Gas Boiler Installation: A Guide To Boilers

Choosing a new boiler for your gas boiler installation requires the consideration of a number of factors.

There are many different kinds of boiler you'll find in homes across Britain today, but almost all new boilers are condensing types. This is because condensing boilers are much more energy efficient than older-style traditional boilers.

Condensing boilers re-uses heat that traditional-style boilers waste, by using heat from hot waste gases that usually escapes up the flume, and this makes the boiler much more efficient, which is both great for the consumer, who pays less for their energy bills, and good for the environment.

Boiler types

Condensing boilers are broken down into two main types; combination and heat-only.

The combination boiler is Britain's best-selling boiler, and is able to supply hot water for taps and heat for radiators instantly on demand.

The reason it is called a 'combination' or 'combi' boiler is because it combines all of a traditional boiler's functions in one unit; the hot water cylinder and the cold water tank. Everything is together in one unit, so gas boiler installation is relatively simple with this type of boiler.

There are different types of combi boilers, but all of them function by taking cold mains water and heating it as it's needed.

Combi boilers are great space-savers because they do not require a big hot water cylinder which can often take up the whole of an airing cupboard. There are limitations to their brilliance, however. The flow rate of the hot water is limited by how quickly the boiler is able to heat the running water, and there is often a lag time in getting the water.

A heat-only boiler provides heat for the radiators in your home directly, but gas boiler installation for this type is slightly more complex because they have to be connected to a hot water storage system that's separate and includes a cylinder for hot water, a cold water cistern, and sometimes also an expansion cistern.
This type of boiler is more suitable for larger houses because they take up more space than combi boilers.

They can supply hot water to multiple sources at the same time, but unless the cylinder is very well insulated it will lose heat easily, which is a waste of energy, and the cylinder size limits the amount of hot water available. For example, you may need to wait for the boiler to heat water to fill the cylinder again after taking a bath.

With gas boiler installation it is very important to use a qualified professional who will complete the installation to the highest safety standards.