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Ideal tout themselves as the ‘UK’s leading boiler manufacturer’ having been around for over 100 years churning out over 6,000 boilers per week.
That’s certainly a big claim so let’s do a deep dive review into their Logic Combi 30 Plus model and see how it fairs on price, warranty, efficiency & reliability. Oh and ofcourse how does it stack up against a Worcester Bosch boiler in our very own Ideal vs Worcester Bosch review.
Why are we interested in boilers and boiler brands?
We asked 10 estate agents what questions potential buyers ask when looking round a property. The results surprised us.
All the big stuff like any subsidence etc will be picked up by the structure survey leaving potential buyers asking about south facing gardens…and…boilers!
Yes boilers; the state of the boiler, its service history along with its age and any issues.
The reason is this: after moving house, paying for removals, legal & conveyancing fees etc the last thing you want is the boiler to go pop and have to fork out for repairs.
Ideal Logic Combi 30 Plus
So let’s set the scene, today we are reviewing the Ideal Logic Combi 30 Plus [often written as Logic+]. Ideal does have a ‘standard’ range of boilers which are not the Logic Plus and there is a big big difference between the two Ideal boiler ranges. The standard range only has a 2 year warranty, whereas the Ideal Logic Plus has a 7 year warranty. We don’t recommend getting any combi boiler with a warranty under 5 years. Ideal Logic Combi 30 Plus Product Spec: So to confirm the Logic Plus range comes with a 7 year warranty. It’s also over 91% efficient [as are Worcester Bosch boilers], its ErP compliant and is ‘A Rated’. So in terms of ‘boiler spec’ [price aside] it’s a solid performer up there with the best of them. Next up we should talk about price…Ideal vs Worcester Bosch
Worcester Bosch are the brand everyone thinks of when you say boilers, they have firmly positioned themselves as the UK’s best combi boiler brand. So we have to match up the Ideals with the Worcesters to make it fair. Also so you can see ‘like for like’. Ideal makes the ‘Ideal Logic 30kW Combi Plus’ and the equivalent Worcester Bosch boiler is the ‘Worcester Bosch GreenStar 30i’. Ideal also makes the Logic 24kW Combi Plus and Worcester make the Greenstar 25i. Shown below: Ideal | Worcester Bosch Equivalent Logic 30kW Combi Plus Greenstar 30i Logic 24kW Combi Plus Greenstar 25iIdeal vs Worcester Bosch: Boiler Cost
Worcester Greenstar 30i: £1,000-1,050 inc VAT (excluding fitting) Logic 30kW Plus: £800-850 inc VAT (excluding fitting) So you can see without fitting, just comparing boiler costs the Worcesters are roughly 20% more than Ideals. Probably to be expected but certainly not as bad as most people think. The best way to get fixed prices for the boiler and installation is with HEATABLE, they are an online boiler comparison site where you can compare FIXED prices on both the Ideal Logic 30 Plus and the Worcester Greenstar 30i. And if you’re really in a pickle they offer next day fitting.Ideal vs Worcester Bosch: Warranty
Warranties sell boilers, you’ve probably heard the saying a boiler is only as good as its warranty. It’s still true even today, as the point is a manufacturer is telling you how long they think the boiler is going to last by the length of warranty they give. The results are in: Worcester Bosch hands down win the battle of the warranty.- Worcester Bosch has a 10 year guarantee [up to 12 years]
- Ideal Logic Plus has a 7 year warranty on parts and labour [up to 10 years on the heat exchanger]
Additional Boiler Costs:
There are a couple of other factors to include into this review relating to cost which we have to include to give a full and frank picture. To get the full warranty with the Worcester Bosch warranty you have to purchase their system filter and controls. As a comparison the Worcester Bosch system filters on Screwfix are £160 whereas the next nearest brand competitor is Adey and their system filters are £120. You also have to use Worcester Bosch flues and flue accessories which again are slightly more expensive than anyone else’s. So all in all going for a Worcester Bosch boiler and looking to get the full warranty is going to cost you roughly an extra £300. That being said, Worcester Bosch does make fantastic parts that last for ages and in our view are really worth it. So it’s not like you’re shelling out extra, for nothing. So we have talked about warranty & costs excluding fitting, now what about fitting costs? Well using an online boiler installer that doesn’t have any sales people or run expensive TV ads means they can strip the costs right back. HEATABLE offers Ideal and Worcester Bosch boilers at the best prices we could find. We really like them because they are straightforward. In 30 seconds you can get a fixed price ‘on the screen’ for a new boiler, fully fitted [‘all in’] and they can fit them next day if you order before 3pm. We filled out their online form and they recommend this boiler for us:
