The Best Boiler Brands
Posted by Neil Bumford in Central Heating Boilers, tags: Best Boilers, Boiler, Boilers, Boilers2go, Vaillant, Worcester BoschThe age old question and one we hear everyday. For every soul looking for a new Boiler asks the same questions – a variation of ”Which is the best Boiler?” or ”Who makes the best boiler?”
Trying to answer these questions can prove a little tricky, particullarly when trying to remain unbiased. Buying a boiler is expensive and can be confusing and the customer faces a huge choice of seemingly comparable appliances.
Vaillant and Worcester – the Best Boilers?
Traditionally Worcester-Bosch and Vaillant are acknowledged as the best boiler brands for which I would agree (despite the fact that I am not an installer and have never got down and dirty with such an animal). How then do I then reach this conclusion? Well, years of talking to both installers and home-owners pay homage to these brands.
In my experience most engineers and installers choose to install either Worcester or Vaillant boilers and most informed home-owners will ask for a Worcester or Vaillant boiler, partly due in part I suspect to the respective manufacturers larger marketing budgets. Glowing reports in consumer magazines also help. Which? magazine (September 2009) in their ‘Best and Worst Boiler Brands’ rated both Vaillant and Worcester as their ‘Best Brands’ scoring both an impressive 83%.
The Which? report asked 3,000 of it members about their personal experiences with their boiler. Just 26% of Vaillant owners have had any problems with their new boiler in the last four years.
My Worcester Greenstar 35 HE Plus
Worcester is the most frequently bought boiler brand by those surveyed and just 29% of owners had experienced any problems. My own personal experience of Worcester is echoed. I am the owner of a six year old Worcester Greenstar 35 HE plus. Up to now the boiler has not once let me down!
Best Buy Boilers
Among the best buy appliances tested the following appliances scored highly. Baxi Duo-tec Combi 28 HE, the Glow-Worm Ultracom 24 hxi, the Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 824 Combi and Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 831 Combi and finally the Potterton Gold C24 HE Combi.
We found the Cheapest Boilers Online
A great shot in the arm for all online Plumber’s Merchants – all the Best Buy Boilers were found cheapest online. If proof was ever needed, this confirms that shopping online for Boilers (at a store like BHL or Boilers2go) is both fruitful and, so it would seem, the future consumers chosen market place.
I am looking for a REKA burner/boiler 30 KW’s do you have any source of supplying these?
I’d agree that Vaillant and Worcester boilers are the best choice for people installing a new boiler in their home. In terms of reliability you can go really go wrong with either of these brands.
Would anybody like my Worcester boiler, low mileage (6 years old) service history, 4 replacement heat exchangers, diverter valve, new fan, pressure relief valve, new water inlet valve and pump stuck twice. Total spent so far £1450. Saving up for the next heat exchanger at the moment as it is due to fail anytime soon as it is getting on for 18 months old. If an old relative dies soon and leaves me some money, I can change the old banger for a new one certainly NOT a Worcester. Wonder if it qualifies under the government scrappage scheme!
Re comments from S C Shepley
If it’s working at present and you want to keep it, why not take out an annual service contract? My mother has one with British Gas who regularly call to repair her troublesome Potterton – covers parts and labour and virtually all her domestic appliances as well – although expensive. To be honest, as I’m doing with my ailing and ageing (10 YO), non-condensing Vokera, there comes a time when it’s actually less stressful and cheaper long-term, to bite the bullet and cough up for a new one – especially with Winter coming. In my case, the savings will pay for it over its lifetime. The installation cost should be fairly low if a straight swap over.
The WORST, WORST, WORST WORST (tell me when I run out of space for repeating WORST) boiler I have ever had the misfortune to house is the disgusting KESTON!!!
DO NOT TOUCH ONE WITH A BARGEPOLE!!
I also have an 8 year old worcester bosch 24cbi boiler and the heat exchanger is leaking again good job its in the garage,this will/would of been its 4th heat exchanger in 8 years !! i have had a service contract with WB but at £150 in 4 years i could have a new boiler ! so its time to call it a day with WB,i phoned them and they simply do not care,think i’ll try a vailllant this time.
WARNING…..JPuk PLEASE TAKE NOTE………
3 years ago, I had a Vaillant eco TEC 824 installed. Just after installation the main control panel had to be replaced, & then 8 months ago the boiler developed a water leak & it’s been leaking ever since.
It’s had a new rubber water hose which I was told was a weakness, a new heat exchanger O ring which according to the manual should be replaced after 2 years although not many C/H engineers seem aware of this, a new diverter valve & a new pump.
I have 4 mop buckets under the boiler to collect the water (my colander is more water tight) & the clown, (sorry C/H engineer) is coming again tomorrow……..
I have lived in 6 properties over a 37 year period & can honestly say that this boiler has been the worst one I have ever had & continues to be a disgrace to U.K. manufacturing.
