Boilers are a must for all UK homes. Depending on the water heating requirements in your house, boilers will differ according to each place. While your neighbour may have one type of boiler, you may need another. When selecting a boiler, there are several things to take care of – hardness of water, water pressure, number of people living, water needs, storage capacities, and more.
Installing a boiler for the home is a daunting task. The selection of the boiler can actually make or break the peace in your house since boilers are usually expensive and should be considered a ten to fifteen-year investment. With so many boiler options available in the market, you must make the correct choice. Boiler Choice in the West Midlands is a company that was established to eliminate all challenges that come with choosing a boiler. Their website takes all of the guesswork out of the process and makes finding the perfect boiler easy and straightforward.
You may ask many questions – which is the perfect boiler, how does a combi boiler work, what is the correct size of boiler for my home, and so on.
Let us look at how to select a boiler for your home.
What Are The Types Of Boilers?
Before choosing a boiler, you should have basic knowledge about the different types available in the market.
Combi Boilers:
Combi boilers or combination boilers are pretty common in the UK. They work by supplying on-demand hot water to the water mains without being connected to a tank. While many boilers require additional shower pumps, the combi boiler does not. Since it is attached to the water mains, it allows you to get hot water at the same pressure.
Combi boilers are excellent for properties with limited space arrangements. Combi boilers have all the components in one unit. This design helps save a lot of space in having a separate hot water tank.
For homes that have additional space for the boiler, you could also opt for the storage combi. The storage combi boiler has a water tank for storage of hot water to be used later. Storage combi boilers work exactly like combi boilers. They only have the water tank addition.
Combi boilers are easy to service and maintain since all the parts are together and not scattered throughout. Also, since combi boilers are extremely common across the UK, spare parts are readily available at reasonable rates.
System Boilers:
System boilers, like combi boilers, also have all the parts/ components in one unit. They work by supplying hot water directly to the storage cylinders and radiators. System boilers are excellent for homes with more than one bathroom. System boilers are also a good option for homes that do not find the combi boiler sufficient for all its hot water needs (including bathrooms and kitchen). Like the combi boiler, the installation, service, and maintenance of the system boiler are easy.
Conventional Boilers:
Conventional boilers, also called traditional boilers, heats the water and stores it in the water storage tank. This water stays hot for hours and can be used later. The drawback with conventional boilers is that once the stored water runs out, you will have to wait for the tank to fully refill and get hot water.
Larger homes with multiple rooms and bathrooms with lots of radiators usually opt for conventional boilers. However, the storage tank does take up a lot of space. Traditional boilers are not meant for homes with space constraints.
How To Choose The Right Type Of Boiler?
Now that you know which types of boilers are available, you should also understand the other influencing criteria.
Space:
For many homes, space is a big issue. When there is a space constraint, it is best to purchase a boiler that fits the available area. If you have to make a few adjustments, you can, but by and large, it is best to opt for a combi boiler that works without storage tanks for hot and cold water.
Hot Water Usage:
You may need to select the type of boiler based on the hot water usage. Suppose the hot water demand is the same at the same time from different bathrooms. In that case, you could opt for a conventional boiler or a system boiler that allows hot water availability throughout the house simultaneously. However, you would also have to check for space availability before making a final choice.
Apart from just the types and space restrictions, you will also need to check for the size of the boiler. The right size of the boiler is based on the space available, hot water requirements, and overall heat loss in the property. Always remember, before finalizing a boiler, it is best to check the size, fuel type, boiler type, and hot water requirements.
