which condensing boiler? Help and information on all topics relating to your central heating, air conditioning and ventilation issues.

[AvD]

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Hi. Can anyone recommend a specific condensing boiler (not combi) please? I've just bought a 3 bedroomed, mid terrace, insulated brick cavity walled house that isn't huge (maybe 52m2 in total) and don't know which boiler to buy or what the heat output should be. I've heard Valliant are the best but someone else mentioned Worcester and I haven't got a clue. Please help... :?

[Paul Pepper]

Can't suggest exact size of boiler without knowing heat losses, but around 20kW should do the trick. A Worcester Greenstar 18Ri or a Vaillant Ecotec Plus 418 should do the trick. Both are just about as good as each other - Vaillant tend to be a bit more pricey tho! Why not a combi, just out of curiosity?

[AvD]

Thanks for that...sort of pleasing because I'd just decided to go with the Worcester Greenstar you mention and it's reassuring to get that affirmation. The reason I'm not going for a combi is because the plumber did the 'sucking -in-the-breath-through-the-teeth' thing and shook his head meaningfully and muttered things about low water pressure etc. Actually the pressure(I've now discovered) is 4.5 and the flow is 15litres per minute so I think/know that's ok enough...but I like boiling baths and like to run washing machine etc. simultaneously and so the combination of the breath sucking and the stuff I'd read convinced me a heat only condensing boiler was best. You disagree?

[Paul Pepper]

Nothing says you can't get a combi that does more than one tap/draw-off at the same time! Worcester do a Highflow Greenstar that may cost a bit more and be bigger (floorstanding) but bear in mind the rest of the system (ie. hot water cylinder, pump, control valves, header tanks) are unecessary so you save money (and space) that way. If you're desperate to keep your cylinder, consider an unvented one - no header tank and you'll get mains pressure (nigh on) hot water. Great for showers (with no noisy pump) and filling baths really, really quickly!

Paul