Save with a gas combi boiler.

Maturing economies around the planet on increasing call for for gas resulting in higher heating costs. To combat this we need to survey our use of energy in the home. You could reduce your gas costs by up to 35% if you install a new gas-saving condensing gas combi boiler.

Working in the background your present-day gas combi boiler will be heating your home and providing hot water for washing cutlery and clothing in addition to powering your bath. Your present-day combi boiler will have an expected life off up to fifteen years. Although your boiler at home may only be ten or 12 years old it could be wasting gas. Many older boilers are rated as a G on the SEDBUK scale, where A is the most cost-efficient at 95-98% and G the least cost-effective boiler at 20-30%.

If your boiler is over 10 years old, it might be worth investing in a new combi boiler model. This can trim your fuel costs down considerably. The most well-known boiler type is a condensing gas combination boiler which is well suited to smaller families who don’t need large amounts of hot water in a short space of time. As a combi boiler heats the water on call for it does not need a storage tank in the airing cupboard. Having immediate hot water is a benefit but, depending upon the the power rating of your combi boiler, you may feel that the central heating boiler is not able to supply several hot taps at the same time.

A regular gas boiler heats the water and transfers it to a storage tank for rapid access. You will get heat loss and gas releases even though the hot water tank is insulated. If you have a smaller home you will find that you could have other uses for the place that the hot water tank takes up.

A combi boiler only heats water when hot water is called for and is therefore far more cost-effective than gas fired boiler types which use a storage cylinder. The standard combi boiler does lose gas through the hot exhaust gases. This can be taken by a condensing gas combi boiler which is even more economical. The extracted warmth is then used to heat up water saving energy usage.

No storage space use a combi boiler for your replacement boiler.

If you have a smaller house a combi boiler offers storage space saving chances to you. With just a combi boiler and balanced flue you have all the components you need to install a full central heating system. With the addition of copper pipe to transfer the hot water to the radiators to warm your room you will be complete. Your first reaction maybe that we had forgotten some parts. The hot water storage tank, the feed and enlargement tank normally put in the loft, the central heating pump and other component components that central heating and hot water systems seem to need.

The response to your questions would be that with a normal combi boiler you do need these components. You will have no requirement for a hot water storage tank, room in the attic can be saved by leaving out the feed and expansion cylinder, and the other small pieces are already built into the boiler. This takes away the need for a lot of elements, which take up a lot of storage space in your dwelling house.

A Combi gas boiler is not a new gas boiler design. They are a very popular gas boiler in the UK and were first installed in Europe. A quick check with orthodox heating boilers reveals two major deviations. With a combi boiler the central heating hot water circulation system is sealed. The feed and enlargement tank destined for the attic can now be dispensed with. Supplemental storage space is saved by the combi boiler incorporating its own hot water storage vessel removing the requirement for the hot water storage tank.

Hot water is produced as you require it, the combi boiler is aware of this when you switch on a hot water valve. And economical internal heat exchanger enables the combi boiler to quickly heat and cold water. Water from the sealed central heating circuit is heated and is diverted to the hot water heat exchanger heating it up. This permits cold mains water to be quickly heated before leaving the hot water valve.

Automated priority is established to the demand for hot water over water being provided to the radiators to heat the house. The radiators are furnished with hot water once the valve is shut.

So in conclusion a combi boiler can save you a respectable amount of storage space in your house.

Your boiler economy is impacted by where you are

Nowadays a typical house is fitted with dozens of automatic appliances and systems to provide householders with a convenient life. Any household system, be it a refrigerator or television set or electrical wiring, will function better and more economically if it is well serviced. Our Government and environmental activists have been telling us to switch off lights, turn televisions completely off instead of leaving them on standby, and lower the temperature of our washing machines as well us the thermostats of our rooms. All the above enlisted ways effectively save energy, protect the environment and bring down the electricity bill. But how about making your central heating system operate more effectively? The accumulation of gunk and limescale deposits in your central heating system will reduce its efficiency.

Whether your water is hard or soft can play a crucial role in the life of your central heating system and water treatment can help here – to extend the healthy working of your system with products such as Fernox.

Water treatment looks after your system in more than one way. Many types of water treatment products such as scale reducers and inhibitors, magnetic and electronic anti-lime mechanisms, gunk destroyers, noise reducers and anti-freeze can be used for water treatment.

Living in the UK means that depending on whereabouts you are in the country, your water can range from hard to soft. If you are living in hard water region, then you will be more susceptible to limescale attacks; you can notice deposits in your kettle, tap and shower head. Limescale not only reduces the efficiency of your system, but also increases your heating bills. Your fuel bills can increase by forty percent even with small deposits of limescale in your cylinder. When calcium carbonate precipitates out of the hard water, it forms limescale inside the boiler. Soft water area residents should not worry too much, but it doesn’t hurt to ask for help if you are not so sure.

