A large number of us depend on gas boilers to keep our homes warm and comfortable. For many years, these reliable appliances have been a mainstay in heating systems, especially in private homes. Though they might appear to be the ideal solution, homeowners should be aware of one major disadvantage, particularly if they have a floor-standing model.
Imagine yourself curled up inside your house on a cold winter’s evening, relishing in the warmth your gas boiler provides. It’s consoling to think that this large appliance isn’t taking up any of your valuable floor space. In contrast to wall-mounted boilers, which are discretely placed, floor-standing boilers can be rather large and take up valuable space in your home.
However, the problem extends beyond aesthetics. There were other uses for the space that a floor-standing gas boiler took up, like extra living space or storage. This restriction becomes especially troublesome in smaller homes or those with initially small floor plans. Living space and heating efficiency are traded off, and for many homeowners, this is a difficult trade-off to make.
Additionally, the layout and general flow of your house may be affected by where a floor-standing gas boiler is placed. Imagine attempting to remodel a room or rearrange furniture while a sizable, immovable object is in the way. Apart from limiting your options for interior design, it also poses difficulties with accessibility and maintenance.
In addition, compared to their wall-mounted counterparts, floor-standing gas boilers frequently require more involved installation processes. Longer setup times and increased installation costs may result from this. Contractors navigating the logistics of installing these bulkier units may cause disruptions and inconvenience to homeowners.
Benefits of floor-standing gas boilers include greater heating capacities and compatibility with older homes, but it’s important to balance these against the major disadvantage of their space-consuming design. Knowing the limitations of floor-standing boilers is essential for homeowners looking for cost-effective and useful heating solutions for their individual homes so they can make well-informed decisions regarding their home heating systems.
Floor-standing gas boilers are frequently used for heating in private homes. They do have one notable drawback, though: they occupy a lot of room. These large units require a dedicated space, which can be difficult in homes with limited space or smaller layouts. This restriction may lessen the amount of usable living space and limit the flexibility of interior design. Furthermore, the size of them may add to the difficulty and expense of installation and maintenance. Therefore, even though floor-standing gas boilers provide efficient heating, their space requirements are a significant drawback for homeowners who want to maximize space and have design flexibility in their homes.
The principle of operation of the gas boiler
A gas floor standing boiler’s primary drawback is its high gas consumption. This is caused by the structure’s own operating mechanism. Every floor-standing gas boiler has a combustion chamber where gas is burned and a heat exchanger heats the heating medium.
The gas enters the burner, which is situated at the bottom. After the gas is dispersed again among the cells, it ignites and begins to burn until the gas boiler shuts off. Coolant circulates through the heat exchanger above the burner when gas is burning. This is the procedure that heats the heating system’s coolant.
Air needs to be allowed in to ensure the combustion process. And herein lies the natural draught, one of the main issues with the floor gas boiler. A normal draught must be created in order for the gas boiler to operate normally.
The main problem – high gas consumption
The high gas consumption of floor standing gas boilers is adversely affected by either an excessively strong or weak level of draught. For instance, a weak draft prevents the gas boiler from getting the proper amount of air, making it virtually useless and raising heating expenses. The gas valve continues to supply the burner with the standard amount of gas even though it is aware that there is not enough air in the boiler.
The process of the gas boiler blowing out can be caused by a strong draft. Ensuring a sufficient draught through the chimney is imperative.
Thus, you will need to consider a good chimney before purchasing a floor standing gas boiler. And that results in extra expenses. The performance of the gas boiler decreases if there is not enough air intake because the gas flow rate escapes and is wasted.
Keeping costs down will make it easier to purchase a chimney and ensure that it is installed correctly in a private home. However, poor weather can still cause a gas boiler’s efficiency to drop, even with a professional chimney installation. Rain, fog, and other precipitation all have an impact on the floor-standing gas boiler’s draught.
