Anyone got a storage combi boiler?

[DouglasFirs]

I thought with the type of house we have bought, we'd definitely need a system boiler with cylinder as there'll be a shower room, bathroom with separate shower, and a downstairs W.C.

BUT I've just heard you can get storage combis

Does anyone have experience of these? Do they really mean you can run more than one shower at once?! Sounds ideal, hence why I am slightly dubious...

There are a few combination boilers with a small hot water storage unit attached to it. Usually about 35 litres storage and are wall hung.
There are other combined units with gas boiler and water storage which are all inside one case in a cupboard. Do you know the name of the appliance ? How big is it?

Hi buttonmoon, I don't have one picked out at the moment as still at the stage of deciding what type of system is best to go for. We are happy to go with a big/v.powerful one if it means we can get away with say, running the kitchen tap for a bit while someone is in the shower without it affecting flow/temp. Do you think a combi / combi with storage could manage this?

Combination boilers are only really suited for a single bathroom property, I would always go for a hot water tank/thermal store. That way you get mains pressure and flow at all hot and cold water taps. Also if the combi boiler breaks down you loose everything, if you have a hot water tank you will have an electric immersion heater as a back up.
You will also need to have the incoming cold water main tested for working pressure and flow rate. Ideally you'll need 3+bar / 20+litre a minute flow rate.

I have a big combi with a store of hot water in it, it is wall hung. The house is five bedrooms over three living floors and the boiler is in the cellar. We couldn't have two showers at once, the one on the first floor would be fine but the one on the second floor wouldn't have enough pressure.

And to answer your second question, if I run water for the washing up bowl while someone is in the shower i get complaints.

Is there a reason why you don't want a cylinder?

Thanks all.

I was thinking maybe we could get an electric shower for the attic shower room so at least we could run the two showers simultaneously if needed.

Hi pigletjohn, no, no particular reason we don't want a cylinder. We were told the combi would be cheaper and easier to install, which is a draw, and I like having instant hot water, but if a system boiler with a cylinder is the better option for our house, we would rather go for that. What do you think?!

Nothing to beat it.

You need to measure the flow from the incoming watermain. For a rough guide, fill a bucket at the cold kitchen tap, time it, calculate how many litres per minute you get. Do the same with the garden tap and utility room tap, if you have them, in case you have a flashy stylish kitchen tap that restricts flow.

if you can see the incoming water pipe where it meets your indoor stopcock, what is it made of, what colour, what diameter. Also what age is your house.

We're not in the house yet, so will have to wait till I next go to get those measurements.

The house is Victorian.

What are you thinking? Is one type of boiler better depending on strength of flow?