Santon or Ariston or Megaflo or Vaillant - Unvented Direct

[NigelS]

Hi,

I need help to decide which 210 unvented direct cylinder to go for. Which one would give me the least trouble between the Santon, Ariston, Megaflow or Vaillant?

I am looking for a product which will not leak or require new immersion elements frequently.

Please advise. thanks in advance!

Nigel

 

[DeltaT2]

The Ariston stainless steel one is good & about the cheapest. Just ensure you have a good incoming water mains supply - dynamic flow & pressure.

 

[Happyplumber]

dont listen to the scotsman,cheap is his style.Between the choices the premier unit is the Vaillant after that the work horse is santon premier,these are made by Heatrae sadia who are part of the baxi group and probably the best selling cylinders in the UK

Then comes the Ariston make sure it isnt their primo range,this had quite a few issues with leaks around the immersion heaters etc

 

[muggles]

Of those, I'd go for the Megaflo if you have the available power supply, as there's a 12kw version available - the Santon is only 3kw, wouldn't touch the Ariston I've changed too many broken ones, never seen a Vaillant so can't comment on them

 

[DeltaT2]

dont listen to the scotsman,cheap is his style.Between the choices the premier unit is the Vaillant after that the work horse is santon premier,these are made by Heatrae sadia who are part of the baxi group and probably the best selling cylinders in the UK

Then comes the Ariston make sure it isnt their primo range,this had quite a few issues with leaks around the immersion heaters etc

Fitted 100s of Aristons mate & not a problem.
Heatrae Sadia are grossly overpriced & Santon have poor quality immersion heaters fitted.

 

[muggles]

dont listen to the scotsman,cheap is his style.Between the choices the premier unit is the Vaillant after that the work horse is santon premier,these are made by Heatrae sadia who are part of the baxi group and probably the best selling cylinders in the UK

Then comes the Ariston make sure it isnt their primo range,this had quite a few issues with leaks around the immersion heaters etc

Heatrae Sadia are grossly overpriced & Santon have poor quality immersion heaters fitted.

Santon is made by Heatrae, the immersions look the same as the Megaflo ones to me, what's the difference?

 

[NigelS]

thank you for the replies.

I am definitely put off from the Ariston and not sure about the Santon.

I am seriously considering the Vaillant now but not sure whether the unistor 210 is the right product to go for? Does this heat up over night like a thermal store or work another way?

I live in west london and my flat has no gas supply. Any recommendation on the Vaillant product to go for?

 

[simond]

MTS Group used to have the most modern automated unvented cylinder plant in Europe.

Vaillant cylinders are quite good.

We've fitted a significant number of Aristons (MTS) and Vaillants, have seen a very small number of Aristons with a weeping immersion flange, a thing they have acknowledged and improved.

That being said, the nasty cheap Orkli motoried valves Vaillant supply are so bad we throw them away and fit Honeywell. Of course, with a direct cylinder you can throw them away, too.

Before you fit a Vaillant, consider this; only one immersion as standard, and it is a special unit that is not widely stocked and expensive. You will also be buying an indirect cylinder with a coil that uses up water storage space.

Personally, if I was fitting an unvented direct I would fit an Ariston or one of the Kingspan ones ie: Range or Copperform branded. These all use standard elements and are fitted with 2x3kw, ideal for electric only.

 

[NigelS]

Thanks for your reply Simon. I am not considering Ariston as its reliability has been questioned by many others. Will certainly look at the kingspan on their website.

Have you installed any Santon cylinders and are those any good?

I just need something that will last me a few years without any trouble.

 

[muggles]

HS Megaflo, you can have up to four immersion heaters if you want, for either faster reheat times or more control over how much water you heat, and also improved backup should one fail

 

[mickyg]

i use kingspan copperform for direct jobs. Really good price and quality unit. 2 immersions top and bottom. Don't get a Vaillant you need a special tool to get the immersion heater out ! only vaillant engineers have them !
There's really not a great deal between most UV brands, but as its direct I'd be looking at cost of replacing an immersion heater for future maintenance.