Combis - no backup

[IMM]

Maxie, did you get one free?

[IMM]

Maxie, It is the most amazing thing I have come across since 21st February

1981.

[Andy Hall]

I thought that he was asking the engine driver rather than the oily rag....

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

[Ian Stirling]

If you plumb enough combis together, then you can store water and gas in the pipework to them, to cover any reasonable outage.

[Clive Summerfield]

Gas outage 3 months ago for 1 hour. Power outages - this week 2 hours, August 3 hours, June 2.5 hours... And this isn't out in the wilderness. Oh yes, and due to work by Yorkshire Water we've been without water supply for

3 half days this year so far.

Cheers Clive

[IMM]

This far from typical. For 20 years I had one 15 min power cut, always water and gas. Your outages were for only for 1 and 2 hours or so. Hardly a great inconvenience, I 'm sure you never went dirty or cold.

[IMM]

Good thinking. If you are paranoid of any outage, have a backup genny doing essential circuits, a loft full of water and a backup LPG gas boiler as well as the main natural gas one. But if you go to those lengths in a domestic house for a the odd couple of hours outage then you need therapy.

The only backup peopel need is a foirm of hot water heating to get them by and a few fan heater, or preferably a portable gas heater, stored in the loft.

[IMM]

Do you know what an oily rag is? Have you seen one? Do a Google you might see one on the web.

[StealthUK]

Using a combi doesnt mean having to get rid of the water tank and I've never had any great inconvenience from using combis for many years. If I was living on an island miles from anywhere then certainly I'd be concerned about backup.

[IMM]

A few years ago I fitted a combi for a relative. They wanted the cylinder out of the way. I decided to leave the newish poly cold tank in the loft which then served the toilets and cold to the bath and basin. All the rest was then taken off the mains, which was more than adequate.

Having a cold tank and a booster pump on a combi where the mains are poor is a good idea. All the taps will then be higher pressure. People just don't like large cylinders taking up valuable storage space in bedrooms.

[Andy Hall]

Broke the law then....

or presumably two stacked combis in the corner taking up even more space.

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

[Dave Liquorice]

Where as we, in a remote area, fed by poles and no mains gas haven't had power cut since the begining of the year. I'd guesstimate we get one, lasting a few hours, every 15 months or so. I don't count the brief on-off-on caused by lighting or over grown tree making the auto recloser operate as a "power cut".

Back to the subject of backups I would not be happy living in a house with no stored water and the sole source of space heating and hot water was a relatively complex combi boiler.

You can do without heat and hot water for considerable periods of time but you can't last long without water to drink. I was in St Albans when they had an outbreak of cryptospiridium(sp..) a few years back, all the the local supermarkets and shops sold out of water within hours. So saying you'll nip out and buy a few bottles is not really a proper backup.

[Ed Sirett]

Due to the price I tend not to install any. I come across CDis from time to time for servicing.

They have made new models of the CDi with a smaller version of the of the filling key. I presume the junior might use the same key?

I beleive that BG are installing them rebadged.

[raden]

In message , IMM writes

Yes - good price that (well it cost me 1/2 hours work for which I also got £200)

[IMM]

nope.

Good idea.

[IMM]

Living inthe boonies I can see why.

Combi's are not complex.

Have a large stainless tank full of potable water if you are really that paranoid.

[IMM]

writes

When are you going to fit it?