Picking Out a new central heating boiler
Picking Out a new central heating boiler
Selecting a new or substitute gas boiler can be a hard project. As well as the cost involved, you have to take into account how much hot water you will be likely to want, how much space you have in your home and loft together with how much gas central heating boiler will consume over its lifespan.
The main central heating boiler types are:-
Stand alone gas back boilers
Some homes still have back boilers, if you look carefully in the chimney you might see the back boiler fitted out of sight, the coal fire oftentimes hid the back boiler which was at the back of it. If you do not already have this arrangement then its not going to be a first option for you as the water pressure is low, space can be an issue and in this form of boiler it needs to be hidden somewhere. If you already have a back boiler however a straightforward replacement could be your best alternative.
Previously domestic back boilers had not been cost-effective, but the modern back boilers are more cost-efficient now, so by exchanging your old back boiler, you could make large savings on your annual heating charges.
The latest Combination gas boilers
The combi heating boiler is now the most popular type of central heating boiler. As a combi gas fired boiler is small and it will fit into a cupboard and uses gas very efficiently. You will not have to wait for hot water to heat up as they heat cold water instantly - and your hot water supply will be endless.
Combi heating boilers use less energy than the other types.. Heat losses are reduced as there is no hot water storage cylinder Look out for someone turning on all the hot water taps in your household whilst you are running a hot shower as it could temporarily turn cold.
Unvented central heating boilers
A central heating boiler works on the concept of harnessed hot water. This will require space in your home. The installation tends to be better and lower-priced with this form of gas boiler as the other system components are built in.
Drawing various streams of hot water from diverse taps simultaneously is now manageable. You will also get great internal water pressure.
Open vent system gas fired boilers
The most popular home system is a vented heating boiler. The open vent gas fired boiler requires to water storage tanks to be fitted in the loft, and a hot water storage cylinder in the airing cupboard so it uses a lot of space.
The hot water storage tank is supplied by one of the tanks in the loft.
The other tank in the attic enables expansion of the water in the central heating system when it heats up. Whilst you can now run several hot water taps concurrently you will be restricted by the hot water cylinders capacity.