I have decided to get a new boiler despite this one being so young, but can anyone give me advice on a better replacement?
Try an Alpha Boiler like the cd 35c, have it installed with there premier plus jig (your installer will know what this is,or look on Alpha website). You will recieve a five year manafacturs warranty and very few problems for years to come.
It may cost you about £500 more than other boilers but check the specs and trust me on the reliability. After the five years warranty the only problems that ever arise are the diaphagm and temp sesons about £25 each and take about 45 mins to fit. JPuk if you dont buy an alpha whatever you do avoid vaillant they are know owned buy hepworth heating and are glowworms in disguise. Cheap junk living of a previousley good name. Check your home insurance for boiler cover you can usually add it for less than a bgas contract and chose who repairs.
Can anyone give me advice on this to supplyand fit vaillant eco tec plus 831 condensing vaillant combi
with horizontal flue and extentions to run through wardrobe in bedroom
to outside wall.
10 radiators all with thermstatic radiator valves’ and one towel rail
to be fitted in main bathroom .
twintec magnaclean to be fitted on return pipe to heating under
boiler.
all drops to ground floor rads to run in plastic pipe cover.
time clock to be fitted with boiler but remote room stat to be fitted
at ground floor level.
renew gas supply from meter to boiler/cooker and fire.
run new hot and cold supplys to kitchen and bathroom fitting
isolateing valves. fill up and test adding inhibitor labour and materials
£6000.00 plus 17.5%
I’ve been surfing for info on Vaillant, and all i see is stay clear, any other systems to buy, much appreciated.
l have about 55/60 831s out there they l have only had to call vaillant to 2 of them. One was a faulty wiring loom the othere was a burst rubber pipe which kippered the fan the helpline were a joke 20 to 30 mins oneach occasion but the enginers were very good.They are now in bed with glow-worm so l have gone over with Worcester Bosch in the coarse of the last 14months and had no boiler problems at all. Would recomendW/B cdi 30 or 37 but it probally means you will need a 28mm gas suplpy for the larger.Are you in Northants area?
Its like going around in circles trying to decide which is the best boiler!
What I do know is that the only british appliance I have in my house is the boiler, the rest are german…you can guess the rest, some things will NEVER change.
I have drawn a shortlist of which to avoid and which to consider for myself:
Consider
Remeha Avanta…..they invented the condensing boiler and they seem highly specced, stainless steel heat exchanger 5 yr warranty, reasonably priced and definetly NOT British!
Glow worm Ultracom….recommended by Which magazine, isnt it german -vaillant?
Do not consider (anything remotely British)
Worcester Bosch…..many of them broke down in this harsh winter because the condensate pipe had frozen,,,er..helllllloooo! overpriced..for some reason.
Baxi…..my Barcelona was the biggest heap of rubbish I have ever spent my hard earned on, every engineer who has visited it just shrigs their shoulders…even the Baxi company engineer!
Keston…only ever read bad things about them
Veissmann…everyone raves about them initially and then they seem to go wrong all the time.
Ferroli…only ever read bad things about them
Alpha….I could only find a 1 year warranty.
vaillant ecotec…mixed reviews
do not buy a glow worm micron ff 50 have had to have five pc boards lots of engineers no one can slove the problem all they say is it is the pcb intermiten fault green light on green light flashes turn switch off switch on and off it then fires up last for a while then back to the same thing p woodworkpete67@aol.com lease let no if you no the answer
Atag do excellent combi boilers,they are the most effcient and produce excellent hot water.They arent cheap,but you get what you pay for.Vaillant are good but i have had problems with a couple i have fitted.The price you have been quoted seems ok.Remeha boliers are good and they offer a 5 year guarantee
Why not fit a Viessmann vitodens 200, comes with a five year guarantee when fitted by any installer that has attended the viessmann training course. Excellent boiler, far better than Worcester ,Vaillant et al.
ihad an alpha 28c boiler fitted about 4 years ago and it leaks all the time
and loses pressure and has done since it was installed i have had several
people round who were recommend by alpha at great expense and the job has
not been sorted i wouldnt recommend alpha to anyone
I’m horrified to read these posts about unreliable boilers. I’m looking to replace my Wilson Wallflame 90 oil burner which I have looked after myself [no expensive annual 'service contract'] for over 30yrs. It has caused me no trouble apart from replacing a bearing – an easy diy job – and just keeping it tuned [adjusting the airflow] for good flame colour and clean [de-sooting the interior].
Now it is finally oozing water at its corroded base seam so I feel it is not unreasonable to have a replacement which will last at least another 30yrs. But which? [I am changing to gas].
Need some advise from plumbers out there, looking at a ravenheat 85 780 series.
Is this boiler any good as getting mixed response ,or would you look at a different boiler that has a good warrenty or make such as glow worm.
Any suggestions
My Vaillant 824 Combi boiler keeps cutting out. The problem is I couldn’t have hot water and my radiators on at the same time; does anyone else have the same problem?