Combi boiler vs water tank

Robwiz

st999 wrote: »

So how much do you pay for a kWh?

5.5 p off peak. Nothing when the sun is shining at midday between April and October.

Pincher

If you have more than 2 bar pressure, you can consider combi.


You can check the flow roughly.


Use a big pot or bucket to catch the water from a tap.
Use anything that measures litres: kettle with a visible scale, measuring pitcher. You want to know how many litres per minute comes out. Yes, 30 seconds then times 2 if you want to save water.

2010

Here`s an article explaining the different boilers:

http://www.which.co.uk/home-and-garden/heating-water-and-electricity/reviews/boilers/page/features-explained/

As far as I can see they`ve started calling to old type conventional boilers with tanks in the loft and a hot tank in an airing cupboard

---

a heat only boiler.

I can`t remember all the ins and outs but didn`t the government ban conventional boilers being fitted in all new homes and insisted only combis could be used.
Something to do with climate and green house gases etc.

So the only homes that can have a heat only/conventional boiler fitted are homes that already have one.
Correct me if I`ve got it wrong.

Personally, I prefer the conventional boiler.

GwylimT

2010 wrote: »

Here`s an article explaining the different boilers:

http://www.which.co.uk/home-and-garden/heating-water-and-electricity/reviews/boilers/page/features-explained/

As far as I can see they`ve started calling to old type conventional boilers with tanks in the loft and a hot tank in an airing cupboard

---

a heat only boiler.

I can`t remember all the ins and outs but didn`t the government ban conventional boilers being fitted in all new homes and insisted only combis could be used.
Something to do with climate and green house gases etc.

So the only homes that can have a heat only/conventional boiler fitted are homes that already have one.
Correct me if I`ve got it wrong.

Personally, I prefer the conventional boiler.

My brother has a conventional boiler, he has been his house a year less than me so it would have been completed in 2013, the current houses being built near here (8) are having conventional, well i know at least one is as I know the buyer.

Cardew

2010 wrote: »

I can`t remember all the ins and outs but didn`t the government ban conventional boilers being fitted in all new homes and insisted only combis could be used.
Something to do with climate and green house gases etc.

So the only homes that can have a heat only/conventional boiler fitted are homes that already have one.
Correct me if I`ve got it wrong.

Personally, I prefer the conventional boiler.

Yes you have got it wrong.


In 2005 the Government ruled that condensing boilers would be mandatory for new properties and replacement boilers*.


You can get a condensing combi and a condensing conventional boiler.


* in rare cases an exception can be made.

2010

From yesterday, new rules mean that if your old gas boiler needs replacing you must install the modern condenser style. The government insists the move is environmentally-friendly, but some homeowners are unhappy with this. Phillip Inman reports
It's the government's latest plan to save the environment. From this weekend, every household in the country will have to switch over to a new-style "condensing" gas boiler when the old one needs replacing. The move is part of an environmental masterplan developed by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), which has rewritten the building regulations to force all homes to become more energy efficient.
Condensing boilers are much more energy efficient than older traditional models, says deputy prime minister John Prescott, and will cut greenhouse gas emissions dramatically. It will all help to meet our Kyoto targets and ease global warming. He points out that more than 80% of boilers in Holland and 50% in Germany are this condensing type.



http://www.theguardian.com/money/2005/apr/02/consumerissues.jobsandmoney


Note this article is dated April 2005 and it seems to concern "condensing boilers" and not combies as I stated.

Seronera

cbrpaul wrote: »

I have a combi fitted, 3 local installers all quoted, 2 of the quotes for the boiler was under sized ( after much research) , the 3rd quote quoted a higher KW boiler.


This installer even said your HW flow rate will be much better and that many combi installs are under rated, giving the impression that combi,s are not very good with HW flow rates !!


I do know my shower is far better than when we had a HW storage tank fitted !!


My vote goes for a Combi ever time

Combis are indeed excellent for showers, but no better than an unvented cylinder as both operate at mains pressure for hot water supply. Your old system was most likely a gravity hot water circuit fed from an attic tank, and that depends on the head available for pressure, which will never be as good at the shower head as mains pressure unless you install a booster pump.

I'm not saying you have made a bad choice by the way, just filling in a bit of background technical info for you.

Seronera

2010 wrote: »

Here`s an article explaining the different boilers:

http://www.which.co.uk/home-and-garden/heating-water-and-electricity/reviews/boilers/page/features-explained/

As far as I can see they`ve started calling to old type conventional boilers with tanks in the loft and a hot tank in an airing cupboard

---

a heat only boiler.

I can`t remember all the ins and outs but didn`t the government ban conventional boilers being fitted in all new homes and insisted only combis could be used.
Something to do with climate and green house gases etc.

So the only homes that can have a heat only/conventional boiler fitted are homes that already have one.
Correct me if I`ve got it wrong.

Personally, I prefer the conventional boiler.

I have a heat only open vent condensing boiler in this house. Its been in since August 1992. It cost £1198 but we got a £200 grant rebate for installing a condensing boiler. I think you will find boilers cost just about the same today, so it was pretty pricey then. Its been fantastic really and has had only two repairs in 23 years. It needed a fan, and then it needed a new siphon a year later....and I replaced the casing seal as well. Thats it!........The make & model? Well its an Ideal Turbo 2 18kw.

By todays standards its quite basic and does not modulate (self regulate its power output), but it owes me nothing. Next time it goes kaput its new boiler time as I know the alloy heat exchanger is quite eroded by now.

My other house has a Ferroli Optimax combi...which came with the house. Ours has been OK so far, but Optimaxs are pretty poor for reliability and leaks, though I'm told the electronics are quite advanced (as long as you can keep them dry!!).....the estate builder obviously got cheap job lot three years ago. Avoid!!

2010

A Google search shows prices from £500 to £1,100.

https://www.google.co.uk/#q=heat+only+boilers

Pelepeg

Thanks everyone