Is a Combi better than what I have now?

[scifipaul]

Is a combi better than a boiler with an immersion tank?

Are combis cheaper to run than the other boiler?

 

[dcawkwell]

1. Not necessarily it depends.

2. Not necessarily it depends.


For a small flat a combi boiler satisfies the need of being compact and
being able to supply hot water and central heating.
In other circumstances combi boilers have grown a bit too big for their
boots and have been used in larger houses. They are a victim of their
own success.

 

[scifipaul]

We have a 4 bedroomed house

 

[xr4x4]

We have a 4 bedroomed house

My gut instinct would be to say no.. But

How many baths, showers do you have?

 

[scifipaul]

We have the main bathroom upstair with a bath, toilet and handbasin

We have an en suite that has a shower, toilet and handbasin

A cloakroom downside with toilet and handbasin

The kitchen with sink, washing machine, dishwasher, washing machine.

 

[Corgigrouch]

In which case I'd forget the combi..

 

[scifipaul]

OK, so not good enough to cover the house then?

Its just there is a new bunch of houses near us that have combis in them.

Any suggestions on what we should do then as the boiler we currently have is 14 years old, ok it works fine an di know dont try to fix something that is broken.

Out En Suite has showere which would like to enlarge but cant as the airing cupboard is next door to it with the tank in.

 

[dcawkwell]

We have the main bathroom upstair with a bath, toilet and handbasin

We have an en suite that has a shower, toilet and handbasin

A cloakroom downside with toilet and handbasin

The kitchen with sink, washing machine, dishwasher, washing machine.

System boiler and unvented cylinder provided you have the mains flow and pressure for it.

 

[scifipaul]

How would i check the pressure, what is the benefit of an unvented cylinder, would that come out of the airing cupboard and free up space?

The pressure from the shower which is next to the cylinder is not that great and the watewr from the bath is not that great but the water out of the tap in the kitchen seems to be fine

 

[Corgigrouch]

System boiler and unvented cylinder provided you have the mains flow and pressure for it.

What he said.....

You need to measure the pressure and flow of the cold water.... I use the cold tap in the kitchen to measure from.

The shower pressure will be poor because it will be fed from the cylinder which relies on gravity... An unvented cylinder relies on the water pressure entering the building so it is important that this is suitable

 

[scifipaul]

So can you tell me how I actually test the pressure, is it a metre, some kind of gauge....

Would this eliminate the cylinder from the airing cupboard next to the shower and give us more room to enlarge the shower?

Would making it an unvented system make it more economical to run

Thanks

 

[scifipaul]

So does the unvented cylinder go into the loft then?

Or do we put a pump in the bathroom to make water pressure better as it stands the pressure is rubbish in the bathroom.

 

[dcawkwell]

So does the unvented cylinder go into the loft then?

Or do we put a pump in the bathroom to make water pressure better as it stands the pressure is rubbish in the bathroom.

If you have poor pressure in the bathroom this could be
because the hot and cold are fed from the tank in the loft.
You can measure the amount of cold mains flow by simply opening a good tap outside tap if you have one and measuring the amount of water flowing in 1 minute. If you have 20 litres you have enough for a combi or unvented cylinder. If wanting to save space. Combi or Storage combi should be considered.

 

[scifipaul]

But everyone is saying stay away from a combi

 

[D_Hailsham]

Checking pressure and flow should be done with a pressure gauge and a flow meter, but there are DIY methods.

Do you have a garden tap fed directly from the incoming mains? If so measure the flow rate at this tap using a marked bucket and watch.

Now measure again at the garden tap but with the cold water tap in the kitchen turned full on.

If your flow rate hardly changes you have good pressure, but if it does change you need to assume your flow rate is the lower figure.

You need at least 20 litres/min for a system boiler.

Unvented cylinders can go in the loft, in place of the cold water tank, but you need to make sure the ceiling is strong enough to take the weight of a full cylinder.

Definitely stay away from a combi boiler.