Is this Baxi Duo-tec 28 boiler a combi, system or regular boiler?

Looking for a gas combi boiler for your house or flat? If you are, the Baxi Duo-tec 28 boiler may be worth considering.

Traditional boilers require at least one large cylindrical tank to work, normally housed in a large landing cupboard, utility room or the attic. As the UK has some of the world's smallest residential properties, manufacturers introduced the combi boiler in the 1970s to address the issue of space while meeting homeowners' need for central heating and hot water at the same time.

Combi boilers don't need external storage tanks. Instead, they draw water directly from the mains, heat it and then distribute it on demand to the areas where it is needed.

The most important disadvantage of combi boilers is that they have a maximum capacity for the amount of water they can heat up. This means that, if one person in your household is having a shower and another person turns on a hot water tap elsewhere, then the volume, pressure and temperature of the water to both points decreases.

Is a Baxi Duo-tec 28 combi boiler suitable for my apartment or house?

Whether this Baxi Duo-tec 28 Combi boiler is right for where you live depends on its size or "output" level. Size does not mean its physical dimensions - it means how powerful it is.

A boiler’s output is a measurement of the amount of power it can use to provide hot water to your taps and radiators. The higher its output rate, the more water it can heat.

If your new boiler’s output is too low, your hot water might not be as hot as you want it to be. If it's too high, you’ll be paying more for gas than you need to.

The output of the Baxi Duo-tec 28 combi boiler is 28 kW, so which types of property would this be appropriate for?

Most experienced heating engineers would suggest that the most suitable type of property for installing a Baxi Duo-tec 28 combi boiler in would be medium-sized homes and larger apartments with 10-15 radiators and two bathrooms.

You should also consider a combi boiler's "flow rate" when making your choice.

The flow rate indicates how much water it can take from the mains supply at any one time (measured in litres per minute), which it then heats and distributes to different points in your home like your bathroom, kitchen and radiators. This Baxi Duo-tec 28 Combi boiler's flow rate is 12 L/m.

Combi boilers have no storage tanks like system or heat only boilers. This means that if the water pressure where you live is low, there's no benefit in spending money on a combi with a high flow rate because a high flow rate doesn't mean it can draw any more water from the mains.

In addition, there might be lots of people in your household who want to use hot water at the same time while also having the central heating on. Given that average mains pressure in the UK is between 10 and 12 litres per second and a power shower usually requires about 12 litres of water per minute, a combi boiler might not be the right choice for you and your family.

When our engineer comes out to quote you, they may recommend that you choose a heat only boiler or system boiler instead if your family's demand for hot water is higher than normal.

Baxi Duo-tec 28 - size in millimetres

The Baxi Duo-tec 28 boiler is 780 mm high, 450 mm wide, and 345 mm deep.

Duo-tec 28 – non-condensing or condensing?

Condensing gas boilers like the Baxi Duo-tec 28 are environmentally friendlier and cheaper to run so, if possible, we strongly recommend that you choose this or one of the very latest models.

Condensing boilers are much more efficient and economical to run because they contain a secondary heat exchanger that captures and recycles the warmth still present in the flue exhaust gases and the water vapour condensation for re-use, meaning that they use less gas to run.

Is the combi Baxi Duo-tec 28 boiler energy efficient?

As the British public has become more conscious of climate change, many homeowners consider the environment when choosing how to heat their homes.

Central heating accounts for 14% of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. In larger British cities, gas boilers emit dangerous levels of nitrogen dioxide into the atmosphere.

Would installing the Baxi Duo-tec 28 combi in your home be an environmentally friendly decision? Let's look closely at the figures.

By law, the minimum level of energy efficiency for boilers manufactured in the UK is 92%, equivalent to a good SEDBUK “A” rating. Prior to April 2018, the minimum was 88% - boilers whose energy efficiency levels were 88% or 89% were given a "B" rating on the SEDBUK scale and those at 90% or higher were given an "A".

The energy efficiency rating awarded to each boiler indicates the amount of energy that is wasted when in operation.

Following testing, the Baxi Duo-tec 28 was given a 92% energy efficiency rating and a SEDBUK grading of "A".

The ERP (or Energy Related Products Directive) is a European regulation governing products which require energy to operate throughout their lives and encourages manufacturers to create products that are more environmentally friendly.

The legislation is designed to reduce the potential for harmful gas emissions during manufacturing and actual use right through to the point of final disposal.

For the Baxi Duo-tec 28, the ERP rating is "A" for heat and "A" for hot water production.

How long is the warranty period on a Baxi Duo-tec 28 combi boiler?

Parts and labour charges incurred during a repair on the Baxi Baxi Duo-tec 28 boiler are covered by a 7 year warranty.