which should i choose. I currently have a conventional boiler with a storage tank but would it be better and cheaper to run a combi?
Our family ( 2 adults , 3 children ) use quite a lot of hot water for baths. Can anbody give any pros and cons of both systems
cheers
Daz
I converted from a conventional to a combi about a year ago. Bills haver gone down, but the boiler i replaced was 10 years old, so that was expected. My main drivers were because i wanted to lose the airing cupboard for space. The only issue i find is the lenght of time it takes to fill a bath up. with a combi you can only have hot water running though 15mm wheres as before i had 22mm pipe.
I am looking at the same options as the original poster, can you tell me by how much your bills have dropped ? i.e what were your gas bills and what are they now ? It will give me some idea of a realistic payback period.
Gio
When I had my central heating maintained last year I asked the British Gas Engineer about the pros and cons of the combi versus the traditional boiler. One thing he did say was that you decided to go down the Combi route then at least install an electric shower because they do have a tendency to go wrong, and if they did then your supply of hot water disappears. At least with an electric shower you can have a wash until the combi is repaired.
I hope this helps.
I had heard similar stories re the short life of combi boilers and that was why I was after someone to tell me that they had saved £xxx since changing their boiler. People we know seem a bit cagey about saying what savings they actually made given that they have had to replace their boilers again after approx 5 years due to ignition module or heat exchanger faults.
Given it would appear the boiler life / spare part availability is not too good, a typical installation will have to make some large savings in order to offset replacement boiler costs.
Gio
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