I get asked this questions nearly every day. There are so many different boilers on the market it's hard to choose the one for your needs.
In my opinion, a mid range or top of the range boiler fitted well and powerflushed correctly is all that is needed but I find a lot of the time engineers rush boiler installs and make them as basic as can be. By this I mean the controls side of things. Nearly every boiler I visit is controlled by what is called the on-off method.
Other methods of control are weather compensation or open-therm these smart controls speak to the boiler and work together so instead of being on full speed ahead of off the boiler modulates down, this means you will be more comfortable in your home and not either too hot or too cold to read more about this click HERE for weather-compensation.
Back on topic with controls in mind, as said there’s no real ‘best’ when it comes to boilers but only really how easy they are to work on and how advanced they are. In my opinion, Viessmann are miles ahead of every other boiler manufacturer out there because of how advanced their controls are and how well-built their boilers are. These boilers can be completely stripped in around 25 minutes and go back together with no issues at all, from my personal experience. The heat exchangers in Viessmann boilers are built by themselves in their factories and are made of stainless steel. Other manufacturers use the same heat exchangers. This shows Viessmann care and have developed the best possible heat exchangers and not just following everyone else.
I'll go back onto maintenance; some boilers changing parts are what engineers lose sleep over as they can take hours! Every single part in the Vitodens boilers are easily accessible easy to remove and easy to replace without hassle. This saves you time and money in the event of a breakdown. This is my own opinion, other engineers will say otherwise, others will agree, but for me Viessmann are a cut above the rest!
What other boiler manufactures I recommend
If I was to recommend other boilers I would say any really as I explained above its down to installation. One thing I always try and install is a boiler with stainless steel heat exchangers. This is because all new boilers produce condensation. This condensation is acidic and therefore breaks down aluminium heat exchangers to an extent that they pin hole and leak. This in turn means that your boiler pressure will drop. Replacing a heat exchanger is a big job and parts are expensive so I would try and avoid these boilers if possible. Most manufactures realise this and have moved to stainless steel as acidic condensation doesn’t effect stainless steel.
So how can a boiler be fitted incorrectly?
Installing a boiler is more complicated that some may think. It's not just a case of connecting up the pipes anymore. Boilers are becoming more and more advanced and need a lot more care when fitted.
Part of this means thoroughly powerflushing the existing or new system to ensure all debris chemicals and flux is removed. This is important because new boilers are low water content meaning the pathways inside are smaller (less water faster heat up) so they can block up easily.
Another part is setting up the temperatures coming out of the boiler or what we call ‘range rating.’ Your boiler doesn’t need to be on max output and doing so may cause issues. Generally, we aim for a hot water temperature of 60 degrees. This is due to a bug that lives in water called Legionella and at 60 degrees this bug is neutralised. Central heating flow temperature of 50- 6- degrees with a temperature difference of twenty degrees on the return pipe this is to ensure maximum condensation of the boiler, more condensation means more efficiency and less money spent on energy bills.
With all the above mentioned, there are other small things we do to ensure your boiler is as efficient and reliable as it can be. Again, installing a new boiler really is more than connecting a few pipes up!
If you would like us to install you a new boiler then don’t hesitate to call on 07152 78734.