I have narrowed the choice of medium output combis down to two models,
Vaillant Ecotec plus 831 or Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30Si.

Both have similar specs and the Vaillant is around 100ukp more
expensive looking at current online prices.

Does anyone have any experience of running either of these two units?
--
rbel

On 05/05/2012 13:01, rbel wrote:
I have narrowed the choice of medium output combis down to two models,
Vaillant Ecotec plus 831 or Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30Si.

Both have similar specs and the Vaillant is around 100ukp more
expensive looking at current online prices.

Does anyone have any experience of running either of these two units?
--
rbel
I would go for a Vaillant, most installers I have spoken to say the
same, Worcester are apparently not worth it due to the build quality,
over-hyped and overrated. We have a Vaillant Ecotec as well, not been in
very long mind, 4 years in October, though there have been no complaints
about the boiler so far.

The new Ecotec range has a few improvements, the 831 has a CH output
range of 5.2kw - 24kw compared to 7.2kw - 24kw on the 30si.

--
David

"rbel" wrote in message ...

I have narrowed the choice of medium output combis down to two models,
Vaillant Ecotec plus 831 or Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30Si.

Both have similar specs and the Vaillant is around 100ukp more
expensive looking at current online prices.

Does anyone have any experience of running either of these two units?

waits for harry to come along and tell you not to bother, that he can heat
his house with an 8 watt cfl and a couple of farts a day.

On 05/05/2012 13:23, gremlin_95 wrote:
On 05/05/2012 13:01, rbel wrote:
I have narrowed the choice of medium output combis down to two models,
Vaillant Ecotec plus 831 or Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30Si.

Both have similar specs and the Vaillant is around 100ukp more
expensive looking at current online prices.

Does anyone have any experience of running either of these two units?
--
rbel
I would go for a Vaillant, most installers I have spoken to say the
same, Worcester are apparently not worth it due to the build quality,
over-hyped and overrated. We have a Vaillant Ecotec as well, not been in
very long mind, 4 years in October, though there have been no complaints
about the boiler so far.

The new Ecotec range has a few improvements, the 831 has a CH output
range of 5.2kw - 24kw compared to 7.2kw - 24kw on the 30si.

I'm very happy with last year's Ecotec too

On 05/05/2012 13:23, gremlin_95 wrote:
On 05/05/2012 13:01, rbel wrote:
I have narrowed the choice of medium output combis down to two models,
Vaillant Ecotec plus 831 or Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30Si.

Both have similar specs and the Vaillant is around 100ukp more
expensive looking at current online prices.

Does anyone have any experience of running either of these two units?
--
rbel
I would go for a Vaillant, most installers I have spoken to say the
same, Worcester are apparently not worth it due to the build quality,
over-hyped and overrated. We have a Vaillant Ecotec as well, not been in
very long mind, 4 years in October, though there have been no complaints
about the boiler so far.

The new Ecotec range has a few improvements, the 831 has a CH output
range of 5.2kw - 24kw compared to 7.2kw - 24kw on the 30si.



If you have more than one bath or more than one shower in your house,
its worth spending a few quid more on a boiler with a bigger DHW heat
exchanger.

I have an Vaillant Ecotec 838 exclusive. This can output 5.3kW to 32kW
to CH and can output up to 38kW to DHW. The DHW exchanger is about twice
the size of others in other boilers.

I got the 838 for £1k plus VAT. you also need to buy a flue kit for it
as well which will be about another 50 quid.

Stephen

On 05/05/2012 14:48, newshound wrote:
On 05/05/2012 13:23, gremlin_95 wrote:
On 05/05/2012 13:01, rbel wrote:
I have narrowed the choice of medium output combis down to two models,
Vaillant Ecotec plus 831 or Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30Si.

Both have similar specs and the Vaillant is around 100ukp more
expensive looking at current online prices.