The water treatment options work by changing water’s molecular structure, it changes the way water behaves. These products can neutralize limescale, loosen and remove hard deposits or even maintain the residual salts in suspension form to be flushed out periodically.

The outlook for possible corrosion can be determined by monitoring pH and salt levels as well as ionic conditions, using standard chemical testing kits.

It is very important to make sure that your system is put in by someone who knows what they’re doing as they will be aware of things like not connecting aluminium to copper or brass, which can cause corrosion. The gas connections should be made only by a trades person, who is Gas Safe registered (with CORGI).

If you plan ahead of time while having a new system assembled, you will be able to identify the water treatments you need and have some of them installed with your system. However in case you are just updating your existing one, you can start with flushing the system and then think of any water treatment, there are chemicals you can add to your central heating system to reduce corrosion and sludge build up.

Heating systems take water from the mains water supply and there are various systems that you can attach to your mains supply to deal with hard water problems, however, it is worth noting that systems that are put in to soften water in your home are only for household use and will do nothing for your central heating system problems. These water softening chemicals can produce better lather and are good for your skin, but they cannot reverse the choking and pitting inside the heating system.

Corrosion, limescale and biological growth are the three things that you should be looking to limit or stop from occurring.

Corrosion can start from the moment the system is set up and filled with water from the mains supply. The residue from corrosive action causes clogging of the water flow and reduces uniform heat transfer through the radiators. Gradual pitting can perforate the metal piping, causing the boiler or radiators to rattle.

The calcium and magnesium present in hard water is responsible for limescale deposits. The high temperature of the water causes these elements to become hard and crusty, leaving deposits behind that clog pipes etc. This again can manifest itself with a noisy heating system.

Biological growth in the system is another one to avoid. This is usually introduced into the system through open tanks. Once in the system it breeds producing slime and gunk. This gunk stagnates in the plumbing and slows down the flow of hot water.

Plenty of free help is available on the internet. Take a look at this for a few minutes to improve your awareness. I would start with the manufacturers themselves. Below is a list of manufacturers and some of the popular products they have available. Forums and Blogs are another good source of free advice and wholesome information; you can also use these to directly get in touch with the suppliers.

All the best with your treatment and let’s hope you can get your central heating systems working as efficiently as possible to save you some hard cash.

The benefits and disadvantages of the various central heating boiler models

Various types of Gas Central Heating Systems are available in the market. These systems for the most part are made up of a number of radiators, pipework and of course a gas boiler.

Whilst we need heating systems air conditioners are not needed in the United Kingdom and Europe because of the average temperature throughout the year. Many of us find proper heating a necessity; as a result most of the new houses being constructed today are built with a Gas Central Heating System.

With wintertime coming up round the corner heating should be at the front of your mind. A well heated house can help create a comfortable space for you to enjoy with your family. Your Central Heating System must be fault free as much as possible and efficient to cut bills. You Gas Central Heating System must give you the feeling of assurance that it is safe, simple to use with a long life.

Pumped/vented and sealed are the two main types of Gas Central Heating Systems on the market.

You will find pumped/vented systems in most homes at the moment. An expansion tank is present in a pumped heating system. The hot water tank performs two functions; firstly, supply hot water to your house, and secondly, provides heat to the radiators. The expansion tank has adequate space to accommodate any water expansion that occurs due to heat. A pumped/vented heating system requires that the tank be installed at the highest level within the house – such as an attic or loft space, certainly on the top floor. It not only heats the house, but also supplies hot water.

Older homes generally have pumped/vented Gas Central Heating systems.

A Sealed Gas Central Heating System is a relatively modern technology, and is being adopted by many homeowners today. This system doesn’t have water tanks as it’s a closed heating system, this will save you space and reduce maintenance costs as there are fewer components. There are benefits to have this closed type of system with pipework and tanks being unnecessary.

- The problem of freezing pipes is eliminated.

- No maintenance or repair work is required for the pipes and tank which would have been in the loft.

- This decreases the chances of a possible leakage.

- The air cannot enter the system as its sealed and hence there are lesser risks of sludge, corrosion and airlocks developing.

- The main water pressure can easily be used to flush out a Sealed system for easy maintenance.

The sealed Gas Central Heating system is a fully packaged system with all the controls and safety devices already in place. No tank feeds a sealed system, the supply comes directly from the mains. The main water supply feeds the system immediately under pressure.

Separated from the sealed system by a diaphragm is a pressure vessel, which contains compressed gas; this vessel is responsible for managing variations of pressure in the heating system. If the pressure is very high in the system, then the water will escape from the safety valve, and if the pressure is too low, then the safety valve will open to let the water in.

As compared to other heating systems, Central Heating systems are cheaper to run. They also offer you all round control which is more than most heating systems do.