Gas Boiler - Gas Fired Central Heating Hot Water Boilers

A gas boiler as the name suggests is a boiler that uses natural gas or LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas) as its fuel source. The boiler is used to heat water in very much the same way as any other style of boiler, the key difference being that it is gas powered.

There are numerous types of gas boiler and as such, they are not restricted to one model. This creates a flexibility to install in any home, catering for various user requirements and preferences. The usual varying factors influencing the choice of boiler are spare space in the home and whether or not there is a need for an immediate hot water supply.

Types of Gas Boilers

Gas boilers are largely to be grouped into three predominant and differentiating categories, the combi boiler, the system boiler and the regular boiler.

Regular Boiler

Firstly, the regular boiler, often referred to as the 'conventional' boiler, is the system indicative of more traditional boilers which would previously have been installed as standard.

The features of this set up include the presence of a boiler which is situated separately from the hot water cylinder (most traditionally found in the airing cupboard) which is further fed from a cold water source (most usually present in the attic of the home).

It would be incorrect to assume that this sort of gas boiler simply pre-dates more recent developments in the technology resulting in reduced efficiency, as this type of boiler has been exposed to the same technological updates as the other two predominant styles.

The title has simply referred to the arrangement and placement of the composite pieces of the system. This type of gas boiler would be best placed in a home where water pressure is low or a home that has more than two bathrooms.

Combi Boiler

This can be contrasted with the second type of gas boiler: the combi boiler, whose developed space-saving design makes it more ideal for homes that have very little loft-space or simply no need for instantaneous hot water supply.

The way in which this development is reached is through the lack of a hot water cistern, where the cold water supply feeds straight into the boiler and is heated thus. The water is then pumped from the boiler to its requisite heat source (e.g. a radiator) and dispensed in this way.

This method saves significantly on hot water costs as there is no constant hot water supply, rather it is provided, as it were, on demand.

System Boiler

The third element of this trio of gas boilers is the system boiler. This is largely rather similar to the regular boiler, however, it has incorporated some key technological changes which aid the efficiency of the installation process and allow the boiler to integrate more simply into a house where the previous boiler is being replaced.

Also like the combi boiler, the cold water supply is pumped straight into the boiler itself, eliminating any need for a cold water storage tank and further rendering space saved, a more fitting placement in a smaller home. This development creates lower running costs, as the boiler itself provides hot water on demand, but without the need for a storage cylinder, as with the regular boiler.