Talk to me about boilers.

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
We want to get the boiler replaced before it conks out on us but I’m unsure about options to go for.

We currently have a standard boiler, 30 years old, inefficient and ugly up the corner of the kitchen.

Hubby wants a combi though we’re on oil rather than gas and they’re very expensive, I’ve been told potentially a combi could put pressure on the current pipe work and could cause a burst which I don’t want.

I’m thinking just replace like for like, I want to swap the electric shower for a ‘normal’ one (whatever they’re called where it’s like turning the taps on) we’ve got brilliant water pressure And am I right I’m thinking we wouldn’t need an additional pump other than the one being replaced with the boiler? Shower is downstairs and hot water tank is on the first floor.

I’d like to keep the tank in case we ever had a boiler issue so at least we could heat water up, particularly with removing the electric shower option.

Failing that is ther such a thing as an electric ‘power’ shower, I want to feel like I’m under a waterfall!

We’ve had a couple of quotes and looked at loads of options but I’m not fully understanding exactly what it is we’ll be getting.

Thanks guys and girls!
 

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
We have a combi oil boiler, it has a little tank in it and it's great. Had to have a new one about 3 years ago. It's a Firebird.
 

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
I’d like to keep the tank in case we ever had a boiler issue so at least we could heat water up, particularly with removing the electric shower option.



Thanks guys and girls!

We kept our electric shower when we had the baxi installed, and was glad we did when the baxi system froze up (due to a frozen condensation pipe, unfortunately situated on the garage roof so unable to get to thaw it out easily) during the icy conditions this last winter and we had no heating or hot water. At least we could have a shower!


We were wishing we had kept the water tank when our area had a water cut for many hours the other evening. At least before with the water tank ,we had a back-up supply to flush the loo etc.
 

Cue

Well-Known Forumite
We kept our electric shower when we had the baxi installed, and was glad we did when the baxi system froze up (due to a frozen condensation pipe, unfortunately situated on the garage roof so unable to get to thaw it out easily) during the icy conditions this last winter and we had no heating or hot water. At least we could have a shower!


We were wishing we had kept the water tank when our area had a water cut for many hours the other evening. At least before with the water tank ,we had a back-up supply to flush the loo etc.

I’m surprised your shower survived having a combi put in. Most of them can’t handle the higher pressure. Ours died when we had the boiler installed but we had planned to replace the shower anyway
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
We kept our electric shower when we had the baxi installed, and was glad we did when the baxi system froze up (due to a frozen condensation pipe, unfortunately situated on the garage roof so unable to get to thaw it out easily) during the icy conditions this last winter and we had no heating or hot water. At least we could have a shower!
I’m surprised your shower survived having a combi put in. Most of them can’t handle the higher pressure. Ours died when we had the boiler installed but we had planned to replace the shower anyway
'Electric shower' in this country generally means a mains-fed 'instantaneous' heater, would a combi boiler cause the pressure that that saw to increase substantially?
 

Cue

Well-Known Forumite
'Electric shower' in this country generally means a mains-fed 'instantaneous' heater, would a combi boiler cause the pressure that that saw to increase substantially?

It was gravity fed off the cold tank I believe, or it may have been a pump for the hot water tank I don’t know. It didn’t really stick around long enough for me to find out.

Either way it flooded itself and is long gone
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
It was gravity fed off the cold tank I believe, or it may have been a pump for the hot water tank I don’t know. It didn’t really stick around long enough for me to find out.

Either way it flooded itself and is long gone
I'll be surprised if @staffordjas's 'electric shower' was not running directly off the mains before and after the new boiler arrangement occurred. hence why it was still usable when the boiler packed in and there was no hot storage tank. I wouldn't expect it to have had any sudden pressure-related issues.
 

Cue

Well-Known Forumite
I'll be surprised if @staffordjas's 'electric shower' was not running directly off the mains before and after the new boiler arrangement occurred. hence why it was still usable when the boiler packed in and there was no hot storage tank. I wouldn't expect it to have had any sudden pressure-related issues.

Might have been just the difference between being gravity fed off the cold tank and going on mains pressure for me then. I’m not a plumber though, I don’t do wet trades... computers and electrical are as far as I go
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Might have been just the difference between being gravity fed off the cold tank and going on mains pressure for me then. I’m not a plumber though, I don’t do wet trades... computers and electrical are as far as I go
It is possible, but it must have been fairly borderline to start with, anyway.

i just wouldn't want people thinking that adequate devices would need to be changed for spurious reasons.
 

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
I'll be surprised if @staffordjas's 'electric shower' was not running directly off the mains before and after the new boiler arrangement occurred. hence why it was still usable when the boiler packed in and there was no hot storage tank. I wouldn't expect it to have had any sudden pressure-related issues.
Yep, running directly off the mains as it was before the Baxi replaced the old warm air central heating system.
 
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