Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 - combi, system or regular boiler?

You may wish to consider installing the Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 if you are looking for a combi boiler for your house or flat.

Combi boilers are excellent for providing hot water and heat for your radiators just when you need it. When you have a combi boiler installed in your home, you just turn on the tap and the hot water for your bath, shower, washing dishes and other activities is there when you need it. It also provides the heat you need to keep your radiators warm.

A combi boiler heats the cold water passing through it, which it draws from the mains. This newly heated water can then be distributed to whichever hot tap or radiator needs it.

In the past, boilers needed at least one storage tank to hold water that was either already heated or would be heated later. Sometimes, you'd have to wait for hot water because there was none left. In addition, storage tanks took up a lot of space and most UK homes are pretty small.

The main disadvantage to combi boilers is that they can only heat a certain amount of water at any one time, meaning the pressure, volume and temperature of water will decrease if more than one tap is on at the same time or if both the shower and washing machine are on together.

Is a Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 combi the right boiler for my house or flat?

To determine that, we need to consider the size of the boiler. Size doesn't mean how big it is - it means how big its "output" is.

The output rate of a boiler tells you how much power it has available to it for heating the water that comes out of your taps and warms your radiators. A higher output rate means that your boiler has more power at its disposal.

You need to make sure you select a boiler with the right output rate. That's because, if your output rate is too high, then your boiler will have more power than it needs but it will cost too much to run. If the output rate is too low, your water may often not be hot enough.

The Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 combi's output is 38.7 kW, so which types of property would this Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 838 Combi boiler be appropriate for?

An experienced Gas Safe boiler installer would be likely to recommend that this Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 838 Combi boiler is capable of providing heating and hot water to 15 or more radiators and two or more bathrooms and would therefore be most suitable for larger properties including detached homes.

Please remember too that all combi boilers draw water from the mains - they have no storage tanks. Combis heat the water from the mains on demand and then send it to wherever it's needed in the house, like a radiator, a bathroom or a kitchen.

The speed at which it can do this is called the "flow rate", which is measured in litres per minute. If you have a lot of radiators and bathrooms in your home and multiple people are regularly trying to use the hot water at one time, such as in the morning or evening, you'll need a combi with a high flow rate. This Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 838 Combi boiler's flow rate is 16 L/m.

However, it's not that simple. Combis can only draw water from the mains at the speed it's delivered. If the flow rate of the local water supply is 11l/m, you shouldn't purchase a boiler with a flow rate of 17l/m because it will never be able to use that extra capacity.

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.

Making space for the Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838

The Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 is 720 mm tall, 440 mm wide, and 406 mm deep in size.

Is the Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 a non-condensing or condensing boiler?

This Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 is a condensing gas boiler - we always recommend that clients choose the latest condensing models to benefit from the technology, which continues to improve year after year.

Condensing boilers capture the heat still present in flue exhaust gases and water vapour condensation, processing them through a secondary heat exchanger to, among other tasks, heat colder water returning from your radiators.

By selecting a modern condensing boiler, you'll save money on your gas bills as well as benefitting the wider environment.

Does the Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 combi protect the environment?

The effects of climate change on the environment are leading many homeowners to question the damage they might be doing by the way they heat their homes.

Central heating creates 14% of the UK’s greenhouse gases. And in Britain's larger cities, gas boilers are responsible for dangerous levels of nitrogen dioxide emissions.

Would choosing a Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 combi help in the fight against climate change? What do the performance statistics suggest?

All boilers manufactured and installed in the UK are required by law to have an energy efficiency rating of at least 92%, equivalent to a good “A” rating on the SEDBUK scale. Before this, the minimum was 88% (ratings of 88% and 89% are equivalent to a high “B” SEDBUK rating and anything 90% or higher is an "A" rating).

A boiler's energy efficiency rating is designed to let you know how much energy is used and wasted during normal functioning.

The Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 was given an efficiency rating of 94% and a band rating of "A".

The ERP (Energy Related Products Directive) is European legislation that aims to reduce the use of energy at all points during a product's life, from the point of manufacture to when it's in active use right through to final disposal.

The regulation aims is to encourage manufacturers to create products that are more environmentally friendly and which reduce the harmful gas emissions associated with those products.

The ERP gradings for the Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 are "A" for heat and "A" for hot water.

How many years' warranty does the Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 combi come with?

The parts and labour warranty offered with this Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 838 Combi boiler covers you for 5 years.