Condensing boilers, a summary
Condensing boilers, a summary
A condensing boiler is a money saving advanced boiler that contains an additional heat exchanger to enable the red-hot waste air transfer much of their heat to pre-heat the water in the boiler system. When working at high efficiency, the water steam created in the combustion process distills back into water relinquishing the latent heat of vaporisation.
A fallout will be this water, refered to as condensate, which is usually acidic, should be piped outside to a drain or water drain. The boiler is required to be placed to a wall and the waste gases will pass through the flue. Hot water is provided by a small storage tank to ensure rapid hot water .
What size of boiler should I get?
In earlier days boiler installers filled larger boilers than were needed. Although this meant that there was no possibility of the boiler not meeting the heat demand, even in the coldest winters, it also meant that they were principally working at a reduced capacity, and so running below their maximal efficiency. If you have improved the energy efficiency of your household since the current boiler was fitted in your house, it could well be that you will be able to fit a lower-ranking capability boiler than before.
Before you buy a new boiler we recommend you get advice from a CORGI registered installer.
Do the radiators need to be outsized with a condensing boiler?
The main efficiency gain from a condensing boiler is because it comprises a bigger heat exchanger. Bigger radiators would result in cooler return water temperatures, and so enable greater energy efficiency, but the additional economies suffer from decreasing returns, as you need to remember that that the system is functioning at very low capacity for the majority of the heating season. That in all probability remains true, though the smaller heating demand for new build may easily mean that householders would now endure over-sized radiators more willingly.
These outcomes were counted during the SEDBUK initiative, and had a look at the recommendations for condensing boilers. The outcome was that no new recommendations were called for, and the test results forthe condensing and the existing boilers use the same SEDBUK computation.