A built-in fan is one of the built-in devices found in wall-mounted gas boilers. This device controls the revolutions, clears the smoke, and draws air into the combustion chamber in order to allow free circulation of air. It does this with the aid of a unique draught sensor. In this instance, there will be a consistent air supply independent of the weather.
The chimney does not need to meet any specific requirements when using wall-mounted gas boilers. Generally speaking, a standard horizontally mounted coaxial chimney works well. Two pipes make up the exterior design; one is intended to remove smoke, and the other to supply air to the combustion chamber.
Advantages of a wall-mounted gas boiler
However, just like with floor-standing boilers, the efficiency of the wall-mounted closed type gas boiler only varies when the boiler temperature does. On the other hand, the wall-mounted gas boiler is more practical and economical because its efficiency indicators are more stable, all other things being equal.
There are further clear benefits of a wall-mounted gas boiler, too:
- Maintaining the temperature regime. Modern gas boiler maintains a constant temperature, so you can create a comfortable microclimate in the room;
- Computer automation. The presence of computer automation allows you to set the exact modes of operation of the boiler. If you connect a thermostat to the wall-mounted boiler, you can set the exact air temperature;
- Fuel economy. Due to the computerized automation boiler will not work in excessive mode. This way the fuel is used more economically;
- Low electricity consumption. Modern wall-mounted gas boilers consume an average of 130-150 W;
- Ease of installation. Wall-mounted gas boilers are easy to install in a room of any area.
To be fair, sophisticated automation is also present in floor gas boilers. However, the main reason why people purchase floor boilers in private homes is because they are energy independent.
Automation, whether mechanical or electronic, must exist. A microclimate in the space is aided by computer automation. A private home’s owner has the ability to precisely control the heating medium supply’s temperature.
There are five to seven burner positions in floor standing boilers with mechanical automation that control the amount of fuel supplied to the combustion chamber. Depending on the outside temperature, the owner sets the value and controls the gas supply.
However, finding the ideal value that will be comfortable for a permanent residence in this situation is extremely uncommon. It frequently gets hotter after a while when the gas supply is increased, and gets colder when it is decreased.
This issue is already resolved in wall-mounted gas boiler models from the current generation. Regardless of the outside weather, the desired temperature mode will only need to be set once and will always be maintained. Simultaneously, the mode of operation becomes increasingly efficient.
The life of the modern consumer is greatly simplified by computer automation. The gas boiler has built-in modes that let you quickly adjust the room’s temperature and do it automatically without requiring any extra effort.
A decent chimney is necessary for floor gas boilers, and they will cost money. Utilizing a boiler of this type isn’t always profitable or feasible, even with mechanical automation. A quality wall-mounted gas boiler may even come with a price tag that is lower than that of the chimney.
While floor standing gas boilers have been a common choice for heating in private houses for many years, they come with some significant drawbacks that homeowners should consider carefully. One major disadvantage is their large physical size, which can take up valuable space in a home. Unlike wall-mounted boilers, which are compact and can be tucked away neatly, floor standing boilers require a dedicated area for installation, often in a utility room or basement.
The inferior energy efficiency of floor standing gas boilers in comparison to more recent and sophisticated models is another disadvantage. Due to their lower efficiency ratings, these boilers typically use more fuel to generate the same amount of heat. This makes them less environmentally friendly than their counterparts because it not only raises energy bills for homeowners but also increases carbon emissions.
Apart from their dimensions and inefficiency, floor-standing gas boilers may also incur higher installation and maintenance expenses in the long run. Larger and more intricate designs usually mean that installation takes longer and requires more labor, which raises the cost of installation. In addition, the cost of maintenance and repairs might go up because they need specialized parts and knowledge.
In general, floor standing gas boilers are less desirable in today’s market despite being a dependable heating option for many years. Newer alternatives, like wall-mounted condensing boilers or renewable energy systems, may better suit the needs of homeowners seeking to maximize space, energy efficiency, and cost-effectiveness while also offering a more sustainable method of home heating.
