What he said plus..... Don't install thermostats with predictive programming, they can fire a boiler at a time of their own pleasing.
Phil
What he said plus..... Don't install thermostats with predictive programming, they can fire a boiler at a time of their own pleasing.
Phil
Folks,
For various reasons, I am reluctantly considering replacing my boiler. As I only have a single shower/bath it looks like its going to be a combi, but its going to have to go in a bedroom so I was worried about the noise. My plumber has recommended an "Ideal" boiler as he says they are good boilers and have a long guarantee. They seem to have good reports on reliability and usability, and appear to be quiet.
Does any one have an Ideal Boiler and if so what do they think of them?
Dave
It's not a combi, so may not be relevant, but I've got an Ideal ICOS. It was in the house when I bought it 13 years ago and, apart from a new igniter and occasional service, has been flawless.
Another Dave
Generally OK on a sample of 1 for 7 years (Ideal Logic+ combi) - niggling faults include a poor quality boiler/main inlet connection ('they all do that sir' - I've just nipped it up a couple of times and it's held) and a pressure guage that's just started making a maddening clicking sound. Otherwise hasn't missed a beat.
On noise running, I definitely wouldn't want it in a bedroom - or any living room come to that. Maybe a kitchen diner if it was enclosed. It's noisiest at start/stop - heating is OK. Water is quite noisy. And if you want the water pre-heat, it'll fire up and go through a quite loud cycle of heat/purge/overrun every few hours. Mine's in the kitchen.
TBH, I don't think I'd be happy with any boiler in a bedroom.
Talking to a heating engineer the other day he didn't seem to be too impressed with Vaillant.
I think Mums 40+ year old boiler is an Ideal but we also know things (manufacturing / quality assurance / design) changes over time.
Cheers, T i m
You could look at the which report on boilers. In short the only 2 brands I'd recommended are Worcester Bosch & Vaillant. The rest are too unreliable or lack enough spares etc.
If you needed a cheaper brand, Junkers are made by WB for the German market, or you could get a used boiler.
NT
They used to have a poor reputation but have obviously upped their game and I have seen a report that now puts them pretty close to the top for reliability. Plus a long warranty.
A number of conditions accompany the warranty, including the need for a 'service' each year. I have a feeling that may have informed the recommendation . . .
T i m snipped-for-privacy@spaced.me.uk> posted
Nor am I. We had one installed a few months ago and it is bloody awful. The software appears to be rigged to make the thing heat the place up as slowly as possible, and no amount of fiddling with the settings will remedy it.
Mind you this probably doesn't affect the OP as he only needs a small combi, but it does affect me.
Do you live on your own?
Do you live with someone likely to have a shower in the middle of the night?
Do you intend to run the central heating overnight? (Hardly necessary if your house is well insulated.)
The worst thing in this case is he suggested he is a Vaillant registered installer or whatever (I don't know him, it was just in passing so ...) but I think has just got fed up with all the follow up work with them.
Assuming it's on full, should it just stay like that till close to the target temperature? Or do they do this thing where they 'learn' and say actually turn on later because they know they can be up to temp in time (even if that can't in reality)? [1]
It might if there is any crossover on the software across models?
Cheers, T i m
[1] We still have a couple of 'smart' storage rads here that wait till the end of the E7 period before re-charging and determining that charge on their existing internal temperature compared with that of the room. Seemed to work fairly well, allowing for dramatic changes in the outside temperature (especially it getting colder).
Err, that's the *point* of them ... extra cold morning, stat turns on heating earlier so it's warm by your programmed "wake" time ...
Good questions. I live in a 1910 end terrace and despite additional insulation over the years it still looses heat rapidly and the heating is kept on over night.
The bedroom in question is a "spare room" so I could turn the heating off when its in use....
Dave
Our W-B combi boiler is spec'd at fairly low noise level, but a lot of the noise at startup is pipes warming up and creaking. You could always turn the central heating off till needed when you wake up. I wouldn't have another combi though, the controller often can't decide wether to supply hot or cold running water for some time before settling down, wasting several litres in the process. The W-B support people don't recognise a control problem, they just repeat the mantra of flushing the cold water out before you receive hot water at the tap. A separate hot water cylinder obviously needs more space, but wastes less water waiting for the shower to run hot.
The supplied thermostat/controller is pretty crap too.
Well, from cold the Ideal takes a good minute to feed a steady supply of hot water. But when it arrives it's good enough to provide a very good shower. But point taken on the water waste, which can be offset to a small extent by using the pre-heat. Which in turn wastes gas.
Mine didn't come with one - added my own, which works fine (Hive).
I was intending to retain my Drayton Wiser system...
I used an undersink water heater to provide sufficient hot water for washing up. Electric shower negates any need for a combi.
Sometimes the simplest systems are the best.
Your plumber will likely recommend what is easy for him to get and fit. And gives the best profit. He's unlikely to be concerned about how long it will last - outside a reasonable warranty period.
I fitted my own and went for a Viessmann system boiler. 2006. Still working perfectly, and only the one breakdown when a hose inside the unit split, taking out the gas valve, from the dripping water. Spares were easy to source online and arrived the next day.
Then you should have had night store electric heating too. ;-)
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