Gas condensing boilers

T

trmartin

Guest
Would appreciate views of forum members on gas condensing boilers.

Our existing gas boiler developed a fault during the summer and was deemed too expensive to repair.

Searched around for a replacement and came across gas condensing boilers which seemed very attractive because of their higher efficiency.

However our local plumber/installer says that our rads are too small to warrant installing a gas condensing boiler; he recommends replacing our existing boiler with another standard gas boiler.

Our rads range in size but I don't have enough technical knowledge to to verify if what he is saying is correct. I would be disappointed if he was.

Any views?

Ta,

trmartin
 
I'm open to correction here but I think condensing boilers operate more efficiently at lower temps that regular boilers. Hence you would require bigger radiators to achieve the same level of heat from lower temp. water.

Several people I've spoken to recently are now using gas condensing boilers with under floor heating because of their effiency at lower temps.

I'm seriously considering using 1 myself when i eventually start my build.
 
We're in a similar position - in the market for a new boiler.

Had a plumber/gas fitter in today and his take on it was that to fit a condensing boiler we'd need to replace all old rads and pipes (ranging from 8 to 25 year's old). The reason being condensing boilers have finer tolerances within the inetrnal workings and would end up clogged from the sludge of an old system - regardless of how much the old system was flushed.

His price for fitting a new, standard gas boiler was €2800, which I thought was outrageous!!

I don't know about the rad size/temp/efficiency scenario, but replacing rads alone - if the pipes are 1/2" to the rads - shouldn't be a problem. New rads are cheap enough - pick up a catalogue from B&Q or Heat Merchants - it's the fitting that blows out the price. Fitting a new rad however should be easily within reach of an average handyman.
 
There have been other threads on condensing boilers and quite a number of them feature stories about plumbers not wanting to put in condensing boilers.

They just dont seem to like them

Could it be that they cant be bothered to put in a pipe to take the condensate ?

We replaced a ( 10 year old ) Vokera with a condensing Vokera two years ago because ( as trmartin says )

"Our existing gas boiler developed a fault during the summer and was deemed too expensive to repair."

The condensing boiler has been fine.

IIRC Vokera have a tech / sales office somewhere in Kilkenny.

Why not give them a call & see what they have to say ?
 
U are in exactly the same position as I was in last year when our boiler packed up-I wanted a condensing boiler but 2 different Bord Gais approved fitters came up with all kinds of reasons why it wouldnt be suitable-One actually told me he would only use them in a complete new installation.I was given all kinds of tech reasons most of which I did not understand and eventually they scared me off it.
I did ring Bord Gais about it and they said depite what the fitters were saying that "they had no issues with these boilers".
On that basis however I am sure there is some issue between the approved fitters and Bord Gais which they are not telling us about.Like u say these fitters dont like them but BG continue to promote them
 
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