New boiler - Combi or not?

[tillyfernackerpants]

We're in the process of getting quotes for a new boiler, 2 have suggested a Combi boiler as the best option, 1 seems to be very anti Combi.

So I wondered if anyone has any experience of combi vs non and which is possibly the best?

tia

It depends on how good your water pressure is and how many bathrooms you have. Whenever I have lived with a combi and someone has turned on a tap elsewhere in the house while I am having a shower, the water either stops in the shower or goes cold until the other tap turns off. If you have more than one bathroom and therefore there is a possibility that people may be showering or running baths simultaneously this could be a problem (rather than merely irritating).

I have a non-combi boiler and a Megaflo tank that is like a super-insulated hot water tank and means that the (not-very-good) water pressure in my flat isn't an issue and there is hot water from all the taps at the same time. I would find it difficult to go back now but you have to have space for a tank and that sort of system does cost more than a simple combi.

We have good water pressure & only 1 bathroom so didn't think it would be a problem. All he could say was he didn't think a combi suited a family house

I tend to agree. I am aware that I am sounding like a stuck record,but can you train everyone not to fill the kettle while you are in the shower? It is sooooooo annoying.

The plus is that you get an unlimited supply of hot water if you are alone in the house .

We have a combi and a very busy household, love it.

Unlimited instant hot water when there are at least 5 showers per day (pressure is high enough for tap attachment type) and constant washing up- the old boiler never coped.

Only drawback ever is not being able to use kitchen sink whilst someone is in the shower- as bathroom is directly above kitchen, a stamp on the floor stops any washer uppers

we had one once

i would not have another if you paid me

aaaaaaaaaaaaages to fill the bath, and they are so temperamental!

You have to watch the pressure, the teeniest of leaks, or bleeding the rads and you are in trouble!

and so many breakdowns, and the one we had was allegedly a reputable make...worcester bosch

Don't do it!

We have always had combi boilers. With only one bathroom you will be laughing! (I'm in a 4 bed 2 bathroomed house, we can have a combi but it has to have a little tank thing to cope with two people showering at the same time)

We have never had an issue with the 3 previous houses, all Worcester Bosch combi boilers. Never had this problem of if someone turns a tap on it goes cold crap.

The only thing to look for with a combi boiler is that you can adjust the water temp, which is probably why Catsmamma's bath took forever to fill.

I hate guessing whether there is enough water left in the tank and how long I have to heat it for.

I had 2 reflux babies so sometimes needed to bath them if they had chucked all inside their clothes at night, the combi was a god send. Instant hot water, as much as you like.

The only reason I can think that your engineer is trying to put you off is that it has to have a drain, so it depends where your drains are. My boiler was in the utility so there was a drain to connect to already.

We haev a worcester bosch combi and its great

My boiler installer told me that Worcester Bosch aren't as good as they used to be. I have a 3 bed, 2 bath house and have a recently installed Ideal Logic and it's great. House is much warmer than it used to be and I have always hated the idea of a huge tank of hot water in the house - such a waste of energy if you don't use it and it's limited when you do

we have no tank

I hate combi - and my plumber does too! Takes ages for the hot water to get through taps, my bath pressure is rubbish. There are many pitfalls and many engineers will agree not as good as first thought.

You can obtain better efficient boilers non combi - water storage via a thermostore which is very effiencent. You can install one of these in a cupboard.

I cant wait to rip this one out when hopefully get solar or groundsource system.

Thanks everyone, def something to think about!!

Not sure yet which way we'll go, funny that some engineers swear by combis & others don't! Also have been recommended the Worcester-Bosch as one of the best makes.

The best make is Vaillant if you can afford it - they go on forever (my dad is a heating engineer :o)

My mum got a very posh non-combi one which is supposedly hotel quality because she has a couple of bathrooms and some sort of Ideal Homes mission where she has to have the highest spec everything...

Once her very expensive new bathroom was put in alongside the expensive boiler, she proudly stated that it was instant hot water 24 hours a day no matter how many taps/showers/baths you switched on.

I have yet to have a warm bath or hot tap in that house. It's pathetic and cost about £5k, not counnting installation or the tank itself. She also retains an electric shower because it breaks down fairly often and they need to order parts from Germany.

Waste of money - go for a combi and get your spares from B&Q.