Anyone recommend Biasi condensing combi boilers ?

[Allen Y]

Does anyone have any first-hand experience of Biasi condensing combi boilers and their reliability?

(NB, YES, I have read the FAQ, and, [before anyone says it], I don't believe that you "always get what you pay for".)

Thanks,

Allen Y

[Ed Sirett]

No sometimes you pay for a name which has a 'reputation'.

[R D S]

I replaced our boiler with a £450 Biasi Riva earlier this year, it seems OK but time will tell.

It replaced a 12 year old budget Savio boiler, I only bothered replacing it because the timer had packed in and there was a leak I couldn't get a spanner at to repair, given it's age I thought any pissing about and spending would be a waste.

[John Stumbles]

The ones that are in service now aren't likely to be more than about 3 years old. If they were dropping like flies it would be a clear warning, but if they're not it doesn't mean they'll be good for 10 or 15 years.

One issue may be the price and availability of parts. Might be worth checking out how much things like the gas valve, diverter valve, pump, thermistors, fan etc are.

[Allen Y]

Thanks for the tip. I searched, and came up with:

Diverter Valve: £94 ex. VAT Fan: £81.65 Pump: £92.57 Gas valve: £108.84 Thermistor: £13.46 Expansion vessel: £43

All not including VAT, I suspect.

Do these prices seem reasonable?

Thanks,

Allen

[Allen Y]

...yes, and then perhaps find you've bought the model that's fraught with problems... :-/

Allen

[Stuart Noble]

Which kind of suggests that the all-in-one charge from BG and some manufacturers of around £200 is a no brainer

[John Stumbles]

Comparable to respectable boilers.

Another factor would be whether the Biasi was (a) more likely to break down thus incurring you those costs (b) in any way unusual or just unfamiliar to whoever comes out to fix it, thus incurring more costs than common, familiar models. Neither factor would be easily quantifiable.