Boiler

5 Years Parts & Labor on 3 top brand boilers Ideal, Viessman & Glow Worm

Should I opt for a "combi" boiler?

Well over half of all boilers installed in Britain are combi boilers. These combine — hence the name – a high-efficiency water heater with a central-heating boiler.

Domestic hot water is produced directly from the boiler, entering it as cold or preheated and leaving it as hot, directly to the tap.

Hot water for the central-heating system is pumped from the boiler around the radiators and back again via a sealed circuit. The domestic hot water is given priority: when a hot tap is turned on, the full energies of the boiler are devoted to its provision; once the tap is turned off the boiler goes back to providing for the central heating.

The biggest benefit is that, as a sealed system, there is no need for storage tanks in the loft or hot water cylinders that take up valuable cupboard space.

Combi boilers are not really suitable for larger homes or where there is multi-occupation as they cannot cope with too many hot water outlets.

There are larger floor-mounted units that contain a store of hot water but, in general, for the larger house it’s better to use a regular or system boiler.

So what is a regular boiler?

A regular boiler directly supplies the central-heating system, with water drawn from it to the radiators and back again. This is called the primary circuit. The boiler warms the water for the taps indirectly via a coiled heat exchanger in the hot water cylinder.

The primary system is kept topped up by an expansion cistern in the loft, which also doubles up as an expansion tank with an overflow.

The secondary water for the taps is kept topped up within the hot water cylinder by the cold-water storage cistern in the loft. This is known as a vented system and it probably accounts for most homes in Britain.

And a system boiler?

A system boiler also provides hot water directly for the central heating system and heats the domestic water within the cylinder. The main difference is that the primary circuit passes through the heat exchanger, then to the radiators and back to the boiler as a sealed system with no requirement for an expansion and feed cistern in the loft.

Instead, the sealed system is fitted with expansion vessels that allow for and contain the expansion of the water when hot. The hot water to the taps is again from a secondary circuit and this can be either an open vented system (in which case you would need a cold water storage cistern) or a sealed and pressurized unvented system, depending on your choice of cylinder.

One huge benefit from a sealed unvented hot water system is that the hot water is at mains pressure, negating the need for power showers and pumped hot water.

All homes are different we have all types of solutions for all types homes with multiple bathrooms and communal systems for landlords.