Would love a second opinion from you guys if poss

Discussion in 'Plumbers' Talk' started by Big Dave, Nov 14, 2005.

  1. Big Dave

    Big Dave New Member

    So, I had a British Gas guy around at the weekend - actually I couldn't see him, but gave me girlfriend a big list of stuff to ask ;) She didn't do bad and, apparently, he seemed a very knowledgeable, professional guy.

    So, anyway, basically, I needed to know how to achieve one thing: I want to get rid of the hot water cylinder so I can make the bathroom bigger.

    He had two suggestions: 1) Get a combi - actually he hates combis. He implied they were unreliable and you wouldn't be able to tell if it would 'do the job' (i.e. heat a four bedroom house and run a shower and provide hot water at more than a dribble) until it was installed. 2) Get a 'really expensive' (apparently he didn't/couldn't say exactly how expensive) specialist system where they put a mains pressure hot water system in the loft.

    So - though I don't put much demand on the heating system (a four bedroom house, but rarely having more than two people in it) the combi is sounding potentially a bad idea. Also, 'really expensive' when the guy was happily quoting around nearly 3K for changing to a combi system scares me also.

    I'm basically looking at just forgetting the whole idea - would appreciate any thoughts from you knowledgable folks, please :)
     
  2. Bob Property

    Bob Property New Member

    The second option sounds like an unvented cylinder. I am not qualified to fit them but would think it unlikely that it could go in the loft. Wait till some of the heating chaps get online later. (Some of them have jobs to go to.)
    Either option will cost 4 figures. Are you sure you want to spend large amounts of dosh just to get another 1m2 of floor area in the bathroom or are there lots of other things that need updating anyway?
     
  3. Stoday

    Stoday New Member

    If you build a new house, you can expect it to cost at least £1000 per sq m. So paying out £1000 to gain a sq m of floorspace does make sense.
     
  4. Big Dave

    Big Dave New Member

    Yeah, unvented was what he was saying shrug means nothing to me ;)

    I'm gutting the bathroom next year anyway, also the heating system has issues (old noisy mechanical non-programmable controller, have to have heating on to heat water, hot water pressure awful) so I thought since I would be addressing both things anyway, it was an ideal opportunity to get rid of the cylinder closet.

    Bad idea entirely?
     
  5. Big Dave

    Big Dave New Member

    If you build a new house, you can expect it to cost
    at least £1000 per sq m. So paying out £1000 to gain
    a sq m of floorspace does make sense.

    Well, I think the bigger/better bathroom would help the house value UNLESS having a combi puts peolpe off i.e. what the BG man said about them being unreliable and under-powered puts off someone who has four kids and likes to run quick hot baths while they have showers and while running the washing machine and doing the dishes...

    I want the space (the extra 1m sq would be 20% of the bathroom and mean it is no longer L-shaped) but I don't want to spend 3K and get an under-powered heating system to achieve it.

    Annoying that in an age when I can work, shop, bank and entertain myself without leaving my armchair I have next-to-no options over how I heat my home unless I want to spend mega-bucks.

    Why has noone invented a cheap 'black box' that provides infinite, high-pressure, filtered, hot-and-cold running water all over the house?! hehe sigh oh well...
     
  6. Big Dave

    Big Dave New Member

    Now I'm thinking about it in almost philosophical ways, I'm amazed that in the 21st century, we heat our homes by heating water and pumping it around our home in pipes!

    Electricity is a tad easier and more efficient to move around - how come we don't use electric 'radiators' and 'cylinders' these days? How come we don't have powerful electric pumps gushing electrically heating water into our baths and showers?

    Hmm...
     
  7. Dr Who

    Dr Who New Member

    So was this BG guy a heating engineer/plumber or a salesman?

    I made switch to a Combi nearly two years ago in our 3 bed detached solid wall house. Got the usual quotes (5) and yes expect to pay a 4 figure sum. I was quite particular about what boiler I wanted for various cost/reliablity/ flow rate reasons. I opted for the Vaillant 835E, which delivers +14 litres/min of hotwater (@ 35degree rise). Most of the quotes only quoted 'their' prefered boiler much to my anoyance as I pointed out that I only really wanted a Vaillant or Worcester Bosch!! Most of these boilers were rated at about 11 litre/min.

    Anyway, I think that most if not all combis isolate the central heating circuit when there is a hot water demand on the boiler. So the boiler will not heat the house at the same time as the hotwater anyway. I now have mains powered shower compared to the dribble I had from the tanked system before. I set the water temp to 38 degrees and it maintains that temp with very little fluctuation, even when someone flushes the toilet. As for reliability, I have had no problems in the near two years of having this boiler - but it was only the help I received on this site about boiler reliability did I go for the Vaillant.

    I beleive that there are some combis that can deliver 18 litres a minute, but this all depends upon what your mains flowrate is in the first place! Is your mains feed to the house 15mm or 22mm for instance?

    Get some quotes from reputable heating engineers/plumbers in your area. This should give you not only the ballpark figure to work from but also the their opinions/experience of combi boilers.

    Dr Who
     
  8. The BG was an enginneer, I can tell!

    Combi's are getting more reliable, and would agree go for a worcester or vailiant, and get the highest output possible 35Kw+... I've fitted a couple of the model Dr Who has, and have never had a complaint... 14l/min is good, and it never runs out!

    Different people have different views on different boilers!

    I think in your situation go for a combi, would be a slighty cheaper option than fitting an unvented cylinder in a loft... the cylinder alone cost about £1000, and would probally need new boiler as well. the otehr consieration is that you'd prob have to reinforce roof joints to take the weight!

    cost wise £2000-3000 to budget!

    Heating by electric is 3 times the cost as gas!
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice