Hi all. Asking for a friend who is getting a new combi.
They'd short-listed the WB Greenstar 4000 and Vaillant ecoTec Plus 832, and asked for my thoughts. I didn't have any, other than to ask what controls they were planning to use with them, and that's when I opened a can of worms. The required info for this aspect of a new install surprised me, and I'm still left floundering, even tho' I've spent weeks trying to gather useful info. This is what I have so far:
1) There are a number of different communication protocols used by manufacturers (lawdie, WHY?!), and you'll need to use the correct one to get the very best out of the boiler - ie to fully modulate its output to suit demand. Anything else is a compromise, and silly in these days of best efficiency.
2) Vaillant uses eBUS, and has their own senso-COMFORT, HOME, and ROOM controls, but they no longer do Smart TRVs, which my friend requires. Why has Vaillant stopped doing Smart TRVs?! Surely the ultimate in control?
3) W-B (EMS) has their 'Easy' controls, which looks good, has Smart TRVs, isn't stupidly expensive - but is seemingly plagued with problems, and a sod to sort out if so.
Has anyone had any experience of these? Or, have you installed either boiler using 3rd-party controls to good effect? Or, can you recommend a completely different boiler - eg Veissman or Intergas or whatevs - and a suitable set of controls?
To recap; they are looking for the best efficiency possible, which surely means the controls must use the same protocol as the boiler? And, it must be 'Smart', with easy App control, TRVs, and a nice usable interface.
Thoughts, please
Thanks.
(And a different Q - why aren't manufacturers obliged to stick with a single protocol?!)
They'd short-listed the WB Greenstar 4000 and Vaillant ecoTec Plus 832, and asked for my thoughts. I didn't have any, other than to ask what controls they were planning to use with them, and that's when I opened a can of worms. The required info for this aspect of a new install surprised me, and I'm still left floundering, even tho' I've spent weeks trying to gather useful info. This is what I have so far:
1) There are a number of different communication protocols used by manufacturers (lawdie, WHY?!), and you'll need to use the correct one to get the very best out of the boiler - ie to fully modulate its output to suit demand. Anything else is a compromise, and silly in these days of best efficiency.
2) Vaillant uses eBUS, and has their own senso-COMFORT, HOME, and ROOM controls, but they no longer do Smart TRVs, which my friend requires. Why has Vaillant stopped doing Smart TRVs?! Surely the ultimate in control?
3) W-B (EMS) has their 'Easy' controls, which looks good, has Smart TRVs, isn't stupidly expensive - but is seemingly plagued with problems, and a sod to sort out if so.
Has anyone had any experience of these? Or, have you installed either boiler using 3rd-party controls to good effect? Or, can you recommend a completely different boiler - eg Veissman or Intergas or whatevs - and a suitable set of controls?
To recap; they are looking for the best efficiency possible, which surely means the controls must use the same protocol as the boiler? And, it must be 'Smart', with easy App control, TRVs, and a nice usable interface.
Thoughts, please
Thanks.
(And a different Q - why aren't manufacturers obliged to stick with a single protocol?!)
