If you have been considering replacing your boiler in the not to distance future, there are a few things you should take into account.
The boiler within your home will normally supply you with all the hot water and heating that you need but, some supply just the hot water or heating only, if this is the case then consider replacing your boiler with a new one that will heat both together.
The old type boilers would normally work with a hot water storage tank located in the airing cupboard, this tank stores your hot water so you would have a supply of hot water as and when you needed it, as the water was used the boiler would start to reheat the water.
The problem with the old type boilers is they are very expensive to use, somewhere around 40% of the running costs is wasted through the boiler flue. That’s a lot of money to throw down the drain.
The good thing now though is that all new boilers are highly efficient condensing boilers and they should save you somewhere around 35% on your fuels bills, that’s a big saving compared to the old boilers. So when it comes to replacing your boiler you will start to save on the running costs.
Today there are many types of boilers to choose from, you have heat only boilers, which are open vented, where you still keep the small tank in the loft, the water is still heated via a storage tank.
Then you have system boilers which works on high pressure, the tank in the loft is removed and the system is pressurised. This type of boiler is a little better on the efficiency side due to there is no heat loss through the expansion pipe. The water is still heated via the storage tank.
Now we come to the most popular of boilers and that is the combination boiler. For those people who don’t know what a combination boilers is, let me explain.
The combination boiler supplies bot hot water and heating without the need of having any storage tanks. The problem though is many people don’t understand how they work.
Let me explain, the combination boiler can only supply so much hot water at a time, so if you were in the shower and someone opens the hot tap in the kitchen, you may notice the shower turns cold.
This is because the boiler can only heat the water at a certain rate per minute.
You will never run out of hot water, it will continue to heat so long as there is a demand.
When the boiler is working for both heating and hot water, the hot water will take priority over the heating, as soon as no more hot water is required the heating will come back on.
These boilers were originally designed for small properties like flats, but soon everybody wanted one fitted without understanding how they work.
For this type of boiler to work properly you need to have a good incoming water main pressure, next the gas supply needs to be of the correct size. There are so many boilers fitted out there with the wrong size gas pipe, yes the boiler will work, but it will never reach the full efficiency it was designed for.
Replacing your boiler can be a little stressful not knowing which boiler to choose and any improvements that need to be done.
Any new gas boiler that is installed today has to by law be registered, so the days of asking the guy down the road to replace your boiler are over, unless he is gas safe registered.
With the internet available to most of us now, you can do a search for a local company on replacing you boiler, you should find details of some local companies. Make sure you search for a company that is gas safe registered.
Once you find someone arrange for a home visit to discuss replacing your boiler, ask as many questions as you can about what is involved in replacing the boiler, it’s best to check out three different companies so you can compare the costs and what is involved in replacing your boiler.
Once you find someone to replace the boiler, arrange a starting date and time with them, Now there is one very important thing you should do, and that is check them out on the gas safe register.
They may be advertising that they are registered, but to confirm just go to the register and double check, it’s so easy to do.
Unfortunately there are many claiming to be registered that are not, and usually you will find the cost a lot lower that a registered company.
Should you use a company that is not registered, you are breaking the law as well as the company.
Worst scenario should something happen and you need to claim on your home insurance you may find the insurance is void because you used a non registered company.
I hope this article is of help to you when it comes to replacing you boiler.
