Combi boilers

Combination Boilers

Combi boilers (combination boilers) The name comes from the fact that they are a combination of a hot water heater and a gas boiler built into the one unit. They have quickly become one of the more popular types of boilers in Ireland thanks to their ability to heat water on demand without the need for a hot water tank. Their name refers to the fact that they can provide both heating and hot water for your home when required.

If you’re considering replacing your conventional boiler with a combi, you may be wondering what the pros and cons are of this type of system. Ultimately, whether this system will work for you depends on the size of your home, the number of radiators and bathrooms you have, and the demand for hot water.

Use the pros and cons below to help you decide whether you should change your boiler for a combi system.

Pros of a combi boiler

  • Very efficient
  • Instant hot water on demand that’s always available
  • More space in your hotpress
  • Save money on your bills,
  • The cold water storage tank can be removed.

Very efficient

Around 55 per cent of your annual energy spend goes towards heating your home. This means that having an energy efficient boiler is extremely.

important. All new combi boilers that are installed in Ireland need to be condensing and will have an efficiency rating of 90-94 per cent, so you’ll have a warmer home for less energy usage.

Instant hot water when you need it

If you currently have a conventional boiler system, there may have been many instances where you run out of hot water. This is because when the boiler is programmed to turn on, it will heat your home as well as a large volume of water. This hot water is then stored in a large insulated tank that keeps the water warm for a few hours, making it available when you need to run a bath or wash the dishes. However, these tanks can only store so much hot water and once it has been used up, you would need to turn your boiler back on and wait a while for the tank to refill.

With a combi boiler system, this isn’t an issue. Instead of having a tank, the boiler can heat water as and when you need it, meaning you’ll never run out of hot water again.

More storage space in your hotpress

With the combi as you will be getting your hot water directly from the gas boiler there is no need for a hot water cylinder , the cylinder will be removed which will clear up more storage space in your hotpress. This is great for apartment or when space is at a premium

Save money on your bills

With a combi boiler you will only heat the water you use, unlike a hot water cylinder you might heat your cylinder with 150 litres of water and only take one shower using 15 litres of hot water, the remaining hot water is left to cool and be reheated for the next shower. By only heating the water you use you can save €300- €400 per year on your gas bills depending on hot water demand to your property.

No cold water tank

Not only do conventional boilers have a hot water cylinder to store the heated water, they may also have a cold feed tank. This is generally located in the loft. The cold tank is filled with water from the mains which supplies the cylinder. As a combi boiler takes in water directly from the mains when it’s needed, there’s no requirement for a cold water tank, saving even more space in your home.
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Cons of a combi boiler

While combi boilers have a lot of benefits, there are still some things that they aren’t able to do as well as a conventional system. For example, a combi boiler:

  • A pump may need to be installed
  • Doesn’t have an immersion heater
  • Doesn’t work with power showers
  • Doesn’t allow you to use multiple hot water appliances at once, although other combi possibilities are available as mentioned earlier in the article.

A pump may need to be installed

If your mains supply has poor pressure we will need to install a pump. If the mains pressure is sufficient we can connect directly to the mains without the need for a pump. Before having a combi boiler installed we can arrange a free survey of the property.

No immersion heater

Unlike conventional boiler systems, combi boilers don’t have an immersion heater. This means that, if your boiler were to break down, there is no backup system so you would be left without heating or hot water until the boiler is repaired.

They don’t work with power showers

Many homes in the Irish have power showers. These are showers that have separate pumps, making for excellent water pressure. As a combi boiler uses mains water pressure, as discussed above, you can’t have a power shower with this kind of system.

You can’t run multiple appliances at the same time

Finally, a combi boiler may not be able to cope if your home is large with multiple bathrooms. While one hot tap is running, you wouldn’t be able to turn on another one without the first one losing pressure or turning cold.

This is because the combi boiler can only supply a certain amount of hot water at a time, whereas a conventional boiler can provide lots of water to different appliances thanks to the hot water cylinder. If you have a large home with multiple bathrooms, you may prefer to stick to your conventional system, however some combi boiler systems are available to work around this issue by having a small tank placed internally, such as the Vitodens 111. Or if you install a modulation booster pump you will have equal pressures at each hot water outlet.

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