Controllers for Baxi Platinum - Wireless any good ?

[mark.carline]

I am just about to get a Baxi Platinum C24/C28/C33 HE installed as per:

http://www.baxi.co.uk/products/productDetails.php?type=consumer&idx=1128&cat=2

and I would like a wireless controller to be installed in my hallway downstairs.

I just wondered if there are any makes that people here can recommend or avoid ?

I also wondered if the whole wireless idea is more trouble than its worth (batteries etc) or am I better off creating a channel in the hallway and pulling though a multi core cable (if so what type) ?

Any thoughts ?

Where is the best place to have a controll - Is the upstairs landing ok ?

 

[gas4you]

Most reputable makes do good wireless programmers/stats. I only fit the Siemens REV23 RF out of personal choice, but Honeywell and Drayton do good ones as well. As long as you are within about 10M they should work ok. Most batteries should last about 2 years, but only use quality alkaline makes. Do not try to use rechargables.

I think you will have more problems with fittng a Baxi than the RF stat

 

[Nixt]

Avoid Baxi's new own brand remote analogue one, its made for them and of very poor quality. By the way if you are going with Baxi boiler their band B range is better and cheaper.

 

[mark.carline]

......I think you will have more problems with fittng a Baxi than the RF stat

Why ???

 

[gas4you]

My opinion only but cheap boilers made expensive by charging (hidden costs) for 5 year warranty. Its a numbers game and Baxi hope they will come out on top.

Unless you live in the area covered by baxpoti then if they go wrong good luck

 

[Vic Spanner]

My opinion only but cheap boilers made expensive by charging (hidden costs) for 5 year warranty. Its a numbers game and Baxi hope they will come out on top.

How do you come to the conclusion that the Platinum is a cheap boiler compared to your beloved Vaillant.

Unless you live in the area covered by baxpoti then if they go wrong good luck

As you say "If they go wrong". Yes Baxi have produced some right crap in the past and realised that, The new stainless H/X range is very reliable. Installation faults are the common cause for breakdowns on these.

And by the way P.A.L yes there are some ****e engineers out there who are only interested in getting home early, I have been in this game for over 35 years now and take great care to fix the boilers we go to first time. Dont tar all engineers with the same brush.

Rant over.and relaxxxxxxxxxx.

 

[gas4you]

But how do Baxi get a good name back when they have lost the confidence of a lot of installers, Ideal are suffering this a well now with the awful Isar & Icos range. In fact one large builder around here is taking all Ideals out of their new properties do to unreliability.

Yes a lot of the problems are caused by poor installation and even the Vaillants I go on about would not last the course with a poor install.

Obviously there are bad engineers working for all manufacturers, even Vaillant, thats why I have an arrangement that only my local repair agent will do any work on my installations. I don't want the Glow Worm monkeys working on my boilers Luckily I have yet to have a breakdown call on the Ecotec Plus range

perhaps I will go to the local Baxi sales demo next week and have another look

 

[Nixt]

Gas4you. I have no issue with your brand loyalty nor the brand to which you dedicate it to, but I find the recurring question of who makes the best combi similar to one that asks "who makes the best pot I'm desperate for a p**s?".

You'll know as well as most the difference in production cost between the Sine or Compacts and the collection of cheap parts that passes for quality now, and your probably doing yourself a disservice by putting your low call back rate purely down to the product. If the OP selects their Baxi (and eg. you fit it) would you be that sure it was doomed to imminent failure?

 

[corgiman]

but I find the recurring question of who makes the best combi similar to one that asks "who makes the best pot I'm desperate for a p**s?".

Thats got to be the quote of the day

I love it well done

 

[gas4you]

Gas4you. I have no issue with your brand loyalty nor the brand to which you dedicate it to, but I find the recurring question of who makes the best combi similar to one that asks "who makes the best pot I'm desperate for a p**s?".

You'll know as well as most the difference in production cost between the Sine or Compacts and the collection of cheap parts that passes for quality now, and your probably doing yourself a disservice by putting your low call back rate purely down to the product. If the OP selects their Baxi (and eg. you fit it) would you be that sure it was doomed to imminent failure?

I would like to think that any make that I would fit will run as well as can be expected as it has been installed to MI's exactly. My problem and it seems apparently it is more localised to me, is that when I used to fit Baxi/Potterton products and they broke down the engineers attending under warranty were not up to the calibre of baxpoti or poxi, therefore not able to fix the boilers. This was made worse by Baxi signing an agreement with a larger local company to do a lot of their warranty calls for them. A company that I have picked up a fair amount of work from due to unhappy customers!

The stage I am at now is that I would not have the confidence to start fitting Baxi/Potterton products again even though they may now be engineered better. How can they overcome this? Up till about 2 months ago I was constantly called by Baxi to ask if I would fit their boilers usually twice a week. I took this as a measure of desperation on their part to increase sales. My local sales reps also coloured up and went silent when confronted with the service back up issue!

Perhaps I am still wrongly biased against Baxi /Potterton but I need to have confidence in the product I am selling/fitting.

Apologies to all who love these brands and I await to be proven wrong

 

[corgiman]

Must say my guv absolute refuses to fit potterton, baxi or ideal anymore

just WB, buderus or viessman at the mo

its a great shame that Potterton has lost so much creditability

I still think the netaheat, profile and prima are the best boilers ever made

what happened

 

[namsag]

Biggest prob with baxi is there shortage of engineers. Taking over a week to get to a warranty call at this time of year is pathetic

 

[gas4you]

Biggest prob with baxi is there shortage of engineers. Taking over a week to get to a warranty call at this time of year is pathetic

All goes back to confidence in product and back up again!

 

[namsag]

Agree with confidence point. But have fitted hundreds of 105`s over the past 6 years and have only had to call baxi 3 times . Once for a board once for strange noise and the latest one 2 weeks ago customer phoned them for no heat only to be told about ten day wait so then phoned me. Turned out kid had turned off isolating valve under boiler.

So i would much rather fit a reliable boiler with a poor back up service than an unreliable boiler with good back up service.

I do also fit worcesters and valliants when customers request them but to be honest i don`t find them any better than the baxi and when they do go wrong they are far more expensive to fix

 

[whyme!]

i use the towerstat rf, seems good to me