Electric boilers

[Masood]

Morning all,

Anybody know what the most powerful domestic electric boilers are? For CHG and a cylinder.

Highest rating I've been able to find is 12KW. Are there any higher rated ones available? I'm thinking of a S-plan for heat and HW with a fast recovery time for the cylinder.

Ta!

 

[Ray Stafford]

Morning all,

Anybody know what the most powerful domestic electric boilers are? For CHG and a cylinder.

Highest rating I've been able to find is 12KW. Are there any higher rated ones available? I'm thinking of a S-plan for heat and HW with a fast recovery time for the cylinder.

12 kw (actually 11 point something) is the max you can run on single phase UK domestic electric supply.

Do you have 3 phase in the building?

 

[AWheating]

keep the boiler for heating and fit a direct unvented cylinder for the hot water.

 

[gasmanrob]

You can get them as much as 24 kW that I know of and possibly higher but as ray said anything over 12kw and you need 3 phase. Also it's not as simple as sticking 2 9kw together to overcome it as your still drawing over the capability of the incoming supply.

to date I have only installed fusion electric boilers. Did a standard fusion a year ago and have 2 fusion comets going in over the next few weeks.

Everything needs to to be taken into consideration though, hot plate, showers, immersion heaters, oven, lighting the works!

also they aren't cheap to run even on an economy tariff personally I'd opt for an LPG set up but the minute I mention it people hop on the internet and stumble across some plumbing forum and they talk my customers out of it and into electric! The first one I installed the customer sold up and moved after 6 months due to running costs. Not my design not my recommendation but he wanted it regardless

 

[Masood]

keep the boiler for heating and fit a direct unvented cylinder for the hot water.

Insufficient flow rate on incoming mains...

 

[Masood]

Also it's not as simple as sticking 2 9kw together to overcome it as your still drawing over the capability of the incoming supply...

Everything needs to to be taken into consideration though, hot plate, showers, immersion heaters, oven, lighting the works!

I'm aware of this. Got a sparky upgrading electrics.

also they aren't cheap to run even on an economy tariff personally I'd opt for an LPG set up but the minute I mention it people hop on the internet and stumble across some plumbing forum and they talk my customers out of it and into electric! The first one I installed the customer sold up and moved after 6 months due to running costs. Not my design not my recommendation but he wanted it regardless

Gas is not possible for a number of reasons..

 

[Masood]

12 kw (actually 11 point something) is the max you can run on single phase UK domestic electric supply.

Do you have 3 phase in the building?

There is 3-phase into the building but not in the flat, sadly. However, an alternative idea just popped into my head... Y-plan with DHW priority. It's a small flat and very well insulated...

 

[gasmanrob]

You could still go economy 7 on a vented cylinder, is storage heating not an option?
They reckon a 9 kW will do a 1 to 2 bed flat with cylinder how they worked that out I'm not sure on one of the comets I'm doing they are getting solar panels in to aid running costs

 

[Ray Stafford]

I would be looking at E7 storage for hot water, an electric shower as backup, and keep the electric boiler for space heating only.

 

[Masood]

I would be looking at E7 storage for hot water, an electric shower as backup, and keep the electric boiler for space heating only.

Ray, the guy is an architect. He has poor incoming mains pressure and flow (2 bar & 15 l/min). He wants no visible pipework or cables. He wants a high-pressure shower. His existing gas boiler is dying, but he doesn't want the pipework for a condensate pump anywhere visible. He has bare concrete floors that he considers "architecturally elegant" (sic), and so will not allow a channel to be chased.

My only solution is the cylinder cupboard to house a an electric boiler and cylinder. The drawback with E7 storage DHW is recovery times. He and his flatmate (plus girlfriends at weekends) want to be able to take showers consecutively, with minimum waiting time between them. So I need fast recovery. Certainly will put E7 timer in on the immersion heater, but need additional heat source for cylinder.

 

[Ray Stafford]

Ray, the guy is an architect and is therefore immune to the laws of physics.

I fixed your typo Mas.

How about a thermal store? E7 and conventional electric inputs, plus solar if that can be tolerated from an aesthetic perspective?

Edit - would also require something to boost that flow/pressure problem.

 

[gasmanrob]

Sounds like a man with an unrealistic set of ideals and unwilling to compromise on the impossible something has to give. At this rate you'll be fitting a gledhill 3000.

Both he and you need to be realistic about what is trying to be achieved here.

your an intelligent fella you know a 12 kW electric boiler will struggle to recoup a 36x18 within an hour whilst 4 people are using the showers consecutively.

There re is an electric combi boiler out there but I'm told the flow rate isn't great.

2 bar at 15l/min isn't to be snuffed at that's more then adequate for a good shower that's more then I get at home and I wouldn't say I needed any more and the shower is lovely!

how about under sink heater for the kitchen, electric shower for the bathroom, then 12kw firing the rads and cylinder or storage heating throughout with cylinder on economy 7 for the bath.

his demands are a tall order and you shouldn't promise something that may not deliver

 

[lame plumber]

being he is an architect means it is about time he saw the stupidity in some of the ideas they put forward, go on get him a 24kw boiler so we can all laugh when he gets his first bill

 

[AWheating]

atleast hes not an engineer lol

its either vented cylinder with shower pump, unvented cylinder (even tho the mains not great), or maybe even a booster pump??

whats the heating demand? put a high recovery cylinder on an electric boiler and the rad wont get warm.

what about solar on the roof? or bio mass? solid fuel stove would be a good addition.


why dont you just give your opinions and tell him to decide what he want and take the responsibility on his shoulders.