Vaillant ecoTec Plus 424 Regular Boiler – Review

Next up, we have the Vaillant ecoTec Plus 424 Regular boiler. This is a powerful boiler, suitable for big family homes, which already have an existing regular boiler heating system. Here we’ll give you a full rundown of the details to help you decide whether it’s the right choice for your household.

First off, a quick overview of Vaillant – the brand behind the ecoTec Plus range. Vaillant is a German brand founded back in 1874 (yes, they’ve been around a very long time!) The brand is known for developing water heaters in the early 1900s and many other inventions, including the combi boiler in the late 1960s. Today Vaillant continues to excel in innovation, manufacturing some of the most energy-efficient and reliable boilers on the market.

Now you know a bit about the brand, let’s take a closer look at the ecoTec Plus 424.

Will the Vaillant ecoTec Plus 424 be suitable for my home?

The Vaillant ecoTec Plus 424 is a regular boiler, which means it’ll need a hot water storage cylinder and cold water tank in order to provide central heating and hot water to your property. If you have low water pressure in your area or already have a regular boiler installed (that you’re looking to upgrade), it’ll make a sensible choice. Where this Vaillant boiler probably wouldn’t be the best fit is in homes that lack space. Although this boiler itself is pretty small in size, if you don’t have the roof space for a hot water tank, it’s not going to work.

The Vaillant ecoTec 424 has a central heating output of 24kW. This makes it pretty powerful and capable of heating between 10 and 15 radiators. If you haven’t already, do a quick count to check you don’t have fewer or more radiators than this.

If you do have fewer radiators, perhaps take a look at the Vaillant ecoTec Plus 412 or 415 instead. These have central heating outputs of 12kW and 15kW and will heat up to 10 radiators. If you have more than 15 radiators, the 430 and 435 models in the ecoTec Plus Regular range will provide the power you need to sufficiently heat your home.

Back to the Vaillant ecoTec Plus 424 – as it’s a regular boiler, you’ll benefit from being able to access hot water from multiple taps simultaneously. This makes it an ideal choice for busy family homes with multiple bathrooms. There’ll be no arguments over who uses the hot water first!

Another benefit of the ecoTec Plus 424 is that is can be installed as part of a renewable energy source solution such as solar or heat pumps. If you’re keen to reduce your carbon footprint and take advantage of lower energy bills, it’s one to consider. Oh, and it’s good news – this boiler won’t wake anyone up in the morning or keep you up at night! The ecoTec Plus 424 is Quiet Mark Accredited for its super quiet operation.

Want to compare the Vaillant ecoTec 424 against a similar boiler from another brand? Take a look at the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 24Ri. This regular boiler offers the same 24kW central heating output as the Vaillant boiler and can also be installed as part of a solar heating solution for cost savings.

Vaillant ecoTec 424 Controls

The controls on the Vaillant ecoTec boiler are pretty basic. There’s a large backlit display screen where you can view the boilers current operating mode, and there are push buttons for controlling its time and temperature settings. This makes it compliant with the Boiler Plus regulations, which were introduced back in April 2018.

Although the Vaillant ecoTec 424 is already compliant on a basic level, we still recommend linking it with a smart thermostat for enhanced functionality and greater efficiency. There are a number of options available. You can stay on-brand with the Vaillant VRC 600 heating control thermostat and vSMART smart thermostat, or you can go with a more popular third-party thermostat, like the Nest or Hive, both of which we’ve reviewed on the Hometree website. The Nest and Hive can be used to control your heating and hot water from any location, using their handy smartphone apps. They also give you the option to personalise and automate your boiler’s cycles, so you can increase its efficiency and keep your energy usage to a minimum.

Vaillant ecoTec Plus 424 Size

The Vaillant ecoTec 424 measures a compact 600x375x316mm. The brand has designed it to fit inside a standard kitchen size cupboard, however, we always recommend measuring your cupboard at home to double check this is actually the case!

If the kitchen cupboard doesn’t look like it’s an option, any free wall space will do just fine. The boiler has a pretty stylish and slimline design, so it won’t look out of place in your home.

ecoTec Plus Regular Warranty

Hometree offers a 5-year warranty on all Vaillant boiler installations free of charge. If you’d like to double this to 10 years, for extra peace of mind, we can arrange this for a small extra cost.

All of our heating engineers are Gas Safe registered and have years of experience in the industry. You can rely on Hometree for safe boiler installations, carried out to the highest standards. But don’t take our word for it! Check Which? and you’ll see we’re a Trusted Trader. Not only that, but we’re also rated ‘Excellent’ on TrustPilot.

Vaillant ecoTec Plus 424 Regular Energy Efficiency

We’re pleased to say the Vaillant ecoTec Plus 424 has an excellent A-rated ErP of 89%. If you’re wondering what this means, ErP stands for Energy-related Product and is the system used to rate the efficiency of boilers. A is the best rating you can get. So by choosing to replace an old boiler, with a lower ErP, with a newer model, you are likely to see a reduction in your energy costs. Not only that but you’ll also be doing your bit to save the planet. It’s a smart decision for all.

Verdict – Is the Vaillant ecoTec Plus 424 Regular the best boiler for you?

If you are looking for a powerful regular boiler that can heat up to 15 radiators, the Vaillant ecoTec 424 boiler is definitely worth your consideration. It has a lot to offer busy family homes that require constant hot water, and unlike other boiler types, it can be installed in areas with low water pressure.

In terms of energy efficiency, it has one of the best ratings you can get and the fact it can be installed as part of a renewable solution will make it favourable to those looking to make their household more environmentally friendly.

With so much to offer, it’s easy to see why the Vaillant ecoTec Plus 424 is so popular. If it ticks all of your boxes and seems like a good choice for your home, get in touch with our expert heating engineers to find out more.

	Vaillant ecoTec Plus 424 Regular
ErP rating (energy efficiency)	A (89.3%)
Size (HxWxD in mm)	600x375x316
Heating output (kW)	24
Standard warranty (years)	5 (extended warranties available)

Which? boiler review

The consumer group Which? review each boiler on the market to find the most (and least) reliable boilers according to a survey completed by thousands of boiler owners. In each review, Which? supply a brand score percentage and star ratings for each category. Take a look at the Vaillant ecoTec Plus 424 Regular boiler ratings below:

Which? Score
Efficiency rating	★★★★★
Brand reliability	★★★★☆
Brand customer score	★★★★★
Ease of repair	★★★★★
Ease of service	★★★★★
Availability of parts and spares	★★★★★
Build quality	★★★★★
Engineer recommendation	★★★★★
Brand score	80%

Boiler manual

Vaillant ecoTec Plus 424 Regular boiler manual