baxi back boiler

[phlebo1]

Sorry if this is a repeat question but your forums too long to trawl through!
We have a 20 year old, very noisy Baxi back boiler fronted by a HIDEOUS fire in the lounge. No longer economical to run (and I want shut of the fire!). We have a 3 bed semi with 6 radiators & a heated towel rail.
Looking at getting a combi but reading through some of these posts combis don't always work when swapped from back boiler. Is this true? Also, have asked for 3 quotes. Had one back so far for £2600. One guy only fits Baxi's, the other 2 only fit Worcesters - all CORGI reg. But are either of these boilers reliable any more? Are we going to run into more trouble than its worth? IF we find its a no go or way too expensive, can we just lose the fire fronting the boiler - professionally of course?
Thanks

 

[Mike Jackson]

The fire front is an integral part of the appliance and needs to be in place for it's safe operation.

A back boiler to combi swap can be fine as long as you bare certain things in mind.

1. The hot water flow rate is directly proportional to the heat input of the boiler. A 24Kw boiler will give around 9 l/min at 35c rise, a 42Kw boiler will give a around 16 l/min. There are also storage combis available that will provide greater flow rates until the store is exausted.

2. You need to avoid long hot water pipe runs with a combi. long pipe runs lead to unacceptable delays and tend to be one of the biggest complaionts with combis.

3. A combi boiler system is normally sealed and pressurises the pipework to a lot more than your existing system. It will find any weak spots in the system. (Having said that I do a lot of conversions and haven't had that many problems)

4. A combi will generally require a larger gas pipe size.

Baxi have won several which awards for there boilers but I have heard rumours of problems. I like worcesters but that is a personal choice, others will prefer vaillants, glow worm, etc.

Mike

 

[Deleted member 2053]

Where are you geographically? In some areas £2600 is a good deal but not so in others.

 

[phlebo1]

The fire front is an integral part of the appliance and needs to be in place for it's safe operation.

A back boiler to combi swap can be fine as long as you bare certain things in mind.

1. The hot water flow rate is directly proportional to the heat input of the boiler. A 24Kw boiler will give around 9 l/min at 35c rise, a 42Kw boiler will give a around 16 l/min. There are also storage combis available that will provide greater flow rates until the store is exausted.

2. You need to avoid long hot water pipe runs with a combi. long pipe runs lead to unacceptable delays and tend to be one of the biggest complaionts with combis.

3. A combi boiler system is normally sealed and pressurises the pipework to a lot more than your existing system. It will find any weak spots in the system. (Having said that I do a lot of conversions and haven't had that many problems)

4. A combi will generally require a larger gas pipe size.

Baxi have won several which awards for there boilers but I have heard rumours of problems. I like worcesters but that is a personal choice, others will prefer vaillants, glow worm, etc.

Mike

Thanks for your replies. We live in the Wigan area & have had 3 quotes incl 2430 & 2200 ( cash ). All CORGI reg. Our water pressure is very good & fortunately no probs with scale. Just wanted to make sure we werent forking out alot of money for something that, in effect, would be more trouble than its worth.
This site has been very useful. Knew the right questions to ask - not bad for a girl!!Thanks.