Ideal Logic Plus Boiler Features
- Made in the UK
- ‘Quiet Mark’ [low noise boiler]
- Will fit in a kitchen cupboard
- Queen’s Award 2013 & Good Housekeeping 2013 and 2017
- Energy Saving Trust endorsed
- Built-in frost protection
- LPG conversion available for 30kW
- Fully back-lit LCD display
Ideal Logic Plus Size
The Ideal Logic Plus Combi 30kW boiler is perfectly suited to mid sized houses. An ideal Logic Plus 30kW Combi boiler will work well in a 3-4 bedroom house with 1-2 bathrooms. In terms of radiators, Ideal themselves state in their spec that it can comfortably power between 15-20 radiators. In terms of hot water demand, it can’t handle anything too excessive, like running 2 showers and taps at once. For that you would require a bigger boiler. Larger properties [4+ bedrooms with 2+ showers] will be better suited to the Ideal Logic Plus 35kw. Anything larger than that, with greater hot water demand would suit a system boiler rather than a combi boiler. A system boiler will heat and then store water, versus a combi boiler that heats water ‘on demand’ i.e there and then. 2 bedroom properties with 1 bathroom would suit the Ideal Logic Plus 24kW boiler.Will an Ideal Plus 30kW Combi Boiler Fit in a Cupboard?
Yes – all Ideal boilers are designed to perfectly fit tucked away in cupboards. Worcester Bosch actually make their own range of ‘cupboard friendly’ boilers called their ‘Compacts’ referred to in the model name as ‘CDI’.Ideal Logic Boiler Warranty
7 years parts and labour on the Ideal Plus 30kW Combi but 10 years on the heat exchanger which is good as the heat exchange is a few hundred pounds by itself. As we have said above, 7 years is good but it’s not as good as 10-12 years from Worcester Bosch. And when you buy through HEATABLE you can get Worcesters for similar prices as Ideals. 3 years ‘extra’ warranty when buying a Worcester is massive, because when you might need replacement parts on a boiler…the answer…after 7 years. So the point I’m making is those extra 3 years where Worcesters are under warranty but Ideal’s aren’t, are probably worth more than the first 6 years put together, because you shouldn’t have problems with new boilers.
Controls & Accessories
Radio Frequency Electronic Programmer
The 7 day programmer is straightforward to use but has some advanced features, as operators can control both the hot water & heating from a single easy to use dashboard. Further features include:- You can set the boiler to pre-heat at a certain time [perfect for mornings]
- Holiday mode
Flues
Ideal has vertical and standard flues [and flue accessories] available Ideal has what it calls its ‘plume management kit’ which allows the installer to extend the flue. This is particularly useful if the flue is near to a window or could bother the neighbour.Outdoor Sensor
How this works is it will monitor the temperature of the air around your property. Then the temperature will adjust, so your home can always maintain a type of ‘homeostasis’. Tests have shown that this outdoor sensor will improve efficiency by 2% – which may not sound like much but added up over the year that’s alot.Specification for Ideal Boilers
The 30kw Logic Plus boiler, has the following important specifications: 12.4L per minute flow rate 30.3kw domestic hot water output 24.2kw central heating output The Logic 30kw & 35kw is available for LPG conversion (the 24kw cannot)What’s the Final Verdict on Ideal’s Plus Range of Boilers?
Ideal makes a very robust boiler range that is popular right across the UK. It used to be the ‘poor relation’ when compared to Worcester Bosch in terms of warranty but not so much anymore as 7 years is respectable. It was really only ever chosen over the Worcester Bosch due to price. That has all changed with companies like HEATABLE doing such volumes of Worcester boilers that they have been able to bring that price right down to nearly the same as Ideals. So with a longer warranty and similar price I would take the deals from Heatable on the Worcester’s and grab yourself the Rolls Royce of boilers all covered for 10 years as there is only actually £50 in it.
