:goodpost:
Seconded. Combis are seriously overrated.
Probably depends which one you have. I fitted my own Vaillant in 1992. I've had very few problems with it, until about 3 weeks ago, when the main heat exchanger
started to drip. I fitted a new one, at a cost £137. When I got the manual out, which came with boiler, to "file" the receipt for the heat exchanger, I roughly totted up my
total repair costs at £211, after 22 years and counting. German engineering at it's peak, and it looks like the day it was fitted. A full installation manual, full service manual,
including circuit and wiring diagrams, electronics which I can understand, and genuine spares are still widely available. We've never had hot water flow problems either,
but then we manage to struggle along with less showers than bedrooms, in our archaic part of the UK.
I don't know whether this is typical. It may be part due to the lack of professional attention it's had, nor can I compare it to a conventional system, because
I've never had one. Before this, we had gas fires and an immersion heater setup, no central heating. I occasionally think about an "upgrade" but the later condensing systems
don't exactly inspire from the reliability, or long life aspects. After all, you put a lot of eggs into one basket, and even a power cut is a show stopper.