Are condensing boilers all bad ?

[fred]

Listening to someone extolling the virtues of a condensing boiler fitted to his parents house, combined with current oil prices and a =A32250 spend on oil since last September , has set me thinking about upgrading our 22 year old boiler. The boiler is working fine. Been serviced annually and had whatever bits it need fitted when called for, but heaven knows what the efficiency is like. Our usual plumber condemnscondensig boilers out of hand. Has fitted lots for the local council and they have been nothing but trouble. He also regards them as filthy things to have to clean compared to a standard boiler. Wouldn't have one in his own house etc. etc.

I'm being quoted about =A31650 for the job.

Question is are they worth it ? Are they troublesome? What are the best makes ?

I've gone through the archives and it is depressing reading but surely they must have some good points

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Most councils insist on using the very cheapest they can find. A case of penny wise pound foolish.

[Andrew Gabriel]

This all boils down to "what are you trying to achieve?", and you didn't tell us that. Which of the extolled virtues do you particularly fancy? Also, are you gas or oil (don't think oil can achieve the same savings)?

I have installed a condensing boiler, but that was part of installing central heating in a house which didn't have any. I chose a condensing boiler (wasn't mandatory back then) because I liked the idea of the technology, and wide ranging water temperature setting, modulating burner, etc.

Currently have a 21 year old Potterton Profile (not condensing). I have redesigned the house's heating controls (all done by computer, occupancy sensing, remote control, etc), and that's given me a much bigger saving than switching to a condensing boiler would have done. Actually, it's made switching to a condensing boiler uneconomic, unless/until the Potterton Profile dies. However, this isn't something you can easily go and buy off-the-shelf - I designed and built my own.

Before I realised that swapping in a condensing boiler had become uneconomic after doing the computer control, I had been intending to add a condensing boiler, and keep the Potterton in the circuit as a back-up boiler.

[Tim Watts]

Hi Andrew,

Just out of interest - what does your control system do that can't be handled by a condensing boiler - I assume you've delved inside rather than just giving it a "demand" signal?

[Chris Hogg]

I didn't think condensing oil fired boilers were worth the outlay, as the savings were not great, whereas it's worth it for gas fired boilers. Oil contains relatively more carbon, less hydrogen, than gas, so less water produced on combustion, so less energy to recover by condensation. Things may be different now with the high price of oil. I can imagine an oil fired boiler being sootier inside than a gas boiler, especially if it's not maintained well. We've had a gas fired condensing boiler for 12 years, serviced annually, no problems at all. Runs on expensive propane from a tank in the garden, so we need to get the maximum efficiency we can.

[NT]

I've been tempted to do something simlar, but never get the tuits. Your system would make a great wiki article.

NT

[The Natural Philosopher]

+1

the more zoning you put in the better you can only heat what you need.

I only operated my upstaiss zome for about 6 hours over the winter.

heating 4 unued bedrooms is not worth it.

[Rob]

Wouldn't adding all the sensors etc to a condenser boiler system be even better?

Why not just switch the rads off at the valve? Are zones necessary, convenience and forgetfulness aside?

Rob

[Andy Champ]

Well, wait for the experts, but the feeling I've got from reading them is - if it ain't broke don't fix it. The sole exception being a really old boiler with a a genuine alight-all-the-time pilot light.

What model is it?

Andy

[charles]

and what is wrong with one of those? I installed ours in 1988.

[newshound]

Other halves know how to operate valves, but a sufficiently complicated zoning system will defeat them

:-)

[John Rumm]

You can look it up on the SEDBUK database here:

Our usual plumber condemnscondensig boilers out of hand. Has fitted

I don't believe the gains are anything like as substantial for oil burners as they are with gas...

[John Rumm]

Nothing if you don't mind donating 40p in every quid to heating the garden.

[Dave Liquorice]

What's complicated about a condensor in the flue gas path? It's fairly passive AFAIK. Combies on the other had...

Not relevant for the OP buring =A32000+ of oil a year.

[John Rumm]

Partly depends on the property.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I think the more stats and zones you have the better you can adjust the heating to do what you want and only what you want.

This is partucularly so in low occupancy properties.

Just turning valves off doesn't work without some kind of stat in any room - you simply dump more heat elsewhere, and if there is only a master stat, you rely on that to control all other rads. Not efficient.

[The Natural Philosopher]

why is your boiler in the garden?

I have an always on aga to do the baseload.

Works brilliantly -the CH just 'tops up' when needed.

a pilot light is merely smaller version of the same.

[The Natural Philosopher]

No, other halves do NOT know how to operate valves 'the room was cold so I turned it up top 11 to get it to heat up quickly, then I noticed it was really stuffy so I opened the window'.

[The Natural Philosopher]

harry thinks oil is gas and vice versa.

He is a very confused person.

[geoff]

In message , tony sayer writes

The profile was a pretty good boiler for its time

Should be if it has one of my boards in it