Oil boilers, combi or not?

[Kayos]

I can imagine having a private supply feeding many properties would be an issue.

Nobody wanted to pay for maintenance until it failed, one person was pretty handy and got it working but they ended up agreeing on updating it. Took half a day to work out what fed where, wasn’t cheap for the parts either

 

[Robotstar5]

We went for a system boiler, gets turned off for 6 months during summer and the immersion heater provides enough hot water from a couple of hours heating overnight on cheap(er) rate.

 

[brightspark]

system boiler all the way combi ok on small house but useless on a large one

 

[Burdekin]

If it's a combi only buy the bosh, you have been warned.

I run a combi and run of natural spring but I do have a guaranteed pressure from a 1500 litre tank in the pump house where is gets uv particle filter and pressurised.

Only the bosh not the warm flow whatever remember.

We got rid of our of WB oil boiler and got a Grant based on the recommendation of our heating engineer, has been faultless.

 

[Kayos]

system boiler all the way combi ok on small house but useless on a large one

Not always. I’ve fitted a 42kw combi in a house that needed 2 showers to run at once but no space for a cylinder

I wouldn’t want to trade gas bills though

 

[dobbslc]

system boiler all the way combi ok on small house but useless on a large one

The house is a quite large chalet bungerlow.

We got rid of our of WB oil boiler and got a Grant based on the recommendation of our heating engineer, has been faultless.

The grant ones are what I've been looking at and what the plumber recommends.

Looks like a large swing towards a system boiler then!

 

[Burdekin]

The house is a quite large chalet bungerlow.



The grant ones are what I've been looking at and what the plumber recommends.

Looks like a large swing towards a system boiler then!

Have a chat to your heating engineer, our house is 4 bedroom and a quite big old granite house and combi keeps it warm.

 

[brightspark]

most plumbers want to fit combi because its less work and there's more profit in them

 

[dobbslc]

most plumbers want to fit combi because its less work and there's more profit in them

Our plumber actually said he preferred a normal one!
But then again he did used to drag race a twin engined CZ!!!

 

[sg66]

as has been said many times now, system boiler with tank, redundancy for heating water and boiler less complicated

 

[brightspark]

if our boiler packed in we still have the emersion heater in tank. get a combi and you will get had by the short and curlys if it packs in. chances are your without hot water for a week and a fat callout fee if you want someone out the next day

 

[wookie]

Our plumber actually said he preferred a normal one!
But then again he did used to drag race a twin engined CZ!!!

He sounds like a normal well adjusted chap.

 

[Kent]

Interesting, we are also on private water supply. Not many of us about

Its very common around these parts nearest mains water is about 1 mile or more away

 

[Muppet]

I've just up graded to a 42kw combi Worcester,only has a 30kw dhw,
I'm going to run just the kitchen on the hot water,
I'm going to run a pressurised tank ,heated from the combi with an extra solar coil think it's called an s plan system.
Just another option

 

[addjunkie]

System boiler for us, with a heatstore tank, supplied by solar iboost and a log burner with a back boiler. When fire is on, boiler is not used at all. Very happy with it, thinking about adding solar water hearing to it too.

 

[RonA]

I'll be replacing the 40 year old oil boiler at home soon and I'm not sure weather to go for a combi or a system boiler.
I'm replacing the whole system throughout the house (all pipes radiators etc) as it's constantly failing through old age and poor installation. It's an old single pipe layout with no insulation anywhere!
The combi would obviously give us hot water whenever needed but losing the tank means my wife can't have her powerful 3 bar shower pumps and also there'll be no emersion heater if the boiler fails!
I'd also like to have the options to fit solar heating to the tank at a later date.
I've read and been told that oil boilers aren't great at being combi's as they don't like being cycled on and off all the time? I've also heard that separate pumps could be added so we can have the high pressure showers with a combi? I would like a system I can repair easily myself if something goes wrong (not the burner parts of the boiler though)
I'm confused!!!
Any advice is appreciated.

When I had my gas combi fitted, I left the tank in with its DHW switch. I just use the tank to feeg my twin head shower pump & shower head. Effectively the tank acts as another radiator which I can switch on or off on a standard timer switch.
RonA

 

[Kayos]

most plumbers want to fit combi because its less work and there's more profit in them

That’s wrong again, I charge the same to swap any boiler and a heat only is easier and charge waaaay more to fit an unvented cylinder

 

[brightspark]

That’s wrong again, I charge the same to swap any boiler and a heat only is easier and charge waaaay more to fit an unvented cylinder

maybe you do but they certainly don't round our waY so im not wrong on that score I do wire a lot of em up so I should know what they fit

 

[garethp]

Another vote for a system boiler and tank.

We've got this setup with solar panels - evacuated tubes through a second coil in the tank and PV connected to the immersion via a diverter. Solar provides a good boost from spring to autumn with no gas burnt at all for hot water over the summer months, we even get a small boost on sunny but sub zero days in the depths of winter.

 

[jenki]

I agree with Kayos and the separate tank supporters I removed an LPG combi after about 5 years and went back to an unvented tank and Trianco coal boiler far less trouble and pretty constant heat in an old cottage. Combi's may be better in a modern fully insulated house final comment you will proably never wash your hands in hot water again with a combi in my experience and don't ask about wet shaving.