Not with a combi boiler they don't according to hubby who has worked with his plumber mate in the past?? Don't forget you don't have any hot water tank with the combi, it's all done from the boiler itself, i.e. you set the water temperature ON the boiler only, so that temperature stays throughout all the rads he said, otherwise the rads will be fighting against the boiler from a stat on the wall???

what Helena said I have no idea about central heating I am sorry, we are boiling in 30 degree heat

I was just going by what my husband told me he could be wrong he's only been a plumber for 31 years and a gas engineer for 20

I think the confusion here is a combi boiler does not have a thermostat for the wall we had one till 2 years ago it needed replacing and we were then told combi boilers no longer exist it is now condenser boilers and they do have a thermostat a digital one which can be hung on the wall or like we have ours just somewhere in a room of your choice.

When mums boiler was replaced 3 years ago she also had to have a condenser boiler and she couldn't get on with the digistat so they replaced it with a conventional thermostat.

I am pretty sure combi boilers are no longer in circulation if you need a boiler replacing it now has to be the condenser boiler these have no header tanks in the loft either everything runs from the boiler. They are more efficient than even the combi and greener.

Lol, well I'll take his word for it then coz my hubby only fixes cars not boilers lol! Get him on here, we need him to explain it all!!!!

Well then, that's what I must have then, because we have nothing either, no tank, no header tank no nuffink, just the boiler on the wall and the rads. I've googled and the difference seems to be that the condensor boilers are more efficient and energy saving, and that's why you HAVE to have one, but there is a small loophole around the law, if you can get away with it,and you can have the combi (apparently!). Mine's an Alpha CB28 so I'm assuming the CB stands for combi? Blimey, out of date already and it was only installed about 8 years ago I love it though, I'm not going to give it the kiss of death, but it's been perfect for what we want, instant heat in the rads, instant hot water everywhere in the house, it's brill!

When he was explaining to me the other day it seems there's a lot of new legisation that's come in probably recently i don't know and it all has something to do with the enviroment issues hense needing to put thermostatic controls on all rads and needing a thermostate on the wall. This is for all new systems and why when a new boiler is fitted the whole system needs to be updated.
I think i remembered everything correct that he told me anyway

I think you're ok Helena till your boiler needs replacing ours was a combi 12 years old when it needed replacing and we couldn't have another combi it had to be the condenser for the reasons you mentioned. Mums was the older type boiler but she had to have a condenser and that was 3 years ago.


If it works and you are happy then stick with it but bear in mind when it needs replacing it will have to be a condenser. I much prefer our new condenser boiler to the old combi endless lashings for hot water for a bath.

We have no tanks in our loft as the combi was here when we bought the house.

Ahhh, well that would coincide with what I read then when I Googled "the difference between combi and condensor boilers" as it came up with that new "law" which meant you HAD to have the condensor type now, unless you got through it with that loophole (whatever that is! ).

Thanks for explaining that for me, it could have been a long wait for hubby, and then an even longer wait for him to reply what with those typing skills of his!!! Personally, I think I'd rather know about plumbing and gas than I would how to type a letter (much more lucrative!!!! )

I won't be getting a new boiler then even if it is old hat, I can live with 6 yr old vintage if the alternative is to save the plant!!!

So if I DO have to get a condensor in the future, we don't have to have ANY tanks installed still then?? Not even that header tank somewhere?? We have no loft anymore coz we live in it now with that loft extension, that's what worries me, nowhere to put a tank anywhere! Blimey, I'm condemning my boiler now, this'll be the kiss of death you watch lol!

No no tanks they just took our old combi off the wall and replaced with the new condenser boiler we needed some new copper piping something to do with the width of it or something technical and new pipes to the boiler and of course a new flue but that was it no tanks at all. We are still tankless.
My brother has an old boiler it isn't even a combi it is one of the old floor ones and he says it works so it stays he knows if he has to have it replaced it will mean a condenser but he says if it aint broke don't fix it.