Does anyone have any experience of running either of these two units?
--
rbel
I would go for a Vaillant, most installers I have spoken to say the
same, Worcester are apparently not worth it due to the build quality,
over-hyped and overrated. We have a Vaillant Ecotec as well, not been in
very long mind, 4 years in October, though there have been no complaints
about the boiler so far.

The new Ecotec range has a few improvements, the 831 has a CH output
range of 5.2kw - 24kw compared to 7.2kw - 24kw on the 30si.

I'm very happy with last year's Ecotec too
Yep, they appear to have made it a bit more installer friendly from what
I can see and with wider modulation ranges compared to previous models.

--
David

On 05/05/2012 15:14, Stephen H wrote:
.

I have an Vaillant Ecotec 838 exclusive. This can output 5.3kW to 32kW
to CH

Stephen

Are you sure about this, the technical data sheet seems to suggest it
has a 11.2kw - 30kw output for CH?


--
David

On 05/05/2012 15:49, gremlin_95 wrote:
On 05/05/2012 15:14, Stephen H wrote:
.

I have an Vaillant Ecotec 838 exclusive. This can output 5.3kW to 32kW
to CH

Stephen

Are you sure about this, the technical data sheet seems to suggest it
has a 11.2kw - 30kw output for CH?



Yes. There is a display on the boiler that shows the power level. It
modulates down to 5.2kW and modulates up to 38kW for DHW and up to 32kW
for CH.

If you read the manual, its possible to adjust the upper and lower
limits of the burner modulation range.

Regards

Stephen

On 05/05/2012 16:15, Stephen H wrote:
On 05/05/2012 15:49, gremlin_95 wrote:
On 05/05/2012 15:14, Stephen H wrote:
.

I have an Vaillant Ecotec 838 exclusive. This can output 5.3kW to 32kW
to CH

Stephen

Are you sure about this, the technical data sheet seems to suggest it
has a 11.2kw - 30kw output for CH?



Yes. There is a display on the boiler that shows the power level. It
modulates down to 5.2kW and modulates up to 38kW for DHW and up to
32kW for CH.

If you read the manual, its possible to adjust the upper and lower
limits of the burner modulation range.

Regards

Stephen
Oh wow, maybe its because it's from the Exclusive range, the Ecotec Plus
you can only adjust the upper limit

--
David

On Sat, 05 May 2012 15:14:14 +0100, Stephen H
wrote:

If you have more than one bath or more than one shower in your house,
its worth spending a few quid more on a boiler with a bigger DHW heat
exchanger.

I have an Vaillant Ecotec 838 exclusive. This can output 5.3kW to 32kW
to CH and can output up to 38kW to DHW. The DHW exchanger is about twice
the size of others in other boilers.

I got the 838 for £1k plus VAT. you also need to buy a flue kit for it
as well which will be about another 50 quid.

Our current aged Potterton has an output of 17.8kW to 20.5kW which has
produced a good level of comfort here in a well insulated property on
the south west coast. Our mains water flow is only 12.5 litres/min so
the 831 DHW flow of 12.7 would seem to be a reasonable match.
--
rbel

In message m, brass
monkey writes

"YAPH" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 05 May 2012 13:01:07 +0100, rbel wrote:

Does anyone have any experience of running either of these two units?

I've had experience of getting support from Worcester on the few
occasions I've needed it, and trying to get support from Vaillant :-/

+1
Bosch were here next day but i've no experience of Vaillant.


That's the problem, isn't it

You could count on one hand the number of people here who have any
useful comparative experience

As one of those people, I used to recommend W_B, but I think that they
are going downhill, with Vaillant hot on their tails

Both seem to be having quality issues

Vaillant have the edge, but then, they are a bit more expensive

Look for the cheapest boiler to spec with the longest warranty


--
geoff

"geoff" wrote in message
...
In message m, brass
monkey writes

"YAPH" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 05 May 2012 13:01:07 +0100, rbel wrote:

Does anyone have any experience of running either of these two units?

