OK. After a bit more research it appears that I will need a combi boiler rated between 24Kw and 30Kw.
If you are all sitting comfortably at the back I will try and explain why size matters.
One of the key differences between the two is that the higher rated units have a higher water flow which is measured in litres per minute. This is the number of litres of water per minute that the boiler can heat to 35 degrees centigrade (I didn’t decide on this temperature, presumably some industry body did). Most boilers are rated between 9 and 12 litres per minute.
This does not make as much difference when you are trying to heat the house, a lower rated unit will just take longer, but clearly matters a lot if you are trying to run lots of things requiring hot water at the same time like a washing machine, a dishwasher, a shower and a bath. Many units such as washing machines can work solely on a cold feed these days so they don’t necessary have any impact on the boiler at all.
Buying a unit that is bigger than you need is a waste of money to buy and to run but getting one too small is a big mistake. To try and work out which size I need I e-mailed a boiler company, a specialist supplier and filled in one questionnaire on the internet and described the basic layout of the house. The only constant in their replies was the lack of consistency. Basically it appears that either will do the job.
There is no end to the number of companies out there offering boilers over the internet at what seem to me to be competitive prices. One of them even trades via eBay (at very competitve prices) as well as through some specialist outlets in Kent.
The problem with boilers is that for amateurs like me I have never heard of most manufacturers. I have never driven cars from most of the manufacturers in the world but I have probably heard of them and may even have an opinion about their quality. It is the same with consumer electronics. With boilers, apart from Glow-Worm and Potterton, I don’t think I have heard of any of them and most people don’t bother to write reviews about what a great boiler they have just bought. Understandable really; they will have better things to do with their lives.
If you are all sitting comfortably at the back I will try and explain why size matters.
One of the key differences between the two is that the higher rated units have a higher water flow which is measured in litres per minute. This is the number of litres of water per minute that the boiler can heat to 35 degrees centigrade (I didn’t decide on this temperature, presumably some industry body did). Most boilers are rated between 9 and 12 litres per minute.
This does not make as much difference when you are trying to heat the house, a lower rated unit will just take longer, but clearly matters a lot if you are trying to run lots of things requiring hot water at the same time like a washing machine, a dishwasher, a shower and a bath. Many units such as washing machines can work solely on a cold feed these days so they don’t necessary have any impact on the boiler at all.
Buying a unit that is bigger than you need is a waste of money to buy and to run but getting one too small is a big mistake. To try and work out which size I need I e-mailed a boiler company, a specialist supplier and filled in one questionnaire on the internet and described the basic layout of the house. The only constant in their replies was the lack of consistency. Basically it appears that either will do the job.
There is no end to the number of companies out there offering boilers over the internet at what seem to me to be competitive prices. One of them even trades via eBay (at very competitve prices) as well as through some specialist outlets in Kent.
The problem with boilers is that for amateurs like me I have never heard of most manufacturers. I have never driven cars from most of the manufacturers in the world but I have probably heard of them and may even have an opinion about their quality. It is the same with consumer electronics. With boilers, apart from Glow-Worm and Potterton, I don’t think I have heard of any of them and most people don’t bother to write reviews about what a great boiler they have just bought. Understandable really; they will have better things to do with their lives.
Anyway to get to the point a new boiler will cost somewhere between £500 and £750 pounds. I will probably get a 30Kw unit to be sure. Now all I have to decide is which of these manufacturers that I have never heard of is the right one. Alpha, Ariston, Baxi, Buderus, Chaffoteaux, Ferroli, Glow-Worm, Ideal, Keston, Potterton, Vaillant, Viessmann, Vokera and Worcester with apologies for any I have missed.
UPDATE : Thank you to Tim who has clarified the point about temperature in his comment on the earlier post.
UPDATE : Thank you to Tim who has clarified the point about temperature in his comment on the earlier post.
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