Which is The Best Combi Boiler to Buy?

What is the Best Combi Boiler? A Premium Combi Boiler Range Comparison: Introduction

Our View on the Relative Pros and Cons of the Most Common High End New Combi Boilers

As the most trusted new boiler installation company in Bristol, we are often asked which premium-grade combi boiler on the market today is the best combi boiler for our customers. With such a large financial commitment to be made our clients understandably want to know where their hard earned money is best spent – so we put together this short guide written from a Gas Safe engineer’s perspective to help bring some light to the situation.

Please note that when we refer to ‘Premium Grade’ we are referring only to the Flagship, high end models from the biggest & most commonly encountered boiler manufacturers in this article, as we will deal with midrange boilers and entry level boilers in separate Blog entries:

New Boiler Installation – General Points

Before giving our comparison it is worth mentioning that all new boilers need to be fitted properly in order for them to work correctly. Manufacturers guidelines (which differ from boiler to boiler), Gas Safe regulations, British Standards and Building Regulations all need to be adhered to – not only for compliance but also safety and new boiler reliability.

Amongst the myriad of stipulations within, every single boiler makers instructions will always state that their new boiler models must be fitted to a clean heating system with no dirt or sludge in the radiators or pipework, that the gas pipework must be the correct diameter in its entire length, that the new boiler’s condensation pipework is correctly fitted and not subject to blockage or freezing, and that all safety devices are installed correctly.

Any new boiler can fail if the above issues in particular are not adhered to, and a customer’s perspective of which is the best new boiler can be badly skewed if they have had a new boiler installation done badly and their new boiler has suffered ongoing reliability problems due to sludge in the system or a blocked condensation pipe – neither of which would be the fault of the boiler or its manufacturer.

Any warranty claim for a new boiler failing or being reported as unreliable will always first check:

• Heating System Water – Is it dirty?
• Is the gas pipe the correct size and is the gas meter and governor in good working order?
• Is the condensation pipe blocked or likely to freeze? This can cause no end of intermittent faults with new boilers.
• Has the Pressure Relief Valve pipework been fitted in accordance with the makers instructions?
• Are there leaks on the heating system in cases where low boiler pressure is an ongoing issue?

Any of the above instances would not be the fault of the boiler manufacturer; and so in the case of any such new boiler experiencing problems as a result of any the above it would be unfair to blame the boiler or the company who made it.

Finally, when considering a new combi boiler we strongly recommend that the customer considers the bigger picture – not just boiler build quality, price and / or fancy design. There are a number of less common combi boilers on the UK market which are very well designed, but which do not yet have a reliable and established spare parts network in place in this country.

We would be extremely hesitant to recommend a boiler where the manufacturer cannot guarantee next working day spare parts delivery for example, or where the major boiler spares stockists do not carry the most common items in their distribution warehouses. This is because we have seen customers who are unlucky enough to have obscure boilers in their homes wait for 10 days with no heating or hot water when a simple part on their boiler has failed, and the manufacturer is based abroad, or has closed down or does not pick up their phone.

With this in mind, let us delve into the first new combi boiler review: the Vaillant Ecotec Plus (next page)

*Please be aware that these articles are the opinion of the author only, a time served Gas Safe registered boiler installation & repair engineer, and do not necessarily represent the official opinion of the company

 

One response to “Which is The Best Combi Boiler to Buy?”

1. Which is The Best Combi Boiler to Buy? | Plumbe... says:

   September 19, 2016 at 6:22 pm

   […] Comparison of the best combi boiler to buy, from the Flagship ranges of each major manufacturer – unbiased views of a boiler repair & installation engineer  […]