My trusty Worcester Heatslave 2+ boiler, now running for 34 years without any serious faults, does have one disadvantage.
Its output to water is only 11kw which makes running a bath slow, especially in winter. I had a word with my electrician last year and he suggested heating the cold water input with an inline electric unit. (I hadn't heard of these previously.)
Suffice it to say addition of a 9.5kw Redring Powerstream fitted just prior to the boiler has made all the difference -I now get 6 litres/min of continuous piping hot water.
A few tech details: Mains cable 10 sq.mm, three core straight to consumer unit, on a dedicated 45A rcd. 60A double pole switch to isolate heater. 6Bar pressure relief valve fitted after the non-return valve, to drain. (Details courtesy of my electrician, Peter.)
Most domestic combi boilers are much more powerful than mine these days, but this is a good workaround for anyone who needs a bit of a boost to their hot water flow. And it provides a hot water backup if the boiler is temporarily out of service - reverse heat flow through the boiler heat exchanger is minimal as long as the circulating pump if switched off.
It's been working perfectly now for almost a year. Brilliant! And one can turn it down to half power in the summer, when mains cold water warms up.
Best, George.
Its output to water is only 11kw which makes running a bath slow, especially in winter. I had a word with my electrician last year and he suggested heating the cold water input with an inline electric unit. (I hadn't heard of these previously.)
Suffice it to say addition of a 9.5kw Redring Powerstream fitted just prior to the boiler has made all the difference -I now get 6 litres/min of continuous piping hot water.
A few tech details: Mains cable 10 sq.mm, three core straight to consumer unit, on a dedicated 45A rcd. 60A double pole switch to isolate heater. 6Bar pressure relief valve fitted after the non-return valve, to drain. (Details courtesy of my electrician, Peter.)
Most domestic combi boilers are much more powerful than mine these days, but this is a good workaround for anyone who needs a bit of a boost to their hot water flow. And it provides a hot water backup if the boiler is temporarily out of service - reverse heat flow through the boiler heat exchanger is minimal as long as the circulating pump if switched off.
It's been working perfectly now for almost a year. Brilliant! And one can turn it down to half power in the summer, when mains cold water warms up.
Best, George.