Is the Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 a system, regular or combi boiler?

Suitable for a house or a flat, the Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 combi boiler is worth considering if you want a combi boiler.

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.

Should I choose a Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 combi boiler for my house or flat?

It's best to choose a boiler whose size or "output" is right for your home.

The more hot water and heat you want, the higher the output level of your boiler should be. Output is measured in kilowatts and it describes the maximum level of power your boiler has to heat water.

If your output level is too low, your boiler will not have the power it needs to get your water as hot as you want it, particularly when there's a lot of demand for it. Choose a boiler whose output level is too high and you'll have all the hot water you need but will be paying too much for it through higher gas bills.

Which types of property would this Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 838 Combi boiler be appropriate for given its output of 38.7 kW?

An experienced PlumbProud Gas Safe boiler installer would almost certainly recommend that this Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 838 Combi boiler would be most suitable for larger properties including detached homes with 15 or more radiators and two or more bathrooms.

When choosing a combi boiler like the Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838, you need to consider the "flow rate" as well as the output rate. Flow rates (measured in litres per minute) indicate the volume of hot water that the boiler can heat up and then distribute to your taps and radiators.

However, combi boilers draw water from the mains and this means they can only heat the amount of water that actually enters your property.

What this means is that, if your mains pressure is 12 litres per minute, that is your boiler's effective flow rate even if it has the capacity to process 18 litres per minute. This Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 838 Combi boiler's flow rate is 16 L/m.

To give you an idea of the flow rate you might need, a power shower typically requires around 12 litres of water per minute and a basin tap requires 4-8 litres per minute.

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 size of the Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 boiler is 720 mm high, 440 mm wide, and 406 mm deep.

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

Condensing gas boilers like the Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 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 Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 combi a good choice for the environment?

With more and more of us concerned about environmental issues and climate change, how we heat our homes has become an important issue to many homeowners.

With central heating being responsible for 14% of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, your choice of boiler matters. Gas boilers are also responsible for the significant atmospheric volumes of dangerous nitrogen dioxide emissions in larger British cities.

Would installing a Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 combi boiler in your home help combat climate change? What do the figures suggest?

By law, boilers manufactured and supplied in the UK must achieve a SEDBUK rating of "A" and work at a 92% minimum efficiency. Before April 2018, a minimum of 88% energy efficiency needed to be achieved (88/89% = SEDBUK "B" and 90% = SEDBUK "A").

Following official testing, the Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 was given an efficiency rating of 94% with a SEDBUK rating of "A".

Energy efficiency is a measure of how much energy is used and how much is wasted when a boiler is operating.

The Energy Related Products Directive intends to encourage all manufacturers to reduce the harmful gas emissions associated with the products they make, from the manufacturing stage to final disposal, including when they are in active use.

The Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 has an ERP rating of "A" for heat and "A" for hot water.

How long am I covered by the warranty for if the Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838 breaks down?

Vaillant offers a parts and labour warranty of 5 years on the Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 838.