Combination storage boiler - good idea?

[Corgigrouch]

I was confused after British Gas came round and am afraid I am still confused. I visited a local house and the owner showed me that all four bedrooms had their own shower room. If they have the same local water pressure as me how can they make this work? We only have one shower but were thinking about fitting another. However the problems and advice we have had with the first one have made us assume that it can't be done. Maybe the house we saw has electric showers throughout??

It is possible that despite the fact that your area has good water pressure, your supply pipe is too narrow to carry enough quantity of water, so you could replace your supply pipe, but if this is not possible or desirable, we could ensure that your house has enough water stored to cover peak usage times and replenish through the day... Electric showers as you have noted have quite a low water output, but if your water supply is limited, then even electric showers will be starved of water if left to be supplied by the incoming supply..

When I bought my own house it was supplied by a small lead pipe which I shared with my next door neighbour.. when he flushed his loo my cold tap simply dribbled, yet there is very good water pressure in my area.. Since my house was a basket case, I replaced the supply and now I have limitless water.. My neighbour didn't want to replace his supply and so we fitted a large storage tank in his loft and pump both the hot and cold suppy to his taps

 

[Corgigrouch]

He said we would save money with the combi.

Well technically he is correct... You save a fortune on water.

 

[Bloggsyboy]

Thanks Corgigrouch, are we saying that instead of digging up the drive and running a new water supply, we can adda supply tank to our combi?

 

[Corgigrouch]

Some combi manufacturers will allow you to pump their combis so it kinda depends on the make... Worcester told me that their greenstars can be pumped, Vaillant told me that the ecotech cannot... but I have pumped a Vaillant with no problems in the past. Not that I am advocating that anyone should do as I have..

 

[morrismini]

Combis and big busy houses just don't mix

I find the opposite as it is always on tap.

If the flow rate is fine then they are perfect for homes. There are some very high flow rate combis on the market. Not all combis are B&Q specials. You get what you pay for and check the specifications.

 

[morrismini]

Thanks Corgigrouch, are we saying that instead of digging up the drive and running a new water supply, we can adda supply tank to our combi?

What is clear is that your mains pressure is very poor. That must be addressed before all others. There are two options. A cold water accumulator or a Grundfos homer booster kit. Then you r whole water supply will be up to scratch.

 

[Bloggsyboy]

Thanks for all the comments. I shall look into these things and get quotes.

 

[Corgigrouch]

With all due respect, I would take a lot of Morrisminis comments with a pinch of salt... No combi, no matter how powerfull can compete with a properly installed unvented in a large house with lots of bathrooms..

I like combis and I have fitted a fair few Vaillant and Worcesters and a combi is usually my first option in homes with a good water flow and a maximum of one bathroom and an en suite.... Always remember that if your combi is constantly heating water then it isn't heating your rads. You also have to remember that depending on the location of the boiler in relation to your gas meter, you may be fitting a gas pipe that is pretty huge...

I repeat, large busy houses with lots of bathrooms and combis do not mix well

 

[Bloggsyboy]

Are we being asked these days to have combi boilers to reduce emissions and is this leading to large houses having inappropriate boilers for their needs? I may be way off the mark here but thought I'd ask. Or is it condensing boilers they are pushing for everyone to have? Are all condensing boilers combis?

 

[Corgigrouch]

It's condensing boilers that are being promoted as energy efficent... Not all condensing boilers are combis. With few exceptions all boilers fitted these days are condensing boilers though they can be heat only for open vented systems, system boilers for sealed systems or combis, so you can still have a conventional copper cylinder, heat bank, unvented cylinder or combi to suit the needs of your home and your own preferences

 

[morrismini]

I repeat, large busy houses with lots of bathrooms and combis do not mix well

Where did I say fit in an undersized appliance?

I was questioning the complexity of the suggestions and that he needs to sort his cold water mains out first. You are right in putting in a combi where 1.5 bathroom are there as a sized up appliance is up to the job. The high flow floor mounted combis, and there are some high flow wall mounted appliances as well, will do two bathrooms.

Up to 1.5 baths can be done by 38-40 kilowatt "instant" combis with no stored water.

 

[Agile]

All that from someone who has never fitted a boiler in his life.

He just reads the brochures and manufacturers web sites.

He even makes mistakes like the time he said a Biasi does not modulate! That was because the sales brochure doesn't specifically mention it and he was unable to interpret the min/max burner pressures on the specification as an indication that the boiler modulates!

Tony

 

[morrismini]

All that from someone who has never fitted a boiler in his life.

I can see why they all ganged up on you. You are obnoxious aren't you?

By the way, where are your GasSafe registrations?

 

[gas4you]

Welcome back Georgedrwaterdrivelbigsystemsburnerbramwell

Obviously been reading up and copying things from the screwfix site again

 

[morrismini]

Welcome back Georgedrwaterdrivelbigsystemsburnerbramwell

Obviously been reading up and copying things from the screwfix site again

This site is full of unproductive people - lots of noise. Are you Gas Safe registered? May we have your number?