Anyone fitting Glow worm combis?

[Scott_D]

Anyone fitting Glow worm combis?
I need a cheaper alternative to put on a quote with a Vaillant 824
Was looking at the Flexicom and Ultracom-2
Good, bad or average?

It can't be an Ideal as it's to replace an Isar
It must have a 15mm gas connection or the new kitchen will need to be butchered

 

[Riley]

I don't mind flexicoms they are my mid range boiler suggestion. I know they get a lot of criticism on here but I think a lot of the issues related to poor installation and poor maintenance. For my money they are a good no-frills boiler. ULTRACOM is also good however it is pig ugly

 

[Leo21]

The Vaillant engineer I know hates them with a passion.

 

[Riley]

Ha ha the one I know also does. It's funny really as a lot of the parts are Vaillant

 

[Scott_D]

The Ultracom-2 looks very similar to the Vaillant ecotec

 

[Roger Welton]

Parts are shockingly expensive

 

[gasmanrob]

Parts are shockingly expensive

Eye wateringly so.. Infact in many cases it's found that a divorce is cheaper

 

[Leo21]

Parts are shockingly expensive

What parts aren't?

 

[Ray Stafford]

We're selling plenty. More Flexicom than Ultracom. Along with the Ideal Independent its the landlord boiler of choice for discerning landlords.

And we put an 30 SX in to heat our tradecounter, and it seems ok. The (Vaillant loyalist) installer who fitted said he was surprised how decent it was.

 

[AWheating]

Anyone fitting Glow worm combis?
I need a cheaper alternative to put on a quote with a Vaillant 824
Was looking at the Flexicom and Ultracom-2
Good, bad or average?

It can't be an Ideal as it's to replace an Isar
It must have a 15mm gas connection or the new kitchen will need to be butchered

the size of the gas connection should be irrelevant, if its 22mm nut put a reducer in it. the pipework is either correct or not tbh.

as for glowworms the last couple i fitted were over 5 years ago and they were horid things. Ive taken plenty out that have only been around 4-6 years old.

 

[kris]

Ive fitted a couple of each, the ultracom 2 is far superior to the flexi com tho I don't rate neither, I gave glowworm a go few years back when ultracom 2 just came out but went off them, the flexi coms is there lowest budget boiler and ive had a couple customers bought them as travis perkins had them on offer for around £550 with flue n timer ,,, not a good boiler,, gas pipe wont matter as can be reduced , would only be issue if boiler was 22mm ,,Out of the 2 the ultracom 2

 

[Leo21]

the size of the gas connection should be irrelevant, if its 22mm nut put a reducer in it. the pipework is either correct or not tbh.

as for glowworms the last couple i fitted were over 5 years ago and they were horid things. Ive taken plenty out that have only been around 4-6 years old.

In the Baxi instructions it specifies a minimum of 22mm all the way and into the boiler.

 

[quality]

Ultracom aint a bad boiler, I would not hesitate to choose it over a baxi

 

[IDCHAPPY]

I'd rather fit a cactus up my bum, logic + duotec or Vogue dude. Yes the isar/icos/istor/Esprit 2 were abortions but ideal have come on a long way since then 🙂

 

[Atouchofgas]

According to the rep ideal are now the second most reliable boiler in the uk overtaking vailliant

 

[quality]

who was the first ?

 

[IDCHAPPY]

Can't be WB, must be emmm, Viessmann?

 

[Atouchofgas]

No idea, didn't even ask

 

[buckley plumb]

Anyone fitting Glow worm combis?
I need a cheaper alternative to put on a quote with a Vaillant 824
Was looking at the Flexicom and Ultracom-2
Good, bad or average?

It can't be an Ideal as it's to replace an Isar
It must have a 15mm gas connection or the new kitchen will need to be butchered

yes ultracoms and ultimates with 5 year warranty are good value but I hate flexicoms .parts are expensive . you say 15mm gas combis need 22mm min

 

[Scott_D]

There is 22mm from the meter but it reduces to 15mm behind the kitchen unit below the boiler
I think im just going to quote with Vaillant Ecotec plus 824 and pro 24.

