Combi boilers seem to give a lot of maintenance problems, so I'm just wondering what other compact and economical options might be available these days for powering a small hot water C/H system.
I've never had a conventional C/H boiler. I know they require a header tank (seems like a nice idea, especially good for my rather leaky system) but you also need some kind of emersion heater if you want instant hot tapwater don't you? If so, that sounds inefficient to me.
Is there a system that has the header tank *and* can supply hot tapwater on the fly, like a combi does?
Heh heh - that's one of the *disadvantages* - you really don't want water leaking out all over the place, especially where you can't see it. If your system is leaky sort that first before going any further.
No - the boiler heats water in a storage tank in the same way as an immersion. Except that gas is cheaper than electricity. You use a timer to make sure the water is hot for when you need it.
IMHO the reliability problems - if any - with a combi are due to the fact it heats water on demand.
You options are conventional heating boiler or a "system" boiler. The system boiler is like the combi in that is contains all the bits to make a working system (pump, expansion vessel, overheat stats etc).
Some do, but most modern ones will run as a sealed system with no header.
If you have leaks, then fix them. Don't let them influence you boiler choice, because they *will* cause you grief whatever you choose.
No. An immersion heater is often fitted as a backup if the boiler fails or is switched off for some reason. Usually you use an "indirect" hot water cylinder which has a heat exchanger coil inside. This is typically connected to the heating circuit from the boiler. An arrangement with motorised valves allows the hot water to be delivered through the rads, or the cylinder as and when required to heat them.
Some combis will run vented. Alternatively you could look at a thermal store.
Sounds like some background reading might help clarify your options:
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