DIYbanter - View Single Post - Combi or not combi

Terry Casey

In article ,
says...

As you have probably surmised, the anti-combi guy is probably a bit of a
bull****ter, but what he says about hot water flow rates is reasonable.

As far as cold water pressure goes, there is good pressure from the kitchen
cold tap and we also have an instant electric water heater for the shower.

I have noticed that if the washing machine or dishwasher is running while I'm
having a shower with the hot water temperature nice and high, as the demand
from the kitchen appliance turns on, although I'm not aware of a pressure
drop, the temperature can suddenly nudge up from comfortably hot to
uncomfortably hot.

However, the anti-combi guy seemed to be implying that the hot water flow
from the combi would be restricted to maintain the temperature if demand
increased but I find that a bit difficult to swallow. In any case, his quote
was considerably higher than the first one, higher even than the combi quote,
so we definitely wouldn't be using him, whatever we decide. He did, however,
sow sufficient seeds of doubt to get us querying the whole combi set-up ...

I guess a "system" installation with a separate hot cylinder is going to
be a bit more expensive.

We already have a cylinder which is heated by the boiler or an immersion
heater if the CH is turned off.

How old is the bungalow, and what's the insulation and draft-proofing
like? Semi or detached? There are calculators on-line to help estimate
your heating requirements which could vary by a factor of 2. Or if you
are on an estate, ask your neighbours what boilers they have, and
whether they are adequate.

Detached, although the gap between the side wall and an adjacent garage has
been roofed over and turned into two narrow storage areas, one with access
from the front and one from the back. 1961. There is 6" of insulation in the
loft or possibly 8". Adam will know because he fills the bath with the stuff
every time he goes up there!

Draft proofing is good although the aluminium framed double glazing leaves a
lot to be desired as there is obviously no thermal barrier between inside and
out. That is next on the agenda for replacement.

Whether there is any cavity wall insulation, we don't know. There are no
obvious signs of anything being done

--

Terry

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