Large combi advice

[kevplumb]

yes i fitted mine on the return at the boiler

 

[gsportgeorge]

Thanks.

and that was just using the pump in the combi for all the circulation needs?

 

[kevplumb]

yes worked ok

 

[gsportgeorge]

That's great... so I am back to a single largeish combi to power everything which is nice and simple and low on disruption.

Do you recommend the Worcesters/Greenstar particularly, any you do?

 

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

Everything is crraap, just some crraap is better than other, steer clear of anything Italian or French or Glowworm or sounds like a washing machine or from Wickes/B&Q, you wont get a straight answer on the alum/stainless steal front question as everyone has their own axe to grind so it's your call, others on here speak well of Vaillaint and I like worcesters but I havent fitted any Worcester condensers so cant advise, I have fitted loads of Worcester 28 CDi 's with no problems and they seem well put together, it's your choice.

 

[gsportgeorge]

Already been warned off the "italian" stuff and the barbeque and winks stuff (not that I needed warning really I am not THAT daft)...

 

[doitall]

Already been warned off the "italian" stuff and the barbeque and winks stuff (not that I needed warning really I am not THAT daft)...

You are if you fit a combi

 

[gsportgeorge]

... and so you send me back to where I started..

Wondering if the possible fuel and installation savings of a combi are going to be worth the potential for problems...

 

[kevplumb]

so use a system boiler and vented or unvented cylinder

 

[gsportgeorge]

so use a system boiler and vented or unvented cylinder

That was my original plan, but given that our hot water use is very sporadic I was guessing that the combi would work out cheaper to run and probably cheaper to install in the first place too...

Also I have to knock the hot water load off the heating capacity so my heating requirement goes up from 28ish to 31ish and I am struggling to find system boilers over 24kW...

 

[kevplumb]

keston do one

so do visseman

 

[oilman]

My professional advice so far has been to go for a combi .......

When your boiler stops, and you have no heating AND no hot water, you will wish you didn't have a combi.

 

[gsportgeorge]

When the fan went on our old conventional boiler we had no hot water or heat either (no immersion)...

How much less reliable are combis? Do we have any firm statistics to go on? I am guessing we can save £200 on the installation and maybe £50 a year on fuel bills. If it then plays up once every 5 years I can live with that for the savings...

G.

 

[ChrisR]

A plain boiler costs about the same as a combi - so you get all that other stuff in a combi at its true worth.

But installation costs of a boiler + unvented may be £2000 more than a combi alone. Then it isn't 3kW to heat the HW, it's 25kW.

Conventional boiler + vented HW tank + a shower pump will be cheaper, more reliable and give you less grief when something goes wrong.

 

[gsportgeorge]

A plain boiler costs about the same as a combi - so you get all that other stuff in a combi at its true worth.

But installation costs of a boiler + unvented may be £2000 more than a combi alone. Then it isn't 3kW to heat the HW, it's 25kW.

Conventional boiler + vented HW tank + a shower pump will be cheaper, more reliable and give you less grief when something goes wrong.

EH?