the water flow rate. A 24 kW is only about 9 li/min raised 35°C

Tony

 

[Gasguru]

These companies are great for business since most heat packs are rubbish.

The radiator valves will have no extra gland seal and will be leaking within a couple of years (some will leak straight away).

The valves are often all wheelhead with no lockshiled caps.

No TRV's included but builders wouldn't know what they are anyway.

No room stat included - same reason as above.

The radiator sizes often won't fit under the windows so the rads get fitted behind doors hence cold spots all over the room.

The cheap towell rads will be full of rust and scale and help block up the plate exchanger.

The boilers are often band D and illegal to install.

Spares will normally be mail order only since few merchants stock them.

No one will want to repair them since know one's heard of them.

But great prices for builders, cowboys, budding property developers and cheap migrant labour.

Inicidently I was praised at the speed I work whilst repairing a boiler in a rented property this afternoon. The tenants were Polish - fortunately they were not intending to be plumbers/heating engineers - just as well coz I'd have walked out.

Often the Pole's will have had the front off before I've got there. They still had the illusion that we have a massive shortage of plumbers here and we welcome the unqualified influx of cheap labour.

 

[ChrisR]

When you come to sell, it might be worth the extra to be able to say you have a boiler with a make people respect. Check Potterton for instance. SOme would still be in their eg 3 year guarantee in a year's time. Got to be a plus point.

 

[59cadconv]

i think its a heatline combi. fitted two in a restaraunt about 18 months ago, still doing well.

i have to repair this rubbish heatline dont even open until nine close at 5 looks like a heatcall load of junk (glowworm) biasi rubbish also ravenheat let them keep shipping them to poland and dont sell cheap shoddy boilers to us there is only one good boiler at the moment and that is neffit( boulter buderus) fitted almost 270 with less than 1% giving problems on fire up but for the diy cheap skate it would be too dear .what ever happened to quality in this country fit crap and leave the problem for somone else

 

[Centralheating]

When you come to sell, it might be worth the extra to be able to say you have a boiler with a make people respect. Check Potterton for instance. SOme would still be in their eg 3 year guarantee in a year's time. Got to be a plus point.

It is better to opt for a better central heating that really gives you a long time guarantee. This helps you a lot in regard to the boiler that goes very cool...

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