Thinking of investing in a new Alphas boiler for your home?
Perhaps you’re already aware of the brand, but need a better idea of what you can expect compared to market leaders such as Worcester Bosch, Baxi or Ideal.
Having been around for 50 years, Alphas call themselves “one of the leaders in the UK heating industry”. But what do we know about them? Well, they manufacture quite a good, diverse range of boilers, to suit most homes, but they aren’t particularly popular, and their guarantees are about average.
I don’t personally have a lot of experience dealing with them myself, as this isn’t a particularly popular UK brand.
However, let’s take a closer look at this range of boilers, below.
Range of boilers available
Alphas Innovation manufacture quite a good variety of different boilers to suit “practically every property type or household size”. Like most boiler brands, they produce combi, regular and system boilers with a good range of outputs (more about that below).
They even have their own solution similar to a storage combi, called the FlowSmart. It’s an all-one-solution which comes in a wall-hung (with bolt-on thermal store) version, and a floor-standing option.
Flow rates and outputs
In terms of central heating outputs, Alphas boilers are suited to most properties, from small 1-bedroom flats, to large 5-bedroom houses. The biggest heating output they offer is 30.7kW, with the InTec 40GS combi.
When it comes to flow rates, again Alphas provides a good range of hot water outputs to suit most homes. The highest flow rate on offer is 18 litres per minute (with the FlowSmart and 40GS), with an output of 33.7kW. This should be good enough to very easily run a high pressure shower, or run a deep-filled bath.
It could technically even handle two showers at once!
The InTec 40GS on its own (without the FlowSmart option) can still pack a punch with an impressive 15.8 litres per minute.
TIP: However, none of these options from Alphas can top Worcester Bosch’s Greenstar Highflow, which delivers up to a staggering 25 litres per minute of hot water to your taps.
Reliability and reputation
I don’t have a lot to say personally about Alphas boilers, as they’re not really a brand I’ve worked with in the past. However, they do have some terrible reviews online. This seems to be a mix of unreliable boilers/faults to bad customer service – which ties in with my own experience (see below).
Saying that, there aren’t a great deal of reviews for Alphas boilers online, and I’m wondering if it’s just because they aren’t such a well-known brand.
Guarantees
Alphas aren’t the best if you’re looking for a long, comprehensive guarantee. Their guarantees typically run from between 2 – 7 years, and unfortunately you can’t get any better deals or extended guarantees when you choose an Alphas accredited installer.
Unfortunately, I have no experience of how these guarantees work in practice, or if there’s any small print to watch out for.
TIP: Your guarantee will only stay valid as long as you get your boiler serviced annually.
Customer service/dedicated engineers
Some good news! Alphas does have its own dedicated engineers for call-outs, which means your new boiler should be in experienced hands if you were to ever need a repair or new part. This is often a good sign, as you’ll know your Alphas boiler is in safe hands.
Not all boiler manufacturers offer this, instead opting on agencies and sub-contractors.
Unfortunately, when I called Alphas customer service team, they weren’t particularly clued on on technical information of their boilers. When I asked if they offered a storage combi option, they replied: “No, nothing like that” and also told me the InTec 40GS supplies 40kW to the heating and hot water – contrary to the brochure information of 30.7kW.
Accredited engineers
Again, Alphas does have accredited engineers. It’s easy to find one on their website, simply by typing in your postcode. The benefit of this is that an Alphas approved engineer will have gone through training and will know the brand’s own boilers inside-out.
This helps ensure your new boiler will be installed and serviced correctly.
Conclusion
I hope this overview of Alphas boilers has been helpful! I’m sorry I can’t give you more of a personal experience, as Alphas just isn’t a brand I’ve heard much about – despite being around for 50 years. I’d thoroughly do your research if you’re thinking of investing in an Alphas boiler. Especially take your time finding online reviews, and decide for yourself!
Thinking about buying an Alphas boiler? Got a question I haven’t answered above? Let me know in the comments – I’m happy to help!
