A Boiler with the juicy bits taken out (British Gas Worcester CDi Series Boiler)

Member Name: Botmission

Product:	British Gas Worcester CDi Series Boiler
Date:	11/03/01 (7599 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Only available from British Gas

Disadvantages: Not the best Worcester ever made., A bare version of a good boiler.

British Gas don't make anything. Apart from a ridiculously large profit. This is a Worcester, which has made to a lower specification so that BG can increase it's margin.

Worcester make some great combi boilers, like the 28i, but this has had some of the innovative features removed. It's only available from British Gas.

It's quite a large thing, and with the mass of pipe work that hangs underneath it, reminds me of a rig in the north sea that the gas came from in the first place.

Combi's are ideal for flats and small houses. Get a conventional boiler for anything larger.

Combi's in general:

Just as the old water heaters (anyone out there have a Triton?) were being phased out, some of which were obviously dangerous, a new challenge was upon us. The powers that be, i.e. Corgi, acting on legislation, decided that some open flued water heaters before a specific date were dangerous, but after that date they were not. It has always puzzled me that a heater installed on the Wednesday was deemed dangerous, yet an identical one installed on the Thursday was safe!

Anyway, the reason I mention water heaters, is because that is what 50% of a combination boiler is. Albeit all tangled up with a conventional boiler and covered in a large enamel spayed aluminium box. Except for the Ideal Response, which is rather smaller. By the way, if you are offered an Ideal Response, the ideal response to the question is ?no thanks? I?d rather stick my head up an elephant?s bottom. Trust me, an elephant?s bum is much more desirable.

Is a combi suitable for you? Well not if you want more than about eight medium size rads, or you use more than one hot tap at a time. A combo heats the water as you use it, and so is limited to the amount it can heat. It will raise the temperature about 40 degrees Celsius. So in the winter, it may be a case of turning the tap down a bit to get the desired temperature.

Wh
ilst it is heating the water, it is not heating the central heating. Not normally a problem, unless you have a dripping tap or two, which could prevent the heating from coming on at all.

You must have good mains water pressure. Absolutely essential.

Another thing to consider is the lack of an immersion as back up hot water. There are no tanks associated with a combo system, so if it breaks down, that?s it until it?s fixed.

It?s not too difficult to install, as there are no tanks, cylinders or many controls to fit. The timer can be an integral part of the boiler. So if you fit thermostatic radiator valves on the rads, all you have to do electrically is wire a plug and away you go. The gas however, has to be installed by a competent person.

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