A Guide to Buying the Right Boiler
As the winter months close in, the purpose of a boiler becomes more and more apparent. Naturally the coming weeks are going to be becoming increasingly colder which means that your boiler will be used more frequently – even in the summer months it is likely that your boiler will still be required for a hot shower or washing up.
Unfortunately a lot of property owners neglect to think of their boiler until the cold months arrive and they find that it is not performing as well as it should, or worse – that it is completely broken and unresponsive.
This is why you should start considering investment into a new boiler now before it is too late. Inevitably, when the snow begins to fall and the temperatures turn icy this is when a lot of people suddenly require a new boiler and appointments to purchase one become competitive.
Ultimately this can mean that you have to wait a while before an initial appointment with a salesman, then a technician to take measurements, and then finally somebody will install it. While this is not necessarily a long process – it can take just a week or more – any amount of time without a functioning boiler is an unpleasant one that nobody would choose to endure.
Instead you should replace your boiler as soon as you feel that it has become less reliable than it once was, or if you have had the same one for 15 years or more.
At Plumbing for Less, we sell boilers in addition to many other fundamental household items including kitchen sinks, polypipe guttering, and ventilation equipment. Here we have compiled a quick guide to helping you choose an appropriate boiler for you:
How does your boiler work?
If you develop or install boilers professionally then you will know the technical ins and outs of how a boiler functions. However, for the typical homeowner a basic explanation is that the boiler is connected to the heating system which in turn controls the temperature of the water and radiators.
Essentially the boiler is responsible for heating the water which is then transported to different parts of the house.
What types of boilers are there?
This is a big question but it is the one that most people are asking themselves when it comes to replacing the one that they already have. Broadly speaking there are 3 types of boiler that are usually found in British homes:
- Combi Boiler
- System Boiler
- Regular heat-only boiler
At Plumbing 4 Less we have many different type of boilers, so whichever one you feel is suitable for you, we can accommodate.
What are the differences & which should I choose?
Combi boilers
Combi boilers are the most common type to have in the home. Their name comes from the fact that they provide both central heating and hot water without a separate tank needed. These boilers are often recommended for homes that have one bathroom and small households that consist of one couple or couples with just a single child for example.
Once this type of equipment is installed you will instantly get unlimited domestic hot water. These boilers do not take up much room and can therefore hide easily into cupboards or space that is otherwise wasted.
If you would like to be able to run multiple hot showers or baths in the same home then you will need to choose one of the other options.
System boilers
These systems heat a home through using a storage cylinder which is usually stored within an airing cupboard. The airing cupboard acts as a replacement for water tanks that are situated in the loft when other types of boiler are installed.
This type of boiler is recommended for homes that contain multiple bathrooms. If you live in a large house in which members of the household expect people to be able to use different bathrooms at the same time, then this type of boiler will enable you to do so.
Alternatively you might want to choose a regular heat-only boiler; a type that is primarily popular in Great Britain.
Regular heat-only boilers
With these boilers there is usually a storage cylinder contained inside an airing cupboard in the house (like a system boiler) and water tanks are situated in the loft. More than one room in the house can use hot water at any one time and there is a high flow rate for a domestic boiler.
If you use all of the water from the tank you need to wait for it to reheat but most homes find that the water reaches the right temperature only after waiting for 30 minutes or less.
What brand of boiler should I choose?
At Plumbing for Less we only sell boilers from highly respected brands that are known for their quality and reliability. Three of the brands that we sell are:
- Valliant Boilers – an innovative company that are always looking for new ways to improve their products. According to their website the company’s approach is to constantly develop so that they can “set new standards in quality, performance, reliability, and hot water systems”.
- Glow Worm Boilers–Glow Worm prides itself on providing a highly efficient product and service. They are dedicated to producing boilers that are beneficial to the environment with “green” engineering and that therefore usually create a reduction in the price of bills as energy bills are inevitably reduced in accordance with less energy being used.
- Vokera Boilers – there are over 1.5 million Vokera boilers in the UK. They too are dedicated to continually improving their product range. They have been a growing name in the market for the last few years and can be relied upon for reliability and sustainability.
If you are considering buying a new boiler we can provide the type that you are looking for. If you are unsure of which is the best for your property please feel free to contact us and we will look forward to answering any of your enquiries.
