DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi,

We are just renovating a house and have already ripped out the old surface mounted iron pipes of the central heating. We would like a new combi boiler and don't really have room for a cylinder. The water pressure is pretty good so thought a combi would be ok.

The problem we have is that I don't know how much output we need of hot water. We will have one bathroom, one shower room and obviously the kitchen and washing machine will need hot water.

I think I have narrowed it down to two that have a high output (both with internal stores) - the Vaillant 937 or Alpha CD50. I am leaning towards the Vaillant at the moment.

Can anyone tell me if either of these are any good or if there is anything else they can recommend instead?

Thanks.

Well I look at both of them and they seem ok.

The Alpha’s are only not on our company parts lists and there must be a reason we don’t keep parts for them in the vans.

What I can say is that the power and cost is about the same.

I am not happy about the 2-year guarantee on the vaillant.

And there both combi boilers and I think combi’s are unsuitable for family homes.

Combis are entirely suitable for family homes where there may be a large hot water demand,and Vaillants are a very good make of bolier, possibly the best although Baxis are also very good. Alphas are very good but not quite up to the same standard in my opinion

I don’t know why you think combi boiler are suitable for family homes, the main draw back is you can’t have hot water and heating at the same time.

That’s not a problem for people with out kids or teenagers, but if you wife is washing up and the washing machine is on, you 15-year-old daughter is never out of the bathroom it is.

The house can cool down in about an hour and you are forced to have the boiler running at max to re heat the house.

If you fit a combi you lose the option of fitting an unvened cylinder to over come these problems.

And we all know the real problems lime scale.

Nope I do have to say it combi boiler are a waste of time for family homes.