Should I replace conventional boiler with combi before kitchen refit

Carly123456

Would love some advice We are planning on having a new kitchen fitted but have been advised to replace our conventional condensing boiler and hot water tank with a Combi Boiler before doing the kitchen. I can see why, as when the time comes to change the boiler in a few years to a Combi it’s going to be messy and will involve pipe work messing up the new plastered ceilings/ tiles that will have been fitted. Not to mention the custom made cupboard which will conceal this boiler in the kitchen. However the current boiler is only 6 years old so we are reluctant to replace when it still could have around 6 years to go. The hot water tank however is old and we were told potentially original which would make it around 30 years. It’s all working fine at the moment and we are quite happy with the conventional system. So I guess I’m just looking for some advice. We want to be as smart with money as we can be. I have a couple of questions. Would it be better to replace it now to a Combi with the future in mind. If we left it as it was and say the hot water tank and the cold tank in the loft was on its last legs and we wanted to replace it all and stay with conventional would this be massively expensive. And finally would it be Cheaper to replace the conventional like for like when required. I’m completely lost! Thank you

RedbullRJ

Combi boilers have a lot of different pros and cons and are not always the best answer. One thing you could consider if you are set on a combi, is to keep your existing boiler for now, but ensure the new kitchen is designed so that a (physically larger than old boiler?) combi can be fitted in the cupboard that is going around the boiler, also ensuring pipes to provide cold mains to and hot water from, large enough gas pipe etc are ready and capped off in place.

SuzieSue

I know lots of people will disagree, but I wouldn't get a combi boiler. I have a conventional system like you and I like the fact that if the boiler breaks down then I will still have hot water from the immersion heater.

My conventional boiler is nearly 20 years old and when it needs replacing I will get another one.

Undervalued

SuzieSue wrote: »

I know lots of people will disagree, but I wouldn't get a combi boiler. I have a conventional system like you and I like the fact that if the boiler breaks down then I will still have hot water from the immersion heater.

My conventional boiler is nearly 20 years old and when it needs replacing I will get another one.

It is perfectly possible to have a hot water cylinder conected to a combi boiler if you want the best of both worlds.

Generally then the combi would feed the shower and maybe the kitchen hot tap whilst at least the bath hot tap comes from the cylinder.

Filling a large bath directly from a combi boiler is a slow experience!

JimmyChanga

Maybe buy enough spare tiles and paint to cover the refurb to make good.

I'm a combi fan. No waiting for water to heat, good pressure and more energy efficient. Plus, as said, you can add a tank if you so wish.

bris

If you are happy with the system you have then don't change it. Combi boilers aren't better that conventional systems, in fact in a lot
of cases the opposite is true, but they are space saving.


changing could cost you 3-4k so what's the point. there is no real benefit to a combi unless you need the space the tank takes up.

Sibz

More energy efficient so should save you money in the running. It is a fairly messy job to get done but we got ours done around an existing kitchen fine - that said - it wasn't a kitchen that we had put in ourselves or we might have been a bit more worried about it (needlessly in hindsight).

Alex1983

Sibz wrote: »

More energy efficient so should save you money in the running. It is a fairly messy job to get done but we got ours done around an existing kitchen fine - that said - it wasn't a kitchen that we had put in ourselves or we might have been a bit more worried about it (needlessly in hindsight).

But realistically how much do you think you would save to justify the extra 2k approx to change???

Unless you really want the extra space that losing the cyclinder with give you then your system requirements are what you need to worry about, how many bathrooms, flow rates etc.

Me personally would spend the money to upgrade the cyclinder to a unvented and keep what you have.

vw100

The vented system you have currently is more complex and is no longer installed in housing developments. The two popular common setups are the unvented - cylinder setup with system boiler or combination boilers. Like with most things each have their pro's and con's - although some say combination boilers have more to go wrong but they have a far simpler setup and cost less to install than a system boiler setup. You can now also get combination boilers with built in storage tanks, which hold around 40-50 litres of hot water. Ideal for homes with greater need for hot water.

Really need the help of a competent heating engineer who can advise on the best suitable system for your house.

Like for like replacement would be the cheapest option. However going forward the heating engineer would either install a cylinder (e.g megaflow) and a system boiler or recommend a combi boiler. Your current system can also be maintained with newer components.

Kim_kim

Undervalued wrote: »

It is perfectly possible to have a hot water cylinder conected to a combi boiler if you want the best of both worlds.

Generally then the combi would feed the shower and maybe the kitchen hot tap whilst at least the bath hot tap comes from the cylinder.

Filling a large bath directly from a combi boiler is a slow experience!

I changed to a combi about a year ago, I love it. I don’t find the bath fill particularly slow, or even slower.
I’ve got an electric shower, so a great back up in the event of a boiler problem.