boilers - we have to get a new one....

[binker]

Any advice or recommendations ? Our old one is about 16 and is on it's last legs,so we have to replace it. I know it'll be expensive but it has to be done. We have a three bedroomed terraced house, by the way.

We have a 20-yr-old Vaillant combi boiler which is still going strong TOUCH WOOD. They are more expensive than most though the BG engineers who come to service it say they are worth it. Our house is a 3-bed terrace too.

If we were replacing it we would get a combi condenser (or condenser combi) but I don't know what make - maybe Vaillant again - do you know any gas people/plumbers for unbiased advice?

Somebody's DH on here is a plumber - can't remember who though...just searched, it's momof2. Maybe she could ask him to advise you!

baxi are brill

my mum has a valliant and thats brill too

Boiler in the house we are selling is an Ideal Combi; a British Gas engineer (CORGI, all that) is buying our place, and his comment was "Ideal, good make!". We were told that they can be noisy, but it never seemed so to me. We currently are renting a 3 bed terrace with a newish Valliant Combi in the back bedroom and it is A) possessed, comes on for no apparent reason when supposed to only be set to give hot water, not heating, and B) so noisy that it scares me! Condensing boilers are supposed to be most energy efficient, I think, if you want to think long term costs.

I've got a 15 year old Vaillant. Needs "patching" every now and then but last engineer had same model and would recommend them. If you get a combi, just make sure it's not sited too far from the bathroom (assume with a terrace bathroom will be above kitchen?)

My combi is in the bathroom!

zebra, the coming on for no reason is OK if it's just for a minute or so - they're supposed to cycle on to keep the water in the little internal tank hot so you get some hot water from the tap straight away without running it first.

However - ours also has a mind of its own and doesn't do this. (There is a switch you set to turn this feature on and off - one setting is "instantaneous" and the other is "immediate". Go figure!)

thanks for all the info. - will do some research !
Have heard that Worcester are good...

Well I noticed while googling that they are called Worcester Bosch these days so that must be a recommendation!

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Our is an Alpha CB28 here, scroll down the page a bit , we had it fitted 2½ yrs ago, in total cost £2000, this included removing and disposing of old boiler, new pipes from outside to inside (as needed to be wider), 2 new radiators because they exploded as new pressure was too high for them to cope with, new pipes to dining room (from cellar) because we had a leak under the floor which is concrete, and finally we had a thermostatic shower fitted at the same time.

Before having the combi boiler fitted, we paid £25 per month for our gas which was about right. In the first two years (still paying £25/mth) we saved £200. So definately more efficient than our previous boiler.

and here

We didn't choose the boiler, our plumber did. Forgot to say we have a 3 bedroomed Victorian terraced house.

thanks again for all the advice !