If you have a smaller home or just want to reduce the space that heating equipment takes up, you may want to consider having a combination boiler installed in your home. Called "combi boilers" for short, combination boilers provide both heat and hot water in a small, efficient unit that can be installed in many different places. Combi boilers have their advantages and disadvantages and may not be appropriate for everyone. Continue reading to learn if a combination boiler may be right for you.

Operation

Combi boilers do not store hot water as traditional water heaters do, but instead heat the water from the main line directly as you run the water. As long as the boiler is firing, you could have unlimited hot water on demand if the main water line runs straight to the heat exchanger.

Advantages

The combi boiler is compact, lightweight, and can be installed virtually anywhere. They do not require much pipework and can be mounted on the wall or sit on the floor. There are different sizes and designs, so you can choose one that fits your space perfectly.

Combination boilers are usually cheaper than traditional boilers because they are simple units. They are also easier and cheaper to fix and maintain. You won't have to worry about a hot water cylinder or a storage tank having repair issues because combi boilers don't require either part.

You will also find that combination boilers are more energy efficient because they produce heat on demand instead of constantly. It doesn't matter if you need to heat your home or your water, the combi units will only use energy to produce heat when you need it. Since they are more efficient, they are also more environmentally friendly.

Combination boilers recirculate the flue gases back to the system and withdraw the heat to use it again. Traditional boilers do not reuse the flue gas and lose a lot of heat as a result.

Disadvantages

There are some things to consider even if all of the above sounds really good to you. If you have a larger home or multiple bathrooms, the combi boiler may not work for you. It does heat on demand, which can cause it to struggle to keep up with the heat and water demands of a larger home. Keep in mind that there are different sizes of combi boilers, so you may be able to find one suitable for your home size.

You will need to perform extra maintenance and cleaning on your combi boiler if you have hard water. It is not difficult to do, but it is important and if forgotten, the hard water can damage the system.

Consider that some combi boilers are made to limit how much hot water is ready until the heating element has reached the right temperature, which may cause a small delay in hot water production.

Today, you have many different options for water heating systems, so talk with Rakeman Plumbing or another local plumber and decide what viable options you have for heating water in your home. 

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