America's stuff is not good

[PlanetThanet]

Hi

Also , http://www.buderus.net/Home/tabid/54/Default.aspx

Seem popular with some on the forum over here.

I read a US based home renovation magazine a few years ago .A homeowner had a 500K BTU boiler fitted to his home 250K BTU of that was to stop his drive from freezing in winter.

Warm air is very efficient and also serves to exchange/filter/humidify the air in the house. You do not leave your windows open in 40 below temperatures. Interesting research in Canada... http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/ie/iaq/factsheet12_e.html

Thanet.

 

[JohnD]

Wasteful use, inefficient design and poor insulation is undoubtedly due to the US Cheap Energy policy.

If fuel was cheap in ROTW we wouldn't be so careful with it.

 

[CockneYank]

ok update following single converstion with PA rep:
the 100 comes with the Weather Temperature Compensation.
no prices yet.
Only the Vitodens 200 624 is a combination boiler (heat and hot water) all other 100 and 200 models are just for heat.

 

[JohnD]

a heat-only boiler can also heat a hot-water cylinder

the combi boiler does not (usually) have a hot-water store, it heats up the water passing through it when you turn on a hot tap, and also heats the water for radiators.

AFAIK almost all the Viessmans are Combi boilers.

You can actually use a combi to heat a hot-water cylinder as well, but most people don't.

The Viessmann 100 is a budget version and there are stories that it is not as good as the bigger ones.

I am just a householder

 

[Onetap]

I'm at the point of shipping one over from the UK and fitting it myself (maybe get a plumber to help me). Before i take this drastic action, i was wondering if anyone here knows if Americans DO actually ever use gas-combi boiler systems, Ive spent hours searching on the web, but maybe im just not using the correct "American English" terms.

Go here;

http://forums.invision.net/index.cfm?CFApp=2&reset=Y

Post your question on the forum, The Wall, where scorched air is expletive.

Look at the 'Find a Professional' feature under the 'Resources' menu.

AFAIK, they have Viessmann, Buderus and Baxi boilers amongst others. They do combis, but call them something else and I think they are unusual. You may have problems getting a technician who is familiar with them or getting spares.

An indirect HW storage cylinder is the way to go unless you have space limitations. The Munchkin boiler has had very good reports.

 

[Balenza]

Have you considered the Heat Pump alternative ?. Lennox and Carrier
are two big manufacturers in the states.
They also manufacturer boilers and furnaces.
http://www.residential.carrier.com/index.shtml
http://www.lennox.com/residential/


Pop a question on here to these dudes in the domestic section. Home heating questions regularly pop up.

http://www.refrigeration-engineer.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=11

 

[BigBurner]

Btw, I hated warm air systems with a passion. They dried out the skin and the minute you turn them off, you start to go cold

That is a poor system. One with ventilation is very different. A humidifier can easy be fitted to a warm air system.

 

[BigBurner]

AFAIK, they have Viessmann, Buderus and Baxi boilers amongst others. They do combis, but call them something else and I think they are unusual.

The Americans call an instant water heater a tankless water heater. I am not sure what they call a combi. Their combis are a combination of a large water cylinder and burner I think.

 

[BigBurner]

I rented a couple of places with forced hot air heat (ive been here 4yrs). The places did warm pretty quickly. Unfortunately places here are built very badly with poor materials the following is typical:

Heater kicks in - home warms up.
Thermostat sends message to heater saying "switch off, its hot"
Heater switches off, and INSTANTLY the hot air dissapears and you are back to sub-zero temps.

Because it is rented a cheap warm unit was installed giving you the wrong impression. The US takes warm air to a fine art. Their Lennox units, also made by others, have variable rate fans and burners that prevent the problem you write about. They also incorporate fresh air ventilation and humidification if need be. They have condensing versions that are highly efficient.

I would stick to what the locals do, as you need parts and service. Get a decent warm air unit with proper electronic temperature control. An instant water heater (called tankless in the USA) can be used for hot water. Rinnai, Bosch and others make them and they have some high flowrates. Tankless are regarded as eco in the USA and becoming quite popular.

As regards the fabric of the house, then seal it up and insulate like hell.

 

[BigBurner]

but my limited experience is that the US is still 10 years behind the UK on energy efficiency.
Tony

The condensing US warm units are way ahead of us. They are highly efficient.

 

[BigBurner]

Just picked this up on their site. Might be worth a look.

http://www.eternalwaterheater.com/products.php

Is this some sort of thermal store?

 

[cowboyplumber]

No it's obviously some kind of ionisation force transfer unit


"By bending the laws of physics, energy transfers from heated gases to cold water at 92% thermal efficiency, which makes the Eternal G32SE the most efficient water heater of its kind."