Baxi Combi's

[TBServices]

So this morning was the Baxi brekkie morning at plumbs, and it got me thinking..... Are they any good?

My experience of baxi is limited to installing a solo when I'm forced to, and repairing 105s, combi 80 etc, but I've never fitted a DuoTec or one of the newer Combi's.

Obviously now the DuoTec comes with a 7 year warranty and the platinum 10 and they're well priced it seems. So what's the difference between the 2?

Also, what's the deal with the different models? A, GA, netatec etc? Too any models!

 

[Killy Bing]

Hmm the more recent models seem to be a last ditch attempt to save the brand. Might be higher quality from this however ive never been involved with fitting one.

 

[TBServices]

All the old ones I see are leaking inside with tatty cases, broken hinges etc. they just feel tacky. 10 year warranty not to be sniffed at though.

 

[jefaz]

Duo tec are a suberb boiler!! Fitted one yesterday and with a 7 year warranty!!
the ga (gas adaptive) were the duo tec 2's
all they had was problems hence the reason the duo tec 1 was re released!
although I fitted a good number of the ga ones and not had 1 issue....as yet!!

 

[jefaz]

Oh and the neta tec is just the ga boiler smaller and made for cupboards

 

[TBServices]

Cheers jefaz, helpful!

Is the platinum essentially same boiler with 10 year warranty?

 

[Leo21]

Cheers jefaz, helpful!

Is the platinum essentially same boiler with 10 year warranty?

Yes. But Baxi back up isn't the best. They have a habit of trying wriggle out, almost impossible to get on the phone and don't respond to call outs quickly.

 

[jefaz]

Basically buddy aye!!

 

[jefaz]

Well as a member of baxi works they answer the phone straight away! Next day call out too!
I know of a duo tec 2 ga that had some faults so they ripped it out and replaced with a duo tec 1 at their expense

 

[jefaz]

Is the last email I got

 

[jefaz]

Can't really quibble with that!!

 

[Leo21]

Jeez they must be desperate. Still reckon they try to wriggle out of claims. I stopped when the duo Tec fans and pcb,s kept failing. I've fitted about ten and nine have failed.

 

[AWheating]

the GA boilers are pants, high percentage of gas valve failures and ignition faults.

there customer service is terrible, yes it may be better if your a member of "the works" , fair enough but a customer is a customer and it seems they only value engineers who are members. I had a GA boiler that took about 3 weeks for them to fix a year or two ago.

I also had an argument with them when i phoned them up to report a brand new boiler would not run. They asked for the serial number and when i gave it them they said we cant attend under warranty because the boiler has not been registerd and commissioned. I tried to point out that i cant commission a boiler that does not work when it came out the box................ just a waste of time.


the duotec 1 is a fine boiler.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

Jeez they must be desperate. Still reckon they try to wriggle out of claims. I stopped when the duo Tec fans and pcb,s kept failing. I've fitted about ten and nine have failed.

well can only speak from experience i have fitted over 400 duotec 1,s over the last 8 years had 2 fans fail and 3 electrodes,they are excellent boilers and much easier to work on than a WB which is total shyit TBH,i find baxi excellent in warranty

 

[Leo21]

The other issue I gave with them us that they insist in 20 mbar on the inlet. That's very difficult to achieve in most circumstances without using 28mm pipe.
Vaillant quote 16 mbar, worcestor 18.5 and ideal 14 mbar.
Im with you on Worcester's, I hate them with a passion.

 

[REDSAW]

Well as a member of baxi works they answer the phone straight away! Next day call out too!
I know of a duo tec 2 ga that had some faults so they ripped it out and replaced with a duo tec 1 at their expense

i have just joined in to that, saving up for a new telly lol.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

The other issue I gave with them us that they insist in 20 mbar on the inlet. That's very difficult to achieve in most circumstances without using 28mm pipe.
Vaillant quote 16 mbar, worcestor 18.5 and ideal 14 mbar.
Im with you on Worcester's, I hate them with a passion.

