During the research and development process, Baxi carried out extensive market research among more than 1000 installers to find out the factors they considered when choosing a boiler. Not surprisingly, product reliability came out head and shoulders above all the other features, followed by ease of installation, product familiarity, technical support and after sales service.
BDR Thermea UK Quality Manager Simon Parker explains how the boilers and components underwent the most rigorous testing regime Baxi has ever carried out to ensure the reliability of the new range of boilers. "We carried out an extensive programme over several years, equivalent to 20,000 weeks of testing," he says.
"We laboratory tested boilers flat out 24/7 for 12 months (the equivalent of five years under normal conditions), including worst case scenario conditions such as air in the system or dry fire.
"And we carried out more than 250 field trials in three phases; boilers were exposed to different climates and conditions in a variety of different homes and situations.
"We also tested single components to destruction in environmental chambers at different atmospheric pressures, humidity and extremes of temperature from -20 to +40 degrees," adds Simon.
