Vaillant ecoTec Plus 832 Combi Boiler – Review
Vaillant’s ecoTec Plus 832 is a popular choice for those with small to mid-sized properties. Founded in Germany in 1874, Vaillant is Europe’s second largest boiler manufacturer, while directly competing with Worcester Bosch. High quality and polished German-engineered energy products all sit within Vaillant’s product lines.
In today’s review, we’ll be focusing on the Vaillant ecoTec Plus 832 combi boiler.
Will the Vaillant ecoTec Plus 832 be suitable for my home?
The Vaillant ecoTec Plus 832 can supply enough hot water for homes with up to 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms with one shower installed. The 832 offers a central heating output of 24.4kW and hot water output of 30kW, which is enough for small to mid-sized properties. You’ll also benefit from an improved flow rate over the 825 at 13l/m, which offers a better heating and hot water experience.
What about the Vaillant ecoTec Plus 831?
The ecoTec Plus 832 serves as the direct replacement to the 831. The Vaillant ecoTec Plus 831 is no longer compliant with energy efficiency regulations (ErP) and has been discontinued. The 832 was manufactured to include a shiny new pump to make the boiler more energy efficient and eligible for sale, therefore replacing the 831.
Controls
The ecoTec Plus 832, like many other combination boilers, has a standard control panel installed on the front of the boiler which is hidden away by a flap. The boiler controls allow you to increase or decrease the output of the boiler, as well as switch the boiler on or off. The display on the front will also show any fault codes if something has gone wrong with the boiler. This makes it easier for engineers to be able to diagnose the problem quickly, without needing to open up the boiler and investigate first. Modern boilers are easier to diagnose which reduces call-out fees. The build of the boiler itself is also relatively simple, which makes replacing components and parts easier.
Seeing as the controls installed on the boiler won’t allow you to take full advantage of your central heating system. Vaillant offers a range of boiler controls from mechanical to smart thermostats. Smart thermostats are a modern and techy alternative to the traditional programmable thermostat, allowing you to control your heating and hot water from your smartphone, tablet or PC.
Smart thermostats come bundled with an app that can be installed on a smartphone or tablet. The app will allow you to alter your heating settings, monitor your energy use, and switch your heating on or off whether you’re at home, or away with a WiFi/3G & 4G connection. If you’re not sure about smart thermostats yet there are still wireless programmable thermostat options available.
Size
The Vaillant ecoTec Plus 832 measures at 720x440x338mm which isn’t the most compact, especially for kitchen cupboards. If you require a boiler that can fit in a kitchen cupboard or a tight space, the Worcester Greenstar 30Si Compact is a great choice.
Warranty
Each Vaillant boiler model from the ecoTec range comes with a standard 5-year warranty free of charge for your peace of mind. You can also benefit from an extended warranty of up to 10 years if you decide to install with Hometree.
Energy Efficiency
The ecoTec Plus 832 is an efficient and high-performance boiler, with an ErP (Energy-related Products) rating of 89.3%, which is an A-grade for efficiency. So, in addition to incredible performance, you will start saving money on your energy bills while playing your part in the reduction of carbon emissions.
The ErP directive tests energy products to ensure that they pass specific criteria for performance and efficiency. If a boiler is tested and fails the tests, the directive will step in to recommend design improvements to reduce the amount of energy wasted, thus reducing carbon footprint.
Verdict
The Vaillant ecoTec Plus 832 is perfect for smaller homes, especially if you have one bathroom with a shower installed and up to 3 bedrooms. The entire ecoTec Plus range offers boilers with a high-quality finish and savings on your energy bills through reduced energy wastage. In addition to high efficiency, the ecoTec Plus boiler range has been awarded the QuietMark for reduced-noise design.
| Vaillant ecoTec Plus 832 | |
|---|---|
| ErP rating (energy efficiency) | A (89.3%) |
| Size (HxWxD in mm) | 720x440x338 |
| Heating output (kW) | 24.4 |
| How water output (kW) | 30 |
| Flow rate (litres/min) | 13 |
| Standard warranty (years) | 5 (extended warranties available) |
| Other available sizes (kW) | 25, 32, 38 |
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 832 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% |
If you’d like to learn more about the Vaillant ecoTec Plus 832 combination boiler, check out our quick video review below:
Boiler manual
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