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John Stumbles
 
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Default Boilers at B and Q

On Wed, 29 Mar 2006 01:57:15 -0800, JavaEnquirer wrote:

I'm looking to upgrade my old boiler to a condensing combi and replace
10 radiators. I've had a number of plumbers in giving me quotes, one as
high as £4500. One however told me to go to B and Q and pick up a
Ravenheat boiler pack - 87,000 BTU 11 litres per second, complete with
7 radiators ( and thermostatic valves ). Factor in the extra three rads
I need and the 10% OAP discount, it seems I can get the whole lot for
pretty much bang on a grand.

Does any one have experience of these packs. The price seems great, but
what of the quality. I haven't heard Ravenheat.


How long do you want the boiler to last? Ravenheat are certainly cheaper
than, say, Worcester-Bosch or Vaillant but it's like whether you buy, say,
a Bosch, Siemens or Miele washing machine rather than a cheaper brand. The
cheaper model _may_ last as long and require as little repair, and when it
packs up you just buy a new one and the suppliers will bring it round and
install it for you for little or no extra cost. However replacing a boiler
is much more expensive (apart from the cost of the boiler itself) so I'd
really suggest getting a good one despite the extra cost.

At the moment Worcester-Bosch and Vaillant (and maybe Gloworm?) seem to be
mainstream manufacturers with good products whereas the traditional safe
buys Potterton and possibly Ideal have rather tarnished reputations in
recent years. I'll put on my fireproof overalls now as there's likely to
be a flame war starting :-)