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Original poster

Our boiler is dead! Gas man recommended Baxi or Idea over Worcester but feel uneasy

82 replies

MyDcAreMarvel · 31/12/2019 13:37

As thread title can anyone advice which boiler is best we need it fitting urgently. @PigletJohn which one would you recommend? Thank you

OP posts:
YappityYapYap · 31/12/2019 14:36

I have a baxi combi boiler. No issues so far. It was here when we bought the house 5 years a go and I believe it was fitted 6 years before we moved in so that's 11 years with no breakdowns (well not in the 5 years we've been here).

I work at a property maintenance company and it's all baxi and ideal boilers that are being fitted with the odd customer opting for valliant. Ensure it's always fitted by a gas safe engineer though

PurpleBee39 · 31/12/2019 14:38

Consider getting another quote for a Worcester from a registered installer as far as I know they are still the best.

You can get a 12 year warranty on the 8000 Lifestyle range Worcester boilers.

SnaccidentsHappen · 31/12/2019 14:41

My husband is a heating engineer and we went for an ideal over a Worcester

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Original poster
MyDcAreMarvel · 31/12/2019 14:47

@ MotherofPoodles yes he recommended Ideal or Baxi, would you agree not to go for a Worcester then or is it just Ideal/ Baxi better for fitter Worcester better for customer? Thanks

OP posts:
Chocolatedeficitdisorder · 31/12/2019 14:47

Our 12yr old Worcester was costing too much in repairs so we replaced it with an Ideal recently. No regrets.

Original poster
MyDcAreMarvel · 31/12/2019 14:48

@ PurpleBee39 gas man is well known to us and can fit us in at short notice. We have Halifax homecare so aren’t too bothered about length if warranty.

OP posts:
Original poster
MyDcAreMarvel · 31/12/2019 14:49

@MotherofPoodles yes he recommended Ideal or Baxi, would you agree not to go for a Worcester then or is it just Ideal/ Baxi better for fitter Worcester better for customer? Thanks

OP posts:
CurlsandCurves · 31/12/2019 14:54

DH fits mainly Worcester. They usually have a good length of guarantee on them. In addition, once they are out of warranty you can pay for a fixed price repair. About £2-300 , a Worcester engineer will come out and fix whatever’s up with it. And if it’s not right will keep coming out to repair. Given that the cheapest things to go wrong on a boiler are easily £200 before paying for fitting, it’s worth doing.

Baxi are just as good in his opinion, we have one ourselves, but I think for the aftercare services Worcester is a better option.

DragonMamma · 31/12/2019 15:06

I have a Viessmann and it was recommended above Worcester and Ideal by my chap

gingertwinsandautism · 31/12/2019 15:12

Our Worcester Bosch at our last house was excellent. The service team were fantastic too. We have an Ideal boiler now. It's rubbish and we have had constant repairs. It's a new build so it was brand new when we moved in. I'd go back to WB in a heartbeat.

GreenFieldsOfFrance · 31/12/2019 15:25

Had an Ideal replaced recently, it was nothing but trouble, I'd not get another one.

Somanysocks · 31/12/2019 15:29

I had an Ideal fitted nearly 4 years ago and it's absolutely fine and has been no trouble so far and wasn't too expensive.

Somanysocks · 31/12/2019 15:34

Also a friend had a Vaillant that was always going wrong, then got another one and that has been fine so how on earth do you choose, they might go wrong or they might be fine.

ritzbiscuits · 31/12/2019 15:36

Another Ideal recommendation here. Installed from new and 7 years on no problems so far. Was recommended by our plumber specifically.

Ginfordinner · 31/12/2019 15:45

Our Ideal is about 10 years old and is still going strong.

BoilerMan · 31/12/2019 16:34

Basically all boilers are similar these days, Worcester is a brand, they make good boilers and bad boilers, same goes for baxi and ideal, its all about warranty, and getting your boiler serviced every year so the manufacturer honours that warranty, some entry level boilers come with 12 year warranties now. The question is what's your budget? Every system and house is different, what's right for you might not be right for your next door neighbour, unfortunately you need to trust a qualified experienced engineer to not sell you a boiler just because he gets rewards, every engineer has their preferences on manufacturers for all kinds of reasons, I'd say research the reviews of your gas engineer. If its all good, trust what they advise.

Labralion · 31/12/2019 16:49

Brother is a gas engineer and rates baxi I think the do a good warranty.

Original poster
MyDcAreMarvel · 31/12/2019 18:09

unfortunately you need to trust a qualified experienced engineer to not sell you a boiler just because he gets rewards, every engineer has their preferences on manufacturers for all kinds of reasons, I'd say research the reviews of your gas engineer. If its all good, trust what they advise.
I do trust him has done work fir us for years, it’s just he recommended Baxi or Ideal and the gist of this thread reviews etc seem to be Baxi and Ideal can be good or bad but Worcester never an issue?

OP posts:
Aragog · 31/12/2019 18:13

We have an Ideal boiler and it's had several issues and already been repaired a couple of times or more. Thought it had died completely just before Christmas but it has survived another time. Had it since we moved here about 14.5 years ago, but it is apparently a model which is notoriously not great. It will need replacing in the next year or two.

DontCallMeShitley · 31/12/2019 18:14

Valiant Ecotec seems to be the best I have had.

Pedallleur · 31/12/2019 18:16

British gas have a 0% deal over 2 yrs at the moment. Might be Worcester or Vailiant.

opinionatedfreak · 31/12/2019 18:21

Vailiant.

10+ yrs old. No bother.
Serviced annually.

Father & Aunt both have 'em too.

My aunt has had issues with hers as her installer didn't do a great job - new boiler on old microbore pipe work = lots of crud in new boiler.

Mine was a new install & my Dad has his pipe work thoroughly cleaned out first.

BoilerMan · 31/12/2019 18:23

All boilers have problems, I fix boilers for a living, I work on as many Worcester as any other make, for me it's about quality of after sales, Worcester are the best at that in my opinion, but the boilers aren't anything special. At the end of the day, a cowboy can fit one and it'll last a few years, whereas an expert can fit a budget brand boiler and it can last 15 years, so make sure your boilers are fitted by experts, if you get a Worcester, look for WAI guys, Worcester Approved Installer, go on their website.

SpringFan · 31/12/2019 18:33

Interestingly, we are going to replace our oil boiler in the spring. Plumber has recommended we don't opt for Worcester- they have changed the materials used to make them recently and they are not as good. As PP said, they seem to be using plastic in some places instead of metal. Yet Worcester seem to top a lot of best buy charts- but presumably the longevity of the older model is still scoring highly.

Muchlywrong · 31/12/2019 18:39

Who ever normally services your boiler, ask who they prefer fitting/recommend. I would personally recommend viessmann, intergas or worcester bosch. All relatively reliable boilers, but if you have an engineer that you trust, always go with what they recommend.

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