I've had experience of getting support from Worcester on the few
occasions I've needed it, and trying to get support from Vaillant :-/

+1
Bosch were here next day but i've no experience of Vaillant.


That's the problem, isn't it

You could count on one hand the number of people here who have any useful
comparative experience

As one of those people, I used to recommend W_B, but I think that they
are going downhill, with Vaillant hot on their tails

Both seem to be having quality issues

Vaillant have the edge, but then, they are a bit more expensive

Look for the cheapest boiler to spec with the longest warranty

I got 5 years with this 30cdi, the only fault so far (after 3.5 years) is a
dicky wireless thermostat.
I just know I shouldn't have said that.

In message om, brass
monkey writes

"geoff" wrote in message
...
In message m, brass
monkey writes

"YAPH" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 05 May 2012 13:01:07 +0100, rbel wrote:

Does anyone have any experience of running either of these two units?

I've had experience of getting support from Worcester on the few
occasions I've needed it, and trying to get support from Vaillant :-/

+1
Bosch were here next day but i've no experience of Vaillant.


That's the problem, isn't it

You could count on one hand the number of people here who have any useful
comparative experience

As one of those people, I used to recommend W_B, but I think that they
are going downhill, with Vaillant hot on their tails

Both seem to be having quality issues

Vaillant have the edge, but then, they are a bit more expensive

Look for the cheapest boiler to spec with the longest warranty

I got 5 years with this 30cdi, the only fault so far (after 3.5 years) is a
dicky wireless thermostat.
I just know I shouldn't have said that.


Well, I currently have a 28i Junior which has yet to go wrong. It
replaced a 242E which was working when I removed it, having required a
fan and secondary HE in the 20+ years it was installed

However ...

I repair more W-B and vaillant fans and pcbs now than anything else,
with the exception of suprima pcbs and ICOS modules

--
geoff

Does anyone have any experience of running either of these two units?

I've had experience of getting support from Worcester on the few
occasions I've needed it, and trying to get support from Vaillant :-/

+1
Bosch were here next day but i've no experience of Vaillant.


That's the problem, isn't it

You could count on one hand the number of people here who have any useful
comparative experience

As one of those people, I used to recommend W_B, but I think that they
are going downhill, with Vaillant hot on their tails

Both seem to be having quality issues

Vaillant have the edge, but then, they are a bit more expensive

Look for the cheapest boiler to spec with the longest warranty

I got 5 years with this 30cdi, the only fault so far (after 3.5 years) is a
dicky wireless thermostat.
I just know I shouldn't have said that.


Well, I currently have a 28i Junior which has yet to go wrong. It
replaced a 242E which was working when I removed it, having required a
fan and secondary HE in the 20+ years it was installed



However ...



I repair more W-B and vaillant fans and pcbs now than anything else,

Is that because there're more of them in use than anything else Geoff?..


with the exception of suprima pcbs and ICOS modules

Understandable;(.....

Must have made you a millionaire several times over those damm
things;((...
--
Tony Sayer

On Fri, 11 May 2012 00:38:24 +0100, geoff wrote:


I repair more W-B and vaillant fans and pcbs now than anything else,

Because they are wrth repairing rather than buying a new POS
replacement?

with the exception of suprima pcbs and ICOS modules

ahh perhaps not.

Crosses finger, touches bit of wood, looks for lucky heather and hopes
his fleet of WB's keep going.


--

In message , tony sayer
writes


Well, I currently have a 28i Junior which has yet to go wrong. It
replaced a 242E which was working when I removed it, having required a
fan and secondary HE in the 20+ years it was installed



However ...



I repair more W-B and vaillant fans and pcbs now than anything else,

Is that because there're more of them in use than anything else Geoff?..

I assume so

A lot of fitters seem to have an aversion to installing baxi-potterton,
I wonder why ?




with the exception of suprima pcbs and ICOS modules

Understandable;(.....

Must have made you a millionaire several times over those damm
things;((...