19mb they quote for but every appliance should have 19-20 mb at the inlet,thats why we size gas pipes correctly

 

[Leo21]

19mb they quote for but every appliance should have 19-20 mb at the inlet,thats why we size gas pipes correctly

Not according to mi,s on other appliances. The fan affects the reading, that's why other manufacturers have altered there requirements.

 

[jefaz]

i have just joined in to that, saving up for a new telly lol.

Its great for the gas safe registry and warrant all in one! Costs you nothing too! The vouchers I've had off my points normally come in 2 days recorded

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

Not according to mi,s on other appliances. The fan affects the reading, that's why other manufacturers have altered there requirements.

sorry dont agree with that if you have in the case of a ideal 14mb when its pulling dhw not only is that appliance under gassing but the gas hob also running in the kitchen will be extinguished

 

[Leo21]

sorry dont agree with that if you have in the case of a ideal 14mb when its pulling dhw not only is that appliance under gassing but the gas hob also running in the kitchen will be extinguished

Thatll be why it says in mi,s check this is ok for other apliances then. Condensers appear to under gassed because if the negative oressure the fan causes. You can gas rate them and they can be within tolerances and your hob and fire are pulling 19 to 20 as required.

 

[Mike Jackson]

I'm with gas man on this. The fan pull will be registered on the burner pressure test point, not the inlet test point. The lower presssures noted for certain boilers are for losses across the inlet controls. These have been calculated to add to the maximum 1 mbar drop across the pipework.

I've had a Worcester 24ri working with an inlet pressure of 2 mbar. It even gas rated correctly. Doesn't mean it was correct though and the gas fire went out when the boiler fired.

 

[Leo21]

Fair enough, but according to Vaillant engineers they have been told its all about the negative pressure of the fan.
And why should the losses be any different for inlet controls on a condenser to a standard efficiency boiler? The bit of pipe between the gas valve and the gas tap look almost identical and I can't see that accounting for a 6 mbar drop in Ideals and a 4 mbar drop in Vaillants. There's more to it than that.

 

[mfgs]

The original duo tec seems to be an alright boiler. I however don't like fitting them due to the extremely poor back up from Baxi, they will try absolutely everything to get out of honouring the warranty which is just not acceptable.

 

[Mike Jackson]

Fair enough, but according to Vaillant engineers they have been told its all about the negative pressure of the fan.
And why should the losses be any different for inlet controls on a condenser to a standard efficiency boiler? The bit of pipe between the gas valve and the gas tap look almost identical and I can't see that accounting for a 6 mbar drop in Ideals and a 4 mbar drop in Vaillants. There's more to it than that.

It's not a 6 mbar drop in Ideals. Read the instructions correctly. Look at http://idealheating.com/downloads/manuals/204978.pdf

Page 8 of the manual talks about the gas supply. It states that the boiler will work with a minimum inlet pressure of 14mbar but also states that BS 6891 must be followed which allows for a maximum 1 mbar across the pipework. There is also a chart giving pressure losses across the gas cock according to the heat input of the boiler. The worst case scenario with a 40Kw boiler is a 2.5 mbar drop across the gas cock giving a total allowable pressure drop of 3.5 mbar between the meter test point and the inlet test point on the boiler. Given that the working pressure of the meter can be between 19 and 23 mbar that gives us a working pressure at the boiler of between 15.5 and 23 but never more than 3.5 mbar below the working pressure at the meter.

The 14mbar is a bit of a red herring, they are just stating that the boiler will work down to 14mbar inlet pressure but go on to emphasise that BS 6891 must be followed a second time. By stating that it will work safely at 14mbar all they are doing is allowing you to NCS an undersized installation rather than AR it. If you fit a boiler with undersized pipe you could end up having to rectify the work at your own expense if Gas Safe get involved as they will not accept an NCS on a new install.