New Boiler - which type?

I_have_spoken

There is really no comparison.

I find otherwise. My last house I installed a normal pumped-shower, drawing HW from the immersion tank. This house has a shower fed at mains pressure from combi. The only difference is it takes 45 secs longer for the shower water temp to come up, but then it's always available not just after there's hot water in the tank.

YMMV if you've install a dustbin-lid sized shower head in a wet-room with extra jets...

macman

Make and model of your existing boiler? A combi is no more efficient than a conventional boiler. which one is more suitable is down to lifestyle and the type of property.
Why would you replace a working boiler (for which parts are still available) just because it has a leak, which could be easily and cheaply fixable? How do you 'believe' that the boiler is going to break down?
PS: the 'drum' downstairs is your hot tank: if you fit a combi, that will be removed.

[Deleted User]

Best way is combi boiler with electric shower, or if you are posh and have an additional bathroom e.g en-suite, make sure at least one shower is electric. Solves the eggs in one basket scenario if your boiler breaks down, least you can still have a shower for work etc.

redrabbit29

Our shower is a WARM WORLD 415505.

The boiler has a dial on the from from 1-5 which I think controls how hot the water goes - that's a guess.

Yesterday I turned it up to 5 and it started making a really loud noise. It didn't necessaroly sound bad but it did sound like it was working really hard. Plus there was a lot of white smoke from the flue. I just don't have much confidence in it.

The boiler may be repairable. I don't know where it's coming from and it only occasionally leaks. I do hear a drip/drop sound inside of water landing on the metal casing.

Maybe it just needs servicing?

The plumber I use normally costs £89 call out which includes 30 mins labour. It's then £29 for each half hour after. Not including VAT.

They do seem expensive but I think they're a good company

macman

So when was it last serviced? That's the first thing to do.
Boiler service should be fixed price, you don't pay by the hour or half hour. Around £75-£100 depending on region.
PS: a plumber cannot service gas appliances. You need a GSR RGI.

redrabbit29

macman wrote: »

So when was it last serviced? That's the first thing to do.
Boiler service should be fixed price, you don't pay by the hour or half hour. Around £75-£100 depending on region.
PS: a plumber cannot service gas appliances. You need a GSR RGI.

Not sure when it was last serviced :-\ I actually don't do it regularly. Sounds stupid but never thought about it before.

Sorry, the plumber I meant is the boiler man, albeit they work for a plumbing company.

What does a "service" involve? I'm assuming they will come out to mine and recommend some new parts based on the issue I'm having, and also change a few smaller bits?

EssexExile

redrabbit29 wrote: »

What does a "service" involve?

Looking at it very hard with a quizzical expression then analysing the flue gases. Of course if there is something wrong with it being qualified & experienced that should be enough for them to find any problems.

Edit: Sorry, that reads as sarcastic, it wasn't meant to.

macman

A service won't involve changing any parts unless required. It's's more cleaning and adjustment, and safety checking, including the flue gas analysis. I take it from your reply that it hasn't been serviced in years, certainly not anually, which probably explains why you have problems.
Any new parts will be at extra cost, plus labour.

Seronera

Deleted_User wrote: »

Best way is combi boiler with electric shower, or if you are posh and have an additional bathroom e.g en-suite, make sure at least one shower is electric. Solves the eggs in one basket scenario if your boiler breaks down, least you can still have a shower for work etc.

Thats possibly the worst way. Electric showers are rubbish in terms of water flow and are rubbish quality and don't last. If you have the space always opt for heat only boiler or system boiler and a hot water cylinder (unvented will give you mains pressure HW just like a combi, so brilliant shower..plus immersion backup). Combi is always a second best compromise.

Sorry, but I have to fix more combis than you can shake a stick at. Heat only and system boilers are less complex and break less...a lot less.