Budgeting for a boiler

RainbowLaura

Hi everyone,

I currently have an Ideal Classic Slimline boiler with a Megaflo hot water cylinder. They are both getting a bit old and, although I intend to keep them going as long as I can, I am aware that any time from now I might end up having to get a new boiler.

I have put aside £3000 for this. I'm not sure yet whether I will go for a combi or not, but leaning towards it as I'd love to have some extra space in the airing cupboard. Does £3000 seem enough? Also, if I go for another more traditional boiler, I'm not sure if they come with a new cylinder as well or if that would be an additional expense? (First time homeowner here, as you can probably tell!)

Basically I just want to make sure I have enough when the time comes.

Thanks for reading, any advice would be much appreciated

tacpot12

£3000 does seem enough for the boiler swap alone. The traditional boilers (called a system boiler) won't come with a new, but system boilers are usually cheaper than the equivalent rated combi boilers, so the extra cost will be less than the full cost of the cylinder.

A system boiler and cylinder would be a better choice if you like to shower and don't have an electric shower. If you want to recover the space in the airing cupboard, consider relocating the cylinder to the loft. This will cost a little more in labour and materials, but might be a good solution if the house is small and you really need the extra space.

RainbowLaura

tacpot12 wrote: »

£3000 does seem enough for the boiler swap alone. The traditional boilers (called a system boiler) won't come with a new, but system boilers are usually cheaper than the equivalent rated combi boilers, so the extra cost will be less than the full cost of the cylinder.

A system boiler and cylinder would be a better choice if you like to shower and don't have an electric shower. If you want to recover the space in the airing cupboard, consider relocating the cylinder to the loft. This will cost a little more in labour and materials, but might be a good solution if the house is small and you really need the extra space.

Thanks tacpot, this is really helpful advice. How would the shower be affected by switching to a combi please? I do indeed like my showers so sounds like this could be an important consideration!

Thanks again

DominicH

tacpot12, you're talking about conventional boilers there, aka regular or heat-only. A "system" boiler is something different. It includes various parts of the central seating system within the unit. A pump, an expansion vessel, etc. In a traditional system, these components are separate, and there is usually an expansion tank in the loft. Both system and conventional boilers employ a separate hot water cylinder.

Combis are more like system boilers, except that they also heat water on demand rather than in a separate storage cylinder. The downside is that it takes a lot of power to heat water quickly, which means that combis can struggle with multiple hot water demands. Some of them even struggle with *one* hot shower. Especially in winter, when the incoming mains water is very cold. If you want hot, powerful showers, maybe look towards systems that have a hot water cylinder, rather than a combi. You'll also need decent mains pressure, or a pump to increase the pressure at the shower.

The installation cost will mostly depend on how long it takes to install. Straight swap, i.e. same kind of boiler in the same location, could be one day and £2,000. Different kind of boiler in same location, could be two days and £3,000. Different kind of boiler in new location, could be three days and £4,000.

RainbowLaura

DominicH wrote: »

tacpot12, you're talking about conventional boilers there, aka regular or heat-only. A "system" boiler is something different. It includes various parts of the central seating system within the unit. A pump, an expansion vessel, etc. In a traditional system, these components are separate, and there is usually an expansion tank in the loft. Both system and conventional boilers employ a separate hot water cylinder.

Combis are more like system boilers, except that they also heat water on demand rather than in a separate storage cylinder. The downside is that it takes a lot of power to heat water quickly, which means that combis can struggle with multiple hot water demands. Some of them even struggle with *one* hot shower. Especially in winter, when the incoming mains water is very cold. If you want hot, powerful showers, maybe look towards systems that have a hot water cylinder, rather than a combi. You'll also need decent mains pressure, or a pump to increase the pressure at the shower.

The installation cost will mostly depend on how long it takes to install. Straight swap, i.e. same kind of boiler in the same location, could be one day and £2,000. Different kind of boiler in same location, could be two days and £3,000. Different kind of boiler in new location, could be three days and £4,000.

Thank you Dominic.

My current shower is very powerful but I use it on the maximum temperature it will go to - do you mean that the temperature could be affected? If it was any less hot than it gets now then it wouldn't be usable for me really.

If I were to go with the same kind of boiler in the same location, plus I wanted a new hot water cylinder (also in the same location), does that still sound feasible within the £3k mark?

DominicH

Yes, since combis heat mains water on demand, the output temperature depends on the input temperature of the mains water. Conventional and system boilers, on the other hand, heat water in a separate cylinder, at their leisure, and it can be as hot as you like, any time of year.
In winter, with a less powerful combi, you may struggle to get sufficient litres per minute of really hot water to provide a vigorous shower. More powerful combis, say in the 30+ kW range, should be capable of it. Assuming also that you have reasonable mains water pressure.

Emoji

A 30 KW combi will give plenty of hot water for a shower.

I have 30 KW worcester bosch and have two showers that have been used together without any signs of running cool.