American Solutions - Combis - Discussion

[dishman]

I wondered what the average American house installs for a modern boiler solution. American houses, for the most part, are a lot bigger than ours. From what I have seen on TV there is often much larger heating/hot water solutions already in situe.

So I came across this, which appears to suggest, combis are starting to gain a foothold in the market.

I am intrigued as to how far along their combi technology is....some comments suggest it is an early iteration of our combis.

I also wondered, for an average american house, would a combi be underpowered....

There seems to be a lot of resistance to them in the comments....a lot about break downs..etc...americans don't seem to take well to "energy saving" modern designs....i.e smaller and more efficient.

So I wonder if the technology is at an earlier stage of development or it could be so few plumbers are properly trained to install them, they are doing a bad job....

One brand name I have come across a lot in the videos is nivien.

 

[stem]

The 3 houses in North America that I have stayed in had fairly new, but prehistoric looking 'furnaces' in the basement that distributed warm air via ducts to 'registers' in the living areas. They were gas fired and claimed operating efficiencies similar to our condensing boilers; but I don't know how they achieve it, or what these efficiencies are based on. The same ducts were then used to provide air conditioning in the summer. None of the properties had wet heating / radiators. Or time control for that matter. The concept of turning the heating / cooling off during the night was an alien concept.

 

[bernardgreen]

Question

Two circulating pumps. One inside the boiler and one external Why ?

Was there a condensate drain ? If not why, ? ( non condensing boiler maybe )

And why 12 inches minimum distance between air in-take and flue outlet ?

 

[ServiceNumpty]

A lot of US homes use air heating or cooling with unvented cylinders utilising immersions. Some of my wifes family live in Nashville, her aunt doesn't have a NG supply so uses LPG for cooking, my wifes sister has a NG supply for a warm air heating system.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Two circulating pumps. One inside the boiler and one external Why ?

Hydraulic separation.

Was there a condensate drain ? If not why, ? ( non condensing .....

They're in a basement.

And why 12 inches minimum distance between air in-take and flue outlet

Recirculation if POCs.

 

[Dan Robinson]

why 12 inches minimum distance between air in-take and flue outlet

He even told you the answer in the video

 

[Dan Robinson]

Only watched the first video. That's an Atag boiler.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Love how they think is new though

 

[bernardgreen]

Recirculation if POCs.

Compared to the couple of inches in a UK installed concentric flue and air intake ?

 

[pete50]

Combis are crap no matter which part of the world you live if you like long showers that stay hot when some clown runs a tap and baths that fill quickly.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Compared to the couple of inches in a UK installed concentric flue and air intake ?

It's a twin flue.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Combis are crap no matter which part of the world you live if you like long showers that stay hot when some clown runs a tap and baths that fill quickly.

A silly statement to say the least.

 

[bernardgreen]

It's a twin flue.

Do American codes ( building / gas safety regulations ) permit concentric flues ?

A silly statement to say the least.

But based in true facts about combi boilers supplying hot water.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Do American codes ( building / gas safety regulations ) permit concentric flues

I know not.

But based in true facts about combi boilers supplying hot water

It's based on ignorance.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

Americans seem lucky in two ways - cheaper energy and lack of EU environazis dictating a green agenda. Their 'furnaces', boilers etc are more basic than our over complicated combi schitboxes, and last 20 or 30 years with basic maintenance. Most are floor standing because US homes have plenty of space, inc. cellars to put them. Rarely would you find a system shoe-horned into a tiny airing cupboard.

Older houses usually have wet systems - either cast rads, or baseboard (skirting) convectors, or often a combination of the two. Newer homes usually have warm air units and ducting, because the ducting is also used for aircon in the summer months.

Hot water is often either a separate, free standing mains pressure heater - basically just an immersion cylinder with burner underneath or a 'tankless', which is either a gas or oil furnace used to heat the rads/baseboard but also has a mains flow of water in, through a hex, then out as DHW. The last type is almost like a very simple combi without all the complex mechanisms. The tankless has been around for a long time, so Americans have probably had a combination boiler before us.