--
geoff

On Fri, 11 May 2012 00:38:24 +0100, geoff wrote:

I repair more W-B and vaillant fans and pcbs now than anything else,
with the exception of suprima pcbs and ICOS modules

Having accounted for a fair few of those I can believe that. But how many
Greenstar fans and PCBs are you seeing relative to their standard-
efficiency parts?





--
John Stumbles -- http://yaph.co.uk

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous

In message , YAPH
writes
On Fri, 11 May 2012 00:38:24 +0100, geoff wrote:

I repair more W-B and vaillant fans and pcbs now than anything else,
with the exception of suprima pcbs and ICOS modules

Having accounted for a fair few of those I can believe that. But how many
Greenstar fans and PCBs are you seeing relative to their standard-
efficiency parts?

Significantly fewer, of course, but steadily rising


--
geoff

On Sat, 12 May 2012 22:48:15 +0100, geoff wrote:

I repair more W-B and vaillant fans and pcbs now than anything
else,
with the exception of suprima pcbs and ICOS modules

Having accounted for a fair few of those I can believe that. But
how
many Greenstar fans and PCBs are you seeing relative to their
standard-
efficiency parts?

Significantly fewer, of course, but steadily rising

Presumably beacuse the installed base is steadily rising.

Interesting though it is that Geoff now repairs more W-B and vaillant
bits than anything else without knowing how many units are out there
it doesn't really mean very much.

Which has the better reliabilty:

Make A with 10 repairs and 1,000 installed units
Make B with 1000 repairs and 100,000 installed units

When you only know the number of repairs...

--
Cheers
Dave.

In message o.uk, Dave
Liquorice writes
On Sat, 12 May 2012 22:48:15 +0100, geoff wrote:

I repair more W-B and vaillant fans and pcbs now than anything
else,
with the exception of suprima pcbs and ICOS modules

Having accounted for a fair few of those I can believe that. But
how
many Greenstar fans and PCBs are you seeing relative to their
standard-
efficiency parts?

Significantly fewer, of course, but steadily rising

Presumably beacuse the installed base is steadily rising.

Interesting though it is that Geoff now repairs more W-B and vaillant
bits than anything else without knowing how many units are out there
it doesn't really mean very much.

Which has the better reliabilty:

Make A with 10 repairs and 1,000 installed units
Make B with 1000 repairs and 100,000 installed units

When you only know the number of repairs...

Well yes, ands it's something I always point out to people who ask what
boiler to buy next


--
geoff

In message , YAPH
writes
On Fri, 11 May 2012 00:38:24 +0100, geoff wrote:

I repair more W-B and vaillant fans and pcbs now than anything else,
with the exception of suprima pcbs and ICOS modules

Having accounted for a fair few of those I can believe that. But how many
Greenstar fans and PCBs are you seeing relative to their standard-
efficiency parts?

Oh, significantly less, but rising


--
geoff

On Sat, 19 May 2012 00:42:30 +0100, geoff wrote:

Oh, significantly less, but rising

What tends to be wrong on them? (The greenstar ones?)





--
John Stumbles -- http://yaph.co.uk

There's nowt as queer as folk.
Especially other folk.

In message o.uk, Dave
Liquorice writes
On Sat, 12 May 2012 22:48:15 +0100, geoff wrote:

I repair more W-B and vaillant fans and pcbs now than anything
else,
with the exception of suprima pcbs and ICOS modules

Having accounted for a fair few of those I can believe that. But
how
many Greenstar fans and PCBs are you seeing relative to their
standard-
efficiency parts?

Significantly fewer, of course, but steadily rising

Presumably beacuse the installed base is steadily rising.

Interesting though it is that Geoff now repairs more W-B and vaillant
bits than anything else without knowing how many units are out there
it doesn't really mean very much.

Which has the better reliabilty:

Make A with 10 repairs and 1,000 installed units
Make B with 1000 repairs and 100,000 installed units

When you only know the number of repairs...

Yes, I keep saying that

what's your point?

--
geoff