GCH options

Hi, I've searched this newsgroups for sugegstions on boliers, heat banks etc but I'm a bit confused as to waht the current "preferred" option is.

I've got a two-bed flat with a regular boiler, sealed CH system and an unvented hot water cylinder. I like the fact that I have nice showers but I'm thinking of renting out this flat and am a bit concerned about having the hassle of the unvented cylinder of unknown origin in terms of safety and having to get somebody in to "service" it, and also the boiler is a bit old and I wouldn't mind getting a new one.

All the combi's I've used in the past have been useless in terms of supplying good hot water. The last one I had used to run for a couple of minutes with cold water before then supplying very very hot water (then cold, then hot etc etc).

Are there combis available these days that are good in terms of water temp consistency and flow? There's probably only ever going to be one or two people living in this flat at any one time.

I read about heat banks and heat bank conversions - just what is involved and could I use my existing cylinder for this purpose? Is a heat bank inefficient seeing as there's not much demand for a lot of hot water?

Do all boilers cope with sealed systems these days??

Oh and of course I don't want to spend a lot of money!

Thanks

Steve

Combis are much better than the ones you describe. This is because they now have modulating burners, so that they can turn themselves down a bit when they get too hot, rather than cutting out. They don't have massive flow rates, though, and do not compete with an unvented cylinder, unless you need the extra space, or you are installing from scratch and looking to economise.

Yes, but many can't cope with an unsealed system.

Then do nothing. Get everything serviced regularly and forget about buying new heating systems when the old one is functional. You won't make any money by spending thousands on a new boiler and hot water system, especially one which actually has less performance than the system it is replacing.

You're going to need to spend money on annual maintenance anyway, for the landlord's certificate. It won't be much extra to get the cylinder tested at the same time. If properly maintained, they are quite safe.

Christian.