In message , VisionSet
writes
"VisionSet" wrote in message
...
I'm about to start the last major upheaval in my house.
Replaceing the ancient back-boiler.
...
I'll add a little more detail maybe you two can agree on something ;-)
House is 3-bed semi. 1 bathroom/toilet (ie one room). 6 rads + 1 teeny
one.
So the upshot is that nowadays combis are worth considering?
I'm think that when I had a look 6 years back that wasn't so much the case.
I am going to do all the work myself though get a corgi chap in for final
gas hook up to maintain boiler guarantee - that is the case is it not?
mains flow is 19.8 l/min - I guess that is okay.
Hi Mike,
I too have followed some of the to-ing and fro-ing over combis versus
traditional boiler and tanks. I can only give you *my experience* in
this matter as a user.
We just replaced a fairly standard boiler/header tanks/immersion - baxi
back boiler with a Halstead Ace High (combi).
There are a lot of figures quoted on here about flow rates, well this is
a bog standard combi quoted at 35 degree rise at 13 l/pm.
It's quite simply the best shower I've had. Lots of water, lots of heat.
The boiler DHW temperature control is set to about two thirds and the
mixer valve on the shower at a little over 50% hot. I have never yet
fully extended the shower lever for maximum flow. I *assume* therefore,
that the 13 l/pm is more than enough for what I expect of a shower.
Because of other threads on here, I specifically asked the girlfriend
how long it takes her to fill the bath. She reckoned 5 or 10 minutes.
Whether it is actually longer or shorter than 5/10 mins, I don't know.
The fact that she was so non-chalant about it makes me assume she's
never thought about it, and so I would guess it is not an issue for her.
(I have never measured the volume of the bath, and for other readers
here - NO I am not going to. It looks like a normal bath to me).
FYI, the house is a 3 bed semi, 1 bathroom & 1 toilet. If I'm in the
shower and the hot tap in the kitchen is turned on, it is noticeable. It
doesn't bother me at all, but it yes, it is noticeable.
One issue that concerns me is reliability of a combi - my back boiler gets
next to no service and is 30 years old - glowworm model I'm finding it
excellent value! okay so it isn't quite the efficient boiler of today. Have
combis got more reliable of late?
No idea, wouldn't know if they ever were/were not reliable to start
with.
You can get the Ace High branded as Wickes own model (identical boiler
from the same factory but with a different badge) for 500 ish quid. At
that price, I don't think reliability is the biggest issue.
If I put the boiler under the stairs (prefered location) available dims are
1240mm high x 770mm wide (width better alot less) depth slim as possible but
no actual restriction.
I believe most manufacturers publish the physical installation
characteristics, certainly Halstead do.
Can I put the whole shooting match in the loft?
Loft is too low for a full loft conversion so I might as well use it for
something - I think the one thing that I don't like about that my perception
of heat waste from the cylinder and boiler - I kind of liked the idea of
putting them somewhere I would benefit from any inefficiencies. However I
rather suspect these days those innefficiencies may well be negligble - or
at least unbenefittable from.
One of the things I love about the combi is the space we have saved -
and even if I found something which bugged me about it, I doubt it would
ever out-do the advantage of the extra space. We used to have 2 airing
cupboards basically taken over by heating, one for the immersion and one
for the pumps and other various gubbins. (This latter cupboard was not
particularly well done and was actually a source of amusement for any
plumber who ever saw it).
On top of that, the room with the back boiler which *had* to have the
gas fire front + hearth etc etc, and of course the various tanks in the
loft.
That is now all gone. The space saved in the loft is quite remarkable
(so much so that I've held off finishing decorating upstairs in order to
have a staircase put into the loft as a starting point for a full loft
conversion) and downstairs, we now have a full height 3ft wide by 3ft
deep cupboard to use as we wish.
If it is ill advised to put the whole lot in the loft - which bits are a
good idea to put up there? House is 1930's with the hefty purlins and very
low since the rafter line is part in 1st floor. So height of any apparatus
is a factor.
This particular combi includes frost protection, pump cycling etc. For
this reason I imagine you could site it virtually anywhere - the main
constraint being the flue routing.
Andy - do you see away to ditch the tanks without going combi? Is that
pressurised system?
I need to do some reading definitions of these systems - any links?
Those are just my thoughts as a user, having in the past three months
gone from a traditional system to a combi. I wouldn't go back, I love
it.
Maybe you should ask again in the middle of winter, when apparently the
incoming water supply is that much colder - personally I don't see this
as a problem, but won't know until the depths of winter. I assume and
expect that the combi will just carry on as normal and I'll still have a
good shower.
[What now follows is a blow by blow account of what other boiler I could
have had tuppence cheaper, with a higher flow rate, how it is useless in
the event of a power cut, how I could have had two of them instead of
one and how the [Toytown/Tinseltown*] [Combi/Trad*] model [10/40*] is
better because it uses a 4mm metric thread on the case screws instead of
5mm.]. (*Delete as appropriate).
All the best :-)
Bill
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