Boiler for cafe and office

[stratos66]

Hello all,
First time posting here, but have gained plenty of advice and help from this site in the past.

Now I have a query. I'm going to build a timber framed building which will serve as a cafe, office and include a toilet for a garden nursery. The cafe will include a small kitchen.

I am looking at ways of supplying hot water and heat, so a gas boiler is on the cards and I'm investigating combis vs systems, and could do with some impartial advice.

The building is 14.5m x 4.8m, single storey, new build. The cafe and kitchen area measure 40sqm, while the separate office is 14.5sqm. It will be open to the ridge of the roof.

The boiler will need to supply hot water to service the needs of the kitchen (washing up) and the two sinks in the toilets.

It will also need to supply heat for the building - so radiators in the cafe, office and toilets.

Considering there will be no showers/baths or large volumes of hot water needed, could a combi manage? The mains pressure is very good. There is no gas supply but we are looking at getting a mains connection or using a propane bulk tank.

Thanks for reading this!
Dan

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Decent combi will supply sinks without a problem, less installation costs, and problems with preventing stored water from frost in the colder months.

As it is a commercial kitchen, then should the need for a dishwasher arise in the future, these AFAIK are cold fill only so the boiler may only be supplying hot water for hand washing for majority of the time anyway.

However, IMO it is worth bearing in mind in the distance from the boiler to the HW outlets. If the HW doesnt reach the taps very quickly, the boiler will be firing to heat HW, which is then cooling in the pipes before next use of the sinks. Use of gas with little actual benefit.

 

[kirkgas]

not sure a combi is the best way forward for a commercial situation, it depends on how much hot water will be drawn over the day, every time someone opens a tap in winter the heating will go off, albeit only for a brief time while the tap is run then a delay to switch back to heating, but if there is a steady use of hot taps then the heating could end up off for a while causing cooling, perhaps a multipoint for the toilet sinks would be better

 

[dextrous]

Tend to agree - electric multipoint. Also, as good as wet heating systems are, for a cafe with doors opening/closing repeatedly, the reheat time from a radiator isn't likely to work too well. So, I'd be inclined to go for a fan heater (perhaps over the doorway like a "curtain" heater or whatever they're called).