What Boiler do I Need?

If you’re due for a new boiler you may wonder which particular boiler is best suited to your needs. The most appropriate boiler depends on the size of your property and the amount of water you need each day.

Below we outline the pros and cons of each of the four most popular boiler types available on the market today. Once you’ve finished reading the below we hope you’ve got a better idea of which particular boiler is right for your unique needs.

The four boiler types we cover are: condensing boilers, system boilers, combi-boilers and regular boilers.

The term ‘condensing boiler’ is an umbrella term used to describe a few different types of boiler. This includes a:

• Regular
• Combination
• System boilers

A condensing boiler has far better efficiency rating than non-condensing boilers. Condensing boilers do not require the same level of energy when compared to other boilers, you can find out more about condensing boilers here if you are considering this route.

Therefore you the homeowner save money on your energy bills by virtue of the fact you own a condensing boiler. The key thing that often deters people from condensing boilers is the initial high initial purchase price. However this investment is easily recuperated over the years through lower energy bills.

Unlike traditional boilers that use a water storage tank, a combi-boiler draws all of its water directly from the mains supply.

Combi-boilers provide hot water on demand plus, since combi-boilers eliminate the need for a water storage tank, you also gain additional storage space in your home.

One of the most popular things about combi-boilers is the fact that you can heat water ‘on demand’, you do not have to heat an entire cylinder of water for small tasks that require minimal usage.

Also since water is not stored in a tank for long periods of time, combi-boilers also reduce the risk of Legionnaires disease from bacteria growth. However, since combi-boilers lack a water storage tank, large homes with many occupants will suffer. This is because water from the mains will not provide enough water to feed multiple water outlets., thus, when two or more people turn on a tap or shower simultaneously, the water will dramatically drop.

This isn’t so much a problem with a traditional boiler since the backup water tank is sufficient to meet this level of demand. If more than four people live in your home, we recommend you stick with a traditional boiler for this exact reason.

Similar to combi-boilers, a system-boiler draws its water supply directly from the mains, therefore there is no need for a cold water storage tank when you opt for a system boiler.

This means you gain extra storage space in your loft, unlike a combi-boiler, a system boiler does not heat your supply of hot water; you will therefore require an additional storage tank to store all your hot water. This additional water is ideal for larger homes where residents, customers or guests turn on different taps simultaneously. Since a combi-boiler lacks a water tank, it would thus struggle to meet the extra demand for water since ‘flow-rate’ would struggle.

A regular condensing boiler is highly efficient, however this variety of boiler requires a cold water storage tank in your loft.

You will therefore sacrifice valueable storage space when you choose a regular boiler. The existence of a cold water storage tank also means more components can to go wrong, particularly when compared to a combi-boiler.

A regular boiler also requires a hot water cylinder, meaning the key disadvantage is that you’ll need to heat up many littles of water just to wash your hands. Since hot water is stored in a cylinder there is invariable associated heat loss.

However a regular boiler is a must for larger homes having high water demands. The water storage tank is able to meet this demand far better than a comb-boiler. This is because the latter draws its water supply directly from the mains. The mains supply is only sufficient to meet the demand from one or two taps. If a third or fourth tap is turned on then the flow rate provided by a combi-boiler will dramatically reduce.