Valliant Boiler Review: ecoTEC Combi, System and Heat Only
The Valliant ecoTEC plus combi boiler is a flexible system designed to support a variety of needs. For this review, I decided to start with some in-depth research about the combination version.
Valliant ecoTEC plus Combi Models
This boiler system currently has four models: 25, 32, 35, and 38 kW heating outputs, with a range of 10.5 to 15.9 l/min for direct hot water flow. With roughly a 150% increase by the largest model, this is a reasonably good spread, if still limited to the household range.
The models are almost entirely the same apart from their flow rates. According to the manufacturer, they have identical seasonal efficiencies and ErP ratings across the board.
The only significant external difference is that the 38kW model is a little deeper than the others, which could be an issue if there are doors, cabinets, drawers, or similar items near the place of installation.
However, it’s important to note that this unit is expressly designed for smaller homes and families. It is not suitable for larger residences, much less business facilities, and that's an important deciding factor. I've seen homes where people ignored sizing guidelines because they thought a product was good, and the result was far from pleasant.
Smart Heating
What really caught my eye about this system is its ability to reduce its energy use during "off" hours drastically.
There’s always the risk of getting home late one day and not having much hot water when you want it, but going to just 16% of maximum power is a significant drop in energy consumption, even for a system that's often on standby.
That said, this unit is compatible with an app that allows you to customize and control heating, so it's ready when you need it, which is a significant plus in any smart home.
How Long Can I Expect it to Last?
This took a little more digging than I expected to - most companies advertise expected product lifespans pretty prominently, and Vaillant does not.
Eventually, I managed to track down some useful information on this subject. These units come with a basic 5-year guarantee when put in place by a competent installer, with an extension of up to 10 years if you install the unit with their optional Boiler Protection Kit.
I debated this for a while, and ultimately, I think this kit is a good choice if you're getting an ecoTEC combi boiler at all. Five extra years of coverage is significant added protection, and that's on top of the kit actively protecting and supporting the boiler for its duration.
Obviously, I couldn't test the boiler for ten years to see how well this holds up in practice. There's no substitute for in-person tests, but it's just not practical to wait that long before writing a review of something.
Instead, I turned to the next-best source: the collective wisdom of buyers over time.
Other Reviews
At the time of my unit review, Valliant had a score of 4.6/5 (Excellent) on TrustPilot, with 8,294 reviews contributing. This applies to all of their units, but I decided it was a good start.
However, total review scores aren't everything. After looking at that, I decided to look at the spread of review scores, which helps to give a more useful. Overall, 88% of the reviews at the time I checked were positive, while 11% are either neutral or negative. That's a little different than the composite score, so I decided to investigate the bad reviews a little more thoroughly.
The main criticism I found among negative reviews was a challenge getting proper customer service. This was still a small minority of buyers, but the comments recurred often enough that I believe you should know about that potential problem.
Positive reviews were generally shorter (as is the case on most review cites), but many people praised the quiet nature of their boilers and noted that they're highly efficient and tend to get the job done.
Closing Thoughts
After some internal debating, I've decided to rate this unit Good. Valliant is a large manufacturer, and the large majority of owners are satisfied with their purchase, which is a key metric that is, in many ways, more important than the technical details of a given unit.
However, I don't recommend this product to all small families. While it's suitable for use with two adults and two small children, it may not be enough to keep up with children who are growing up. If you expect to have more adults (or nearly-adults) in your household over the expected lifespan of the product, you may want to get a larger unit instead.
As always, regardless of the product you get, don't forget to compare tradespeople and find someone you trust to install a unit properly. Most units with faulty installations begin having problems within a few days, so getting things done well the first time can save you a lot of time and stress.
