Bradford White Combicore Reliability

Unknown

We like external heat exchangers. Then if the HE or WH need replacement, you replace the one that needs to be replaced... not both.

Jim Gormally

Bradford-White Combicore

I have heard conflicting opinion about these units from radiant heat professionals; I am a homeowner and will be using radiant heat for a 300 sq ft sun room addition to my home (heat load analysis has ranged from 9K to 12K depending on who does the analysis).
Is this product reliable, or are there design problems that have caused unpredictable performance?
Thanks for your input.

Jim Gormally

Bradford-White Combicore

I have heard conflicting opinion about these units from radiant heat professionals; I am a homeowner and will be using radiant heat for a 300 sq ft sun room addition to my home (heat load analysis has ranged from 9K to 12K depending on who does the analysis).
Is this product reliable, or are there design problems that have caused unpredictable performance?
Thanks for your input.

Joe Brix

It's still a glass lined WH

with a PEX HW coil in the tank. You usually don't get more then 10 years out of a WH, so you'll have to justify if the cost of the Combicore is worth it. AO Smith also makes the same kind of tank. Triangle tube has the delta gas fired combo that uses an internal stainless steel tank for the DHW. It has a 10 year warranty, after that they pay for 65% of the replacement unit. No labor charges are covered. If you have the room, maybe a stand-alone HW heater or tankless unit just to do the radiant and leave your DHW on its own WH. I guess you don't have a hot water boiler heating the rest of the home now that could handle the small extra load?

Alan(CaliforniaRadiant)Forbes

They are

reliably unreliable. All of the ones we installed failed within the first year.

If that were my job, I would use a regular water heater with an external heat exchanger to heat the radiant.

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Wayco Wayne_2

Hey Jim

Good to see you on the Wall. The external heat exchanger is what I would use. If you want to upgrade your Domestic hot water for both efficiency and faster recovery go with a small Wall Hung Munchkin Boiler and an indirect water heater. Wayco Wayne

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BESTLOGUY

BW COMBI RADIENT RELIABILITY

We are a precision milled log home dealer located in New Hampshire; we built our energy efficient Lodge Log Home here in 2002 and have experienced only cozy warm floors in a very warm comfortable interior environment. We owe it all to our Bradford White Oil Powered Combi Radiant Heated Floor/Hot Water System in combination with our high energy efficient log home. We cranked up our 4 zone radiant / hot water system in December 2003 and keep a constant 70 degrees ambient in our 1900 Square foot living space during the past 8 years with one failed surge tank bladder; our Combi tank has a ten year warranty and we will be replacing it when that expires.

I like the fact that Bradford White is an employee owned company surely motivates all employees to work smart and maintain a positive attitude to assure their investment is productive, strengthened and protected over time.

When I contacted Bradford White in 2002 The President answered ; it was 6:30p.m. I was convinced that he was a concerned and very impressive leader.

Don Medbery / LODGE LOG HOMES of NEW ENGLAND

BESTLOGUY

BW COMBI RADIENT RELIABILITY

We are a precision milled log home dealer located in New Hampshire; we built our energy efficient Lodge Log Home here in 2002 and have experienced only cozy warm floors in a very warm comfortable interior environment. We owe it all to our Bradford White Oil Powered Combi Radiant Heated Floor/Hot Water System in combination with our high energy efficient log home. We cranked up our 4 zone radiant / hot water system in December 2003 and keep a constant 70 degrees ambient in our 1900 Square foot living space during the past 8 years with one failed surge tank bladder; our Combi tank has a ten year warranty and we will be replacing it when that expires.

I like the fact that Bradford White is an employee owned company surely motivates all employees to work smart and maintain a positive attitude to assure their investment is productive, strengthened and protected over time.

When I contacted Bradford White in 2002 The President answered ; it was 6:30p.m. I was convinced that he was a concerned and very impressive leader.

Don Medbery / LODGE LOG HOMES of NEW ENGLAND

tim smith

Re: BW combi reliability

Well, we are replacing 2 this week I think.