 

[Ray Stafford]

According to the rep ideal are now the second most reliable boiler in the uk overtaking vailliant

I wouldn't believe that statistic for a second. There are still too many Icos and Isars out there.

Where Ideal have recently overtaken Vaillant is in market share - figures vary and are contested, but I am pretty sure that Ideal overtook Vaillant in Q4 of 2014.

 

[Ray Stafford]

who was the first ?

I would bet a lot of money its WB.

 

[Leo21]

I wouldn't believe that statistic for a second. There are still too many Icos and Isars out there.

Where Ideal have recently overtaken Vaillant is in market share - figures vary and are contested, but I am pretty sure that Ideal overtook Vaillant in Q4 of 2014.

Whats the top five Ray? Sales that is.

 

[Ray Stafford]

Whats the top five Ray? Sales that is.

1. WB
2. Ideal
3. Vaillant
4. BDR thermea (inc Main, Potterton, Remeha as well as baxi)
5 Glowworm (inc Heatline)

Everyone else put together would make a poor 6th.

Of course, if you wrap Glowworm and Heatline together with Vaillant, that would put them back in the no 2 spot, but not (afaik) in the no 1 spot.

Another caveat - if you include BDR Thermea's turnover in spares and unvented cylinders (of which they are by far the UKs largest manufacturer) they jump to no 3, and possibly even no 2. But not on boilers alone.

 

[Riley]

1. WB
2. Ideal
3. Vaillant
4. BDR thermea (inc Main, Potterton, Remeha as well as baxi)
5 Glowworm (inc Heatline)

Everyone else put together would make a poor 6th.

Of course, if you wrap Glowworm and Heatline together with Vaillant, that would put them back in the no 2 spot, but not (afaik) in the no 1 spot.

Another caveat - if you include BDR Thermea's turnover in spares and unvented cylinders (of which they are by far the UKs largest manufacturer) they jump to no 3, and possibly even no 2. But not on boilers alone.

Boo heatline!!!!

 

[Ray Stafford]

Boo heatline!!!!

Nothing wrong with Heatline of itself. Their Sargon and Solaris boilers were rather good.

However, if you ask a factory to produce a £399 boiler, then they will use cheap components and will spend less on design, quality control and all those other good things.

In their home market (Turkey) Heatline, or rather the Demirdokum factory, make a completely different product, and are perceived as the top quality brand.

Funny old world, innit?

 

[gasmanrob]

Cheap parts! A hydro block for a c24 is £250 plus the dreaded!

But it they have to make money somewhere.

 

[Killy Bing]

Cheap parts! A hydro block for a c24 is £250 plus the dreaded!

But it they have to make money somewhere.

I must confess, when williams stopped doing heatlines me and Ali got one a stripped it for parts in the maidstone branch car park.

Proceeded to make a killing repairing three boilers.....

 

[Ray Stafford]

Cheap parts! A hydro block for a c24 is £250 plus the dreaded!

But it they have to make money somewhere.

Hi Rob

I think you are confusing the money that Vaillant UK charge for SPARES with the value of the original COMPONENT used in the Demirdokum factory.

The point I was making is that if I bought BMW and ordered them to make cheap cars, then they would have to cut their standards somewhere. There is nothing to say that a factory can't make a cheap product on one line, and a much higher quality product on another.

This is exactly what DemirDokum do. They make good quality boilers for their domestic market, but export less high quality appliances for their owners export markets.

Their engineering people are devastated that they are seen in the UK as cheap rubbish, because they aren't allowed to send their good products here.

 

[Riley]

My last four boilers out sargons. Nasty machines

 

[Ray Stafford]

My last four boilers out sargons. Nasty machines

que ?

 

[Riley]

My last four boiler replacements were sargons in a block of flats each had failed each in more spectacular fashion than the last. I'm a firm believer that a lot of it comes from good / bad installation and maintenance. The units themselves may not be too bad but I've never worked on one that's not falling apart

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

Fitted 10 flexicoms in 2013 on the same site and only had one problem,hot water not hot enough! Came out on warranty and changed pretty much the whole boiler but didn't cost a penny so no complaints from the custard.