Combi boilers.

[MORELLO]

As the boiler heats water as required sourced from the cold water supply, can you run hot and cold water together? I'm due to have one fitted next week, and I'm sure the guy doing the job said I couldn't, yet other people are saying I can? I want to fit a mixer shower at a later date (effectively a fancy looking mixer tap stuck to the wall) but will need to run hot and cold to obtain the correct temp'. Is he full of poo or is he selling me a crap boiler, or what..?

[CheekyChops]

Well I have a combi boiler and i can have both hot and cold water taps running at the same time, if that's that's what you mean.

[TONGSY]

Yes you can still run Your hot & cold water together,But what he might have meant was that when heating your radiators and you turn the hot tap ON it will stop heating the radiators until you turn the tap back off. The pump inside the boiler continues to circulate so it takes a while for you to notice a temperature difference in the radiators, Hope this helps TONGSY

[heathfield]

If you run the hot water, then turn on the cold, there will be a drop in pressure in the cold flow to the boiler. This will cause the hot water flow to reduce somewhat. This can't be helped, and is perfectly normal. You'll quickly get used to adjusting controls to get the water temperature you want for your shower. No problem, except... just warn people when you go for a shower, and ask them not to start the washing up till you've finished!

[Hard@it]

Do not fix a mixer shower, you will regret it later. Fit a mains water electric and save yourself a lot of bother. Combis are not meant for showers. Cheers Hard@it

[MORELLO]

Thanks all.
Hard@it - I have an electric one at present. Thought the mixer would be more cost effective, the amount it's on. Why will I regret installing a mixer? What problems have you had?

[cascarelli]

Well, sorry, but thats rubbish! The mixer shower we have from a combi boiler is the best we've ever had, and, no, the temperature doent change if someone runs hot or cold water elsewhere.

Yes, the bath takes a couple of minutes longer to fill, but when compared to endless hot water whenever you want it thats a very small price to pay.

There's a lot of myths written about combi boilers, usually by people who have no experience of them

[Hard@it]

Please yourself, you gave him the stars, only hope all goes well for you. Indirect pressurised cylinder - no problem,
mains pressure electric shower - no problem. Combi ?

[Hard@it]

Sorry meant to say also, look at Heathfield's answer and read into it. Ask the guy who is installing the combi to give you a guarentee that there will be no reduction in output when somebody pulls a flush or decicdes to do a washing, and see what he says. Cheers Hard@it

[MaWibbley]

I also had a combi boiler installed, but it was advised to put it in the loft. No problems with the hot water in the bathroom (the floor below the loft) but I have to let the hot tap run for about 4 gallons to eventually get HOT water - am I doing summat wrong?

[MaWibbley]

I forgot to mention that I am drawing the 4 gallons of cold water (from the hot tap) from the downstairs kitchen before the hot eventually comes through

[Hard@it]

MaWibbley - it must be some length of a draw off from the boiler outlet to your downstairs tap and considering it should be no more than 15mm I think you should take this guy all the way for not telling you it would take this amount of water to be wasted ! to be honest I find it hard to believe but if you say so : I can only say that combis are great as long as you realise there is no storage it is only what the boiler can pass at the given time.

[MaWibbley]

Thanks Hard@it - perhaps I should have asked the question before going ahead with the installation.... I was just hoping to save space in the kitchen - looks like it backfired on me!!