... Same story commisioned this boiler on the day of my 40th birthday, 7 years ago, I have just ripped it out and installed a new (not Baxi.... ever) boiler. Never again will I go with such a pig in a poke boiler as this. Sounded like a nuclear explosion then a jet taking off before getting any ... Read review
...outwards. On reflection I was lucky not to home from holiday to a shell. Baxi....... never again reputation ruined if you ask me. If someone offers to install a boiler with an aluminum heat exchanger, think again. Insist on stainless steel or cast. DO NOT INSTALL A BAXI BARCELONA BOILER! ... more
Sounds as if was me writing that. Same story commisioned this boiler on the day of my 40th birthday, 7 years ago, I have just ripped it out and installed a new (not Baxi.... ever) boiler. Never again will I go with such a pig in a poke boiler as this. Sounded like a nuclear explosion then a jet taking off before getting any heat. I am a shift worker and had to programme the timer so as the boiler didn't waken me!!! The first sign of trouble was when the boiler box door slackened off (becuase of the explosion/vibration) this caused excess gases to leak into the box, corroding the screw catch. This worsened the explosions. The aluminuim heat exchanger constantly gave off particles of aluminium oxide which polluted the condensate trap, causing me more grief and money. Then finally, the last straw. Living in Scotland, the weather is unpredictable. I went on holiday recently and having left the heating down low to prevent frozen pipes, I returned to the smell of burning. The heater was still working but as the days followed the burning smell got worse. I couldn't detect where the smell was coming from and the last thing I suspected was the boiler. I had started back to work, so again the house was left unattended. Eventually the smell got the better of me and I checked every appliance in the kitchen. To my horror on removing the cupboard door it was scorched and charred. The boiler flame had burned right through. On investigation, the Aluminium Oxide particles had fallen from the heat exchanger onto the burner deflecting the flame outwards. On reflection I was lucky not to home from holiday to a shell. Baxi....... never again reputation ruined if you ask me. If someone offers to install a boiler with an aluminum heat exchanger, think again. Insist on stainless steel or cast. DO NOT INSTALL A BAXI BARCELONA BOILER!
Have had the Baxi condensing boiler for about 7 years. I have also had poor reliability from the boiler. Original heat exchanger door seals break down and the leaking heat then trips out boiler on high temp safety cut off. Since the original door seals were replaced I have had no more problem.
Also had problems with condesor trap tripping boiler.
Had to replace the water flow cut -off switch which failed.
The boiler has now been working ok for ... ...the heat exchanger. The exchangers are expensive to replace so when the leak gets too bad I will cut my losses and install a new boiler from a different manufacturer. Maybe Valient.
On the plus side the boiler was cheaper to buy than other makes at the time. Also the efficiency is good. But overall I would rather now pay more for a higher quality and relaible product, even if it is not quite so efficient. I want less breakdown hassle and expense. ...
davewon 01.01.2009 (31.12.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Baxi Barcelona Gas Boiler
Advantages: Efficient compact boiler Disadvantages: Breaks down at least once a year despite servicing
I installed the boiler in 1999 after researching all the different boilers on the market. At the time this boiler fitted all my criteria and slots in beautifully with the kitchen wall cupboards. The installation was simple and I am very impressed with the speed with which the water is heated. However it was not long before the first problem occurred. The gas would not ignite and eventually the boiler would lock off. Fortunately I have a service contract ... ...electrodes had corroded. This was fixed and boiler ran ok for a while. The engineer said they would fit new electrodes each time it was serviced as this was obviously going to give problems otherwise. Even so sometimes the boiler igniting is so violent that it shakes the house, and it still locks out even with new electrodes.
There have been a number of other problems such as a burnt out PCB, condensate trap blockage and worn seals around the internal ...
cagey01 14.12.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Baxi Barcelona Gas Boiler
Advantages: Economic consumtion of Gas Disadvantages: Breaks down regularly, unreliable
My Baxi Barcelona has been in operation for almost 5 years and during that time has proved to be very unreliable in comparison to other boilers I have owned.
On the bad side the boiler it requires a lot of maintenance. It regularly malfunctions in the winter months when it has to work harder. The suppliers and engineers do not seem to know how to fix it. My own boiler has had water/condensate escaping from the bottom for over a year and nobody has ... ...greater life than 5 years. Baxi products are not being considered for my replacement boiler.
On the good side it is very efficient and uses less gas. I would estimate that it could save between 10 and 20% on your annual Gas bill. However, the cost of servicing and maintenance is considarbly higher than the savings.
DON'T buy this product. It is expensive to run and has poor back up service from the manufacturer, whose own technical and service ...
PA32-300 13.12.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Baxi Barcelona Gas Boiler
Quick review of Baxi Barcelona Gas Boiler
Bought the Baxi Barcelona 7 years ago. Nothing but problems. It is being replaced now by a Worcester Bosch. The Baxi has let us down through most winters - circuit board faults, sensor faults, unexplained lock-outs and now unrepairable burner box seals plus a leak from the heat exchanger flooding the floor. I wish I had read other users experiences before I bought it. I hope this helps somebody before its too late for them! ...
nigelcut 21.11.2007 (20.11.2007)
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Baxi Barcelona Gas Boiler
Quick review of Baxi Barcelona Gas Boiler
boiler installed dec 2001, broke down dec 2001 new gas vavle,broke down dec 2002 two new pcb boards,broke down dec 2003, two new pcb boards and so on ,and so on,in fact has broken down at least once a year up to and including today. baxi tell me there is no problem with this model but to date its had 2 gas vavles,6 pcb boards,1 spark eletrode,approx 6 door seals and a long list of other parts because the engineers seemed unable to find many of the faults and would just change something in the hope it would work!!!! I"m fed up with ! DO NOT BUY ONE . ...
kinelad 06.03.2008
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Baxi Barcelona Gas Boiler
