Which boiler should I buy?

[bernardgreen]

all waterways are copper, surrounded by an innovative injection-moulded aluminium heat exchanger which was originally designed over 25 years ago

How much does that heat sink weigh ? How quickly does heat reach the DHW ( Domestic Hot Water ) waterway compared to a stainless steel spiral tube heat exchanger with no lump of aluminium to heat up.

 

[Richhen]

A few people have now mentioned intergas......what makes these boilers so good?

Solid build quality with only 4 moving parts (2 if you have the heat only). No secondary heat exchanger, no diverter valve, no air pressure switch, no complicated hydro block, and no plastic or rubber - all waterways are copper, surrounded by an innovative injection-moulded aluminium heat exchanger which was originally designed over 25 years ago. Some examples of that original design are still in service today and doing very well. Look at your supposedly "premium" brands and how much plastic and rubber is now used, in the drive to make them lighter weight and cheaper to make.

Intergas are compatible with the most energy-saving OpenTherm controls, which work using two-way communication to achieve best efficiency for your boiler. Again, the "premium" makes don't do this - they insist you buy their own ultra-expensive BUS controls to achieve the same level of energy efficiency, at a cost of hundreds of pounds. An OpenTherm control for a combi can be had for as little as £55.

Compact design which sits just 240mm off the wall, saving you space over others which can be as much as 370mm deep.

Is parts availability an issue? With a 10 year warranty, not at the moment, and there are stockists around the UK who can supply parts if required.

It's my boiler of choice, and 95% of my installs are Intergas. I genuinely don't think there's anything better out there

Excellent analysis - thank you

Can any Worcester Bosch fans out there offer an alternative analysis?

 

[muggles]

Excellent analysis - thank you

Can any Worcester Bosch fans out there offer an alternative analysis?

Not on here I don't think... simond used to be the big Woofter cheerleader but he's not been seen round these parts for a while. Worth noting that WB have twice tried to buy Intergas so they can get their hands on the design. It's the boiler they wish they'd thought of first, except they'd have built it with more plastic and rubber inside, and charged 50% more

 

[muggles]

How much does that heat sink weigh ? How quickly does heat reach the DHW ( Domestic Hot Water ) waterway compared to a stainless steel spiral tube heat exchanger with no lump of aluminium to heat up.

I've never actually weighed it, because I've never had cause to take one out. A reasonable amount though. What are great transfer rates like? About the same, as far as I can tell. Intergas directly heats the water via the aluminium block without using the pump, other boilers heat water inside a stainless coil or aluminium block, then pump it down through a second heat exchanger to transfer that heat to the domestic water. Without having two installed in the same house side by side for comparison it's hard to be certain, so the best answer I can give is "as close to the same time as not to be noticeable"

 

[Mottie]

Which one are you talking about?

Dan. I think I remember someone saying he had to look after a parent who was living abroad?