Combi to replace OLD immersion heater?

dodgy_damo

Just got the keys weighing up my options:
I want to move the bolier from the kitchen to the hallway, I need to install a new kitchen and want to make unit space.My boiler is a glow worm and is easily older than me (I'm almost 30!) and is on its last legs (property has been empty for 18 months+)
I live in a 2 bed upstairs flat, immersion heater, tank etc in the loft!
I'm thinking I should replace with a combi, as next door has had a loft conversion and I think the removal of tanks,etc would make sense as I would like the option of extending into the loft in a year or so!
Does being upstairs make a differnece towards hot water, pressure,etc?
Would I be right to assume this would cost about 1500 GBP?

sallyrsm

I was about the same as you, I had a really old back boiler. I got a Vokera boiler (I'd never heard of them but my plumber uses them all the time)
he supplied and fitted the boiler in my old airing cupboard upstairs, supplied and fitted a 10kw electric shower (you've always got hot for a shower even if your boiler IS on the fritz), supplied and fitted radiators in both bedrooms that didn't have heating before, fitted a gas fire and hearth that I supplied, and he supplied and fitted a new circuit board to take the shower and stuff. All that for £1200
and cleared up after himself. If you lived in Lincoln you could have his number !!
I find I still get great hot pressure, to be honest... and in the summer when I don't use the heating it's cheap to run. My summer quarter gas bill last summer was £7.69 !! (basically just washing up water to heat and baths for the baby as my shower is electric) The boiler is pretty small, though not quite as small as my Mum's Potterton that is in her downstairs loo...
I have found the running costs to be great and I can still use my old airing cupboard for storage...

dodgy_damo

Did he remove the tanks,etc? That sounds like you got a good deal!

barrymung

Combi boilers are great but do have a few minor niggles. The most important is that hot water will take a tad longer to come through when the boiler fires up that what you are used to. This is because it heats the water from cold whereas your existing system (presumably) stores already hot water in a cylinder.

Make sure you get a reasonably reliable one. I personally like Biasi as they are reliable, simple to fix and have good spares availability. I have heard bad things about circuit boards failing in Potterton combis although thigs may well have improved. Worcester-Bosch boilers are very highly regarded, but expensive.

MrsJ2008

I've got a combi and put combi's in two houses now. I personally love them, no waiting for hot water and hot water doesn't run out!

I had the unit installed in the attic so it's out of the way and gives me more space in the kitchen. As with any type of new central heating, it takes a while to get the balance right but I reckon I go up in the the attic maybe 3 times a year to turn the temp/radiators up/down to suit the weather.

rockin_plumber

MrsJ2008 wrote: »

I personally love them, no waiting for hot water and hot water doesn't run out!

On a downside....... If the boiler does break down you have no hot water...

Compared to a Boiler & HW cylinder (with immersion heater for just in case boiler breaks down)

Its just a case of weighing up what is more important

Snow_Dog

barrymung wrote: »

Combi boilers are great but do have a few minor niggles. The most important is that hot water will take a tad longer to come through when the boiler fires up that what you are used to. This is because it heats the water from cold whereas your existing system (presumably) stores already hot water in a cylinder.

Make sure you get a reasonably reliable one. I personally like Biasi as they are reliable, simple to fix and have good spares availability. I have heard bad things about circuit boards failing in Potterton combis although thigs may well have improved. Worcester-Bosch boilers are very highly regarded, but expensive.

The Vokera mentioned earlier will not suffer the problem of having the water take a while to come through. This is because the boiler has its own internal DHW tank which it keeps topped up with hot water, this means that the moment you draw on hot its coming out of the boiler hot.

This system is also better in that the only water loop through the heat exchanger is the same loop as the CH which is treated to stop limescale forming. The only compromise with this is the very very minor one that when running DHW the rads are not heating up.

Vokera boilers are good, though make sure you use the correct inhibitors in the system (but then you should always do this anyway).