A Brief Guide To Combi Boilers

By Author: Carolyn Clayton
Total Articles: 497
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Combination or combi boilers are a special type of boiler system that is used to provide heat and hot water for a smaller home. They are popular in homes today for their efficiency and space-saving characteristics. They are compact enough they can be placed on the wall in kitchen or bathroom. Their economical features come from the fact that they don't store hot water. They heat it as required to use for heating or showering.

These boilers are easy to install, since they have no loft tank, pipework or hot water cylinder. The concept of the boiler is simple. They begin with a typical unvented boiler but add a second heating element for the instant hot water requirements. As long as the boiler is working, the household is treated to unlimited hot water. The boiler must be linked directly to the main water source.

Efficiency is increased even more due to another feature of a combination boiler. In a standard system, heat is lost in the flue gases. With the combi, a portion of the flue gas heat is extracted and used.

Conventional vented heating systems can be complicated to install. Some of the features of the ...
... combi make it much easier to place in a home or other structure. The boilers have no need of a hot water tank. They don't need to store water in the tank at all. They are often connected directly to the main water flow to the home.

The benefits of combis are particularly apparent when there is a limited amount of space. You won't need to take up valuable cupboard or floor space installing tanks and pipework for hot water and for cold water. However, if the home includes more than a single bathroom, it may be better to store water.

There is some variation in the design of the combination boilers. A standard unit will provide you with plenty of water heated to appropriate temperature in less than one minute. Some boilers are designed to limit the amount of flow of heated water until it has heated to a predetermined temperature. You can add a storage combi, if you prefer, so that you have stored heated water at all times, although in most instances, this feature is not needed. The stored amount is typically less than what you would choose in a conventional system.

With a combination boiler, there is the certainty of money saved on water heating costs. In most homes, a water heater is one of the largest users of electrical power and in most instances, it is wasted energy. If you are gone during the daytime hours, a conventional system still burns electrical power keeping water hot in a tank. With a combi system, you can add a thermostat to protect from sudden increase in heated water when the flow is at full capacity.

Combi boilers represent a tremendous savings in energy consumption for households and even for businesses. You may even find that the lower cost of energy pays for the unit itself over a fairly brief period of time. These units can be found online and in some retail outlets.
Get a new combi boiler or central heating system installed or serviced by our Gas Safe Registered engineers at Northern Gas.