Navian condensing combi, good or bad?
rickyk22
10 years ago
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canadave
8 years agoionized_gw
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Miele speed oven - real life use and cleaning
Comments (47)I think it really depends on your expectations. If you want your oven to look pristine the way it came out of the factory, then you need an oven that has a self-clean cycle. And that comes with all sorts of compromises including the potential of early catastrophic failure. If you are fine with some amount of permanent staining, then ovens with steel interiors are great. Much less prone to failure than enameled ovens. On the other hand, the enamel is much better at covering up stains. And yes, the top of the oven is always difficult to clean, if there is an exposed broiler element. I recommend coming to terms with that. In the end, it's a cosmetic issue only. I am fortunate that we also have a big old gas oven. I use that for more splattery foods and that allows me to keep my Miele speed oven and CSO more clean. But over time, they still have acquired some amount of stains that stay. I think I can accept that....See MoreGaggenau combi-steam fault f62
Comments (20)While we are mentioning problems and fixes, I'll point out something I found. Mine initially was okay (on work bench, water from garden hose). When I tried it again, no steam. I followed the test modes in the manual/repair pdf I linked above, and they had me in the right zone, but not really suggesting the actual problem. Then I noticed elsewhere a reference to a 0.6mm orifice, after the valve which controls the water for steam. This turns out to have been plugged up. I cleared it with a tiny wire, and all is good. The orifice is built into the nut on the end of the plastic hose on the output of the regulator/valve (will be obvious if you are ever in there). The setup changed after a couple of years, so newer ones may not be the same. Moral of the story: Have a very fine mesh filter in line ahead of the combi, such as the one Gaggenau sells....See MoreGaggenau or Miele combi steam oven?
Comments (37)That's a great price on the Gag. I have a Gaggenau combi steam oven (going on 7 years now), and I love it. I mostly use it for steaming vegetables, steaming then browning vegetables such as potatoes and Brussels Sprouts, reheating food, and sterilizing jars for canning/yogurt making. Occasionally, I'll make a beef tenderloin in it, but my temperature probe doesn't work anymore (doesn't really matter to me, as I know when it's done). I don't have a Miele combi steam (though I've got many other Miele appliances), so I can't comment on that. I was really impressed when I was learning about steam ovens that you can cook rice, pasta, and sous vide in them. However, in actually using my steam oven, I have never use it for those applications (there are much more efficient and less energy-intensive ways to do those things). One thing to be very careful about if you do get the Gagg (and it's probably the same with Miele) is how it's installed. The Gagg needs to stick out from the face of the cabinets, because the steam vents a LOT and will destroy your cabinets if you don't set it up right. My installer put mine in flush, and after a destroyed cabinet, we learned our lesson. Good luck!...See MoreBest Gas Boiler for your home?
Comments (18)You need more help than I can give you. All I did is guide replacement of a 50 YO cast iron boiler in my father’s home. It was a combi boiler probably much like yours, but he had more space. In your situation, you might have to settle for a combi unit. Strides have been made to eliminate the hated cold water sandwich that they generate with repeated turning hot water on and off (think shaving or rinsing hand-washed dishes). Check int the NYSERDA program and surf on over to the links that I suggested. Read up on boiler posts and ask questions. I doubt that having an indirect tank in the unheated garage is acceptable and may be contrary to building code.main difference between the -flame and the -hydro is what is powered by the water in the secondary heat exchanger and what comes from the primary heat exchanger/buffer tank. You end up losing about. 20 degrees F in the secondary exchanger so lower water temp is available. They are somewhat redundant, but the primary water temp has to be as low as practical for condensing efficiency so design details are important. HTP has some problems with heat exchangers in a new product several years ago and that soured a lot of installers, Be aware of that. Can you get a PVC Vent pipe out the side of the house at your laundry for a condensing boiler? This is an important first step to in the decision. I’d seriously consider installing two Westinghouse water heaters if I had room. It may be less expensive than the Versa. The Versas eliminate a lot of problems associated with using a low mass boiler in an old system, especially and old high mass combi system like yours. They combine an indirect tank with a buffer tank for space heating into an element of the primary heat exchanger killing al lot of birds sight he same stone. It is a small footprint for a lot of stuff. (They make a Version for solar hot water use that adds a heat exchanger for solar hot water input too.) Lots of times, a buffer tank has to be installed to prevent short cycling, especially if there are a lot of small zones. A big problem is to be not oversized for small zones, but big enough to heat the entire house. Sometimes contractors actually combine zones that were introduced to save fuel after tthe 70s fuel crunch. They are difficult for a low mass boiler, even a combi boiler sometimes, to deal with. The fin-tube cnvectors can be a problem with condensing boilers killing efficiency at very low winter temperatures, but in milder winter temps, you may get enough condensing operation to make it worth it. They dont put out a lot of heat at low water temps. If your house has greatly upgraded insulation and other weatherization, and stlll has all of its original convectors, it helps a lot. I too think that a 100K boiler is way to big for your situation even if that is input rating from a relatively low efficiency boiler. My dad’s home in a much colder part of the State (Chenango) has a heat loss of less than half of that. Note that the capacity of the Versa is huge, but the equally huge buffer tank may fix that. A lower demand makes the water heater an attractive alternative....See MoreMaddie Whitfield
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