PT Heating and Plumbing

What is the best combi boiler?

Recommending the best boiler will depend on the specific requirements of each customer. Budget, number of radiators and number of bathrooms are just a few questions that will sway any recommendations. E.g If a customer wants a long warranty but doesn’t want to pay for a premium for it then you can’t go far wrong with the Baxi Platinum range. If a customer has had bad experience with customer service then they would perhaps be willing to pay a little more for piece of mind and Worcester could be the way to go. The length of the warranty is only relevant if they are happy to commit to an annual service and I have found some customers would neglect this after a few years but would have paid more for the boiler originally for the longer warranties. Some installers benefit more from specific brands so I always try to give impartial advice based on the customer requirements rather than steer them to a brand that may not be the best for them. I also try to provide a couple of options at different price points. Also ensure that you are receiving the latest advice, on combi boilers this is currently Boiler Plus. You need to ensure you are compliant with current regulations but also that any quotes you are comparing offer the same value and specifications. It’s not just the boiler you are buying, sometimes there will be magnetic filters to protect the boiler, TRVs for radiators and controls for heating (and possibly hot water). These can all vary greatly in price. Ensure you understand exactly what you are buying before committing.

What is a condensing boiler & how do condensing boilers work?

Condensing boilers are water heaters fuelled by gas or oil. They achieve high efficiency (typically greater than 90% on the higher heating value) by condensing water vapour in the exhaust gases and so recovering its latent heat of vaporisation, which would otherwise have been wasted. Condensing boilers are pretty much standard these days for all domestic applications – any boiler you install now, be it combi, heat only or system will be condensing if fuelled by gas or oil.