You may be happy with the general operation of your central heating system and how it is your home, but now may have come the time when you need to identify a replacement boiler to power the system. Identifying a substitute boiler can the a worrying moment as there are several different types of boiler to consider and many different boiler manufacturers.
Selecting the correct boiler can be a complex chore. Also a boiler, and the subsequent installation costs, can be an expensive affair and it is essential that you select the right type of boiler, one that fits your existing system and also one that is energy efficient. Our main word of advice would be to get some expert advice on selecting the right boiler for your home. This is not an exercise that can be carried out by reading brochures and making a choice. The boiler must be installed within your home and hence has to take into account any installation challenges or issues that may present themselves. The other main piece of advice is to get more than one “expert” adviser so that you can compare the advice and also can compare the price of the replacement gas boiler.
Expense is evidently one element but there are different considerations, whether you will use one hot tap or many simultaneously it is to be studied, how efficient the boiler is and what space you have available for the installation.
We have named in the most familiar types of central heating boiler below to give you supplementary information:-
domestic back boilers
Some homes still have back boilers, if you look carefully in the chimney you might see the back boiler installed out of view, the coal fire frequently hid the back boiler which was at the back of it. If you are going to change or boiler you will not be putting in one of this type as they had certain drawbacks and in particular low water pressure, they take up space to install and in this type of boiler it needs to be hidden somewhere. If you already have a back boiler however a straightforward substitute could be your best choice.
Back boilers have not been very efficient in the past, but big advances have been produced over the past 5-10 years, so by swapping out an aging inefficient back boiler, you could cut your heating bills through improved efficiency.
The latest Combination central heating boilers
In recent years the most popular type of boiler sold is the combi central heating boiler. They are small; fitting into cupboards, and really economical to operate. Because they heat water direct from the cold mains, you do not have to wait for water to heat up – and your hot water supply will be unlimited.
Combi boilers have better efficiency than other forms of heating boiler. Because combi gas boilers dont use an external hot water cylinder, there is no water cylinder to heat first, and no want to reheat the same water once again if youve let it run cold. The downside of this is that combi boilers sometimes struggle to furnish several hot water taps concurrently.
Unvented central heating central heating boilers
central heating gas boilers store hot water in a hot water cylinder. You may need to install this in the airing closet taking up valuable space. The installation tends to be better and lower-priced with this form of heating boiler as the other central heating parts are built in.
An advantage of the hot water cylinder is that it facilitates the drawing of multiple streams of hot water simultaneously. If the hot water tank is fitted high in the home you will also get good water pressure.
Open vent central heating system boilers
Most families will have an open vent heating boiler fitted. If you have one of these you will want to water tanks to be fitted in the loft, a lot of precious storage space is needed as the hot water storage is also required in the airing cupboard.
The first tank in the loft feeds mains supply water to the hot water storage tank.
The 2nd cylinder is the expansion and feed tank which preserves the right level of water for your central heating system, enabling water expansion when you turn the heat on. Whilst you can now run many hot water taps simultaneously you will be limited by the hot water storage tanks capacity.