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Original poster

Regular boiler to combi ?

33 replies

HaveANiceFuckingDay · 29/12/2020 14:06

Does anyone recommend?
We need space .. adult son has had to move back home , he’s literally in a bed in a closet , we need to take out the regular boiler to make space and DH has ideas of creating this space by getting a combi boiler which is apparently smaller ( I don’t know about boilers ) and putting the combi in the downstairs loo
Do you recommend combi ones over regular boilers ?

OP posts:
Bonkerz · 29/12/2020 14:09

Beat thing we did. Hot water on demand that never runs out!

WitchQueenofDarkness · 29/12/2020 14:14

Hate it - I haven't had a long hot bath since mine was installed and of anyone else wants hot water at the same time then it's even worse. I hate tepid baths!

Mine is supposedly more than up to the job and there are only 2 of us in the household but it clearly isn't.

Can you keep the hot water tank?

LabiaMinoraPissusFlapus · 29/12/2020 14:17

My husband's family swear by combi boilers so we had a posh one installed a few years ago. Flipping pain as I was always having to run the water off before it came through hot, that I stopped bothering with washing my hands in warm water. We now have a traditional boiler with a hot water tank and I much prefer it as it is almost instant hot water.

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yankeedoodledandee · 29/12/2020 14:21

Hate it - I haven't had a long hot bath since mine was installed

Why not?

We have had a combo boiler since we moved into this house 20 years ago (it has been replaced with new one a few years ago) and I honestly can't work out why you can't have a hot bath?

Elphame · 29/12/2020 14:22

My parents have one. I've had no end of cold showers there when they run another tap at the same time.

We're about to replace our own boiler and it's going to be a conventional one with a hot water tank. We have never run out of hot water using the tank system. I'm even considering putting a pumped system in so it feeds hot water to all the hot taps instantly. We had this in a previous house and I loved it.

yankeedoodledandee · 29/12/2020 14:22

We now have a traditional boiler with a hot water tank and I much prefer it as it is almost instant hot water.

The water in the pipe will be the same water (cold that is) whether you have a combo or traditional boiler

WitchQueenofDarkness · 29/12/2020 14:25

@yankeedoodledandee

Hate it - I haven't had a long hot bath since mine was installed

Why not?

We have had a combo boiler since we moved into this house 20 years ago (it has been replaced with new one a few years ago) and I honestly can't work out why you can't have a hot bath?

Simple - It takes so long to fill with hot water that it's no longer hot enough for me! The faster I run the hot tap the cooler the water it delivers and it's a big enamel bath.
sanityisamyth · 29/12/2020 14:30

The combo boiler is the only thing I miss about the house I'm trying to sell!! Instant hot water that never runs out. I don't see why people don't want them!

yankeedoodledandee · 29/12/2020 14:31

Simple - It takes so long to fill with hot water that it's no longer hot enough for me! The faster I run the hot tap the cooler the water it delivers and it's a big enamel bath.

I have the same set up and we run the bath 3/4 then add cold to it because it's too hot. Is your water pressure an issue?

bigpricklyfern · 29/12/2020 14:34

We have recently moved, and replaced the boiler/hot water tank for a combi as soon as we could. We didn’t in the last house (upgraded for a bigger tank instead) and always regretted it. We never had enough for more than two quick showers, and definitely not a full bath. Yes, the temperature drops slightly now if someone else is using hot water, but overall it is so so much better with a combi.

DinosApple · 29/12/2020 14:43

We loved our combi boiler (have just moved and now back to having a tank).

I adored it, but we had an electric shower so no dipping temperatures and baths were fine too. Our gas bill for the summer quarter was £60 - for three months! (2 adults, 2 kids).
Not firing up each day to heat a tank was great and saved a fortune!

When this boiler dies we'll get electric showers and a combi, no doubt about it!

Tangledtresses · 29/12/2020 14:45

We have a valiant combo boiler that has a back tank so you can have instant hot water in comfort mode

It also runs brilliantly if you put a tap on or have the washing machine and dishwasher on or even another shower!!!

It's designed for a large house with more than 2 showers

It's brilliant

Tangledtresses · 29/12/2020 14:47

You can turn up the heat of the water on a combi if the water is not coming through hot enough

Ours is set to the lowest temp and it's still very hot for a large steel bath

dollybird · 29/12/2020 15:56

What do you do for hot water when a combi boiler breaks down?

FippertyGibbett · 29/12/2020 15:58

No, I like my airing cupboard and immersion heater.
We’ve had the gas go off a couple of times here, but I’ve always had hot water for a shower due to the immersion heater.

WitchQueenofDarkness · 29/12/2020 16:11

@yankeedoodledandee

Simple - It takes so long to fill with hot water that it's no longer hot enough for me! The faster I run the hot tap the cooler the water it delivers and it's a big enamel bath.

I have the same set up and we run the bath 3/4 then add cold to it because it's too hot. Is your water pressure an issue?

My water pressure is high, very very high.
chipshopElvis · 29/12/2020 16:13

We are on our second combi boiler they're brilliant and we have never had a problem. Hot water whenever you like, what's not to like. It feels like going back into the dark ages when I visit my mum and have to put the hot water on outside regulatiin hours!

Santaisreel · 29/12/2020 16:17

My water pressure is high, very very high

I genuinely don't understand why it takes you so long to run a bath that the water goes cold then.

TornadoOfSouls · 29/12/2020 16:22

I don’t like them because if the boiler goes you have no hot water.

Itmaybeus · 29/12/2020 16:23

I did similar - I put the boiler in the kitchen and turned the airing cupboard into a wardrobe which freed up space in the box room for a bed.
I like the instant hot water too.

yankeedoodledandee · 29/12/2020 16:25

@TornadoOfSouls

I don’t like them because if the boiler goes you have no hot water.

Is this not possible with conventional boilers too?

WitchQueenofDarkness · 29/12/2020 16:26

@Santaisreel

My water pressure is high, very very high

I genuinely don't understand why it takes you so long to run a bath that the water goes cold then.

If I turn the taps on full the water comes through too fast to heat to full temperature.

If I run at half then the water comes through just about hot enough but the bath is enamel and absorbs a lot of the initial heat and it cools rapidly so you're pouring just about hot enough water into cold water. It also takes a long time to fill. Fine if you are OK with a coolish bath. Useless if you like it really hot.

SandlakeRd · 29/12/2020 16:28

We have a standard boiler and tank. We have two bathrooms and a shower pump and two plumbers have said to keep the current set up when we get a new boiler. Apparently a combi won’t work with the pump or handle two showers at once.

missyB1 · 29/12/2020 16:30

It very much depends on the size of the property and number of residents. I live in a 4 bed 2 bathroom house, and two separate plumbers have advised against me getting a Combi. A traditional tank system also means you still have hot water if your boiler breaks down.

TornadoOfSouls · 29/12/2020 16:38

yankeedoodledandee if you have an immersion heater you can still get hot water. I can cope without heating for a while but not without hot water!

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