- Home improvement

Understanding the different types of boiler

If your central heating boiler is old, it is probably unreliable and inefficient and you may be thinking of replacing it.
Since 2005, all new boilers installed in the UK have to be condensing types. These recover heat that would otherwise be wasted via the flue and are therefore more efficient and can cut your fuel bills; however, condensing boilers are not all the same. There are different types and it is important to understand which is best for your household’s needs.

Combi boilers
The most common type of new condensing boiler is the combination or ‘combi’ type. This type of boiler heats water on demand, so there is no need for a storage cylinder. There is also no need for a cold water header tank in the loft, so you save space that you can use for other things.
The advantage of getting your Gloucester boiler installation from a company such as http://www.hprservicesltd.com/gloucester-boilers/boiler-installation-gloucester/ is that combi installation is simpler, using fewer parts.

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There are some disadvantages to combis. When you turn on a tap, you will have to wait a short while for the water to run hot. They are also not ideal for larger houses or families that may want to run more than one tap at the same time.

Conventional boilers

The alternative to a combi is a conventional boiler, sometimes called a ‘system’ or ‘heat only’ boiler. These feed your radiators and use a hot water cylinder to store heated water. They also need a cold water tank in the loft to feed the system.
An advantage of this type of boiler is that they can feed more than one hot water tap at once, meaning that this type of boiler is suited to larger houses and larger families with a greater demand for hot water. You also have the option of fitting an immersion heater to the hot water cylinder so that you can still get hot water if the boiler stops working.
The downsides are that you need to have space for the extra water tanks. There is only as much hot water as can be stored in the cylinder – once it runs out, you have to wait for it to heat up again. You also need to plan ahead to run the boiler before you need hot water.

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