Which boiler

[TECHY 44]

Hi all,
I am considering replacing my very old (but reliable) conventional central heating system.
I have been looking at two combi boilers and am hoping I can get your thoughts and experiences of them.
The first is the Worcester Greenstar 37 CDi and the second is the Vaillant Eco-Tec Plus 837. I have chosen these for there hot water flow rates and I believe these makes usually are well considered.
I understand the Worcester has a 5 year warranty if installed and serviced by a Worcester approved installer, I'm not sure about what warranty Vaillant give.
Thank you in advance for any advise

 

[doitmyself]

I am considering replacing my very old (but reliable) conventional central heating system. I have been looking at two combi boilers

Presumably your "old conventional" system uses a hot water cylinder.

1. Why do you want to change to a combi boiler?

2. How many baths/showers do you have? This will determine if a combi is a sensible option

3. Has anyone measured your incoming cold water flow rate? This will determine what size boiler you need.

 

[TECHY 44]

Thanks for the reply "doitmyself".

I want to get rid of the hot water cylinder in the airing cupboard and have the new boiler installed there, also I want to get rid of the tanks in the loft.
There are only two of us living here and only one bathroom, we mainly have showers.
Yes we have had the the incoming flow rate measured twice by different people once at 18ltrs/min and once at 16ltrs/min.
We have been given surveys and quotes by three different companies and all have said that a combi is a sensible option.
Sorry I should have made this clear at the start.

 

[Barry98]

Worcester Greenstar every day of the week for me , fantastic boiler pleasure to install

 

[mfgs]

Agreed, the Worcester is a good boiler.

 

[Bartdude]

The Vaillant is a far superior boiler.It has a stainless steel heat exchanger. Worcester use Aluminium.

The Vaillant would have a 5 year guarantee if an approved installer is used too.Worcester boilers are full of plastic components now,no contest for me.

 

[bert large]

I agree with Bartdude. Vaillant are far superior in every way.
Worcesters are nothing like the boilers they used to be in previous generations. They do however have a superb marketing machine, keeping their image in the public domain.

 

[GQuigley67]

having never fitted a vaillant boiler, i have seen inside them and they do look well built, also they are german engineered. I am going on their course on wednesday i like the look of them and may well opt to install them mostly

 

[doitmyself]

I want to get rid of the hot water cylinder in the airing cupboard and have the new boiler installed there, also I want to get rid of the tanks in the loft.
There are only two of us living here and only one bathroom, we mainly have showers.
Yes we have had the the incoming flow rate measured twice by different people once at 18ltrs/min and once at 16ltrs/min

I would agree that a combi makes sense and both of the boilers suggested would be suitable if you are only considering the hot water side. However the boiler also has to provide the central heating, so you have to make sure it is suitable for that as well. You do this by using the Boiler Size Calculator.

Deduct 2kW from the result and this will give you the heating requirement. Now compare this with the heating output of the suggested boilers, which are:

WB 37CDi = 9.4 to 30kW
Vaillant 837 = 12 to 28kW

The calculated output should be within the range and the first number (lowest output) should be as low as possible compared to the calculated output.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

baxi duotec 40 kw for me or platinum if you want a 5 year warranty tbh not worked on the valiant so cant comment but i dont like the poor designs of worcesters ,not thought out from a maintenance point of view and not impressed with the plastic construction which gives problems but just my opinion

 

[Bodd]

Worcesters are not as good as they used to be but still think they are as good if not better than the Valiant. What else you need to concider is the back up they offer as well.
Still would go for the Viessmann over both of them.

 

[ecowarm]

Have a look at Intergas Intergas - Smart Choice