Ron wrote:
Hi I live in a 1991 built semi with 3 bedrooms and the heating system is gas
fired warm air by Johnson and Starley. It is again starting to get noisy, I
must by a can of WD40. I already had the fan replaced a few years ago.

After discussing(arguing?) it with my wife she has said that she never liked
the heating anyway and wants to replace it with radiators. I was wondering
if there was any sites that compare the merits and costs of running the 2
systems

forced air is a cheaper alternative to rads (to install), and has a few
drawbacks:
- noise
- dust blown about
- whiffs transferred round the house

Hence it remains unpopular in UK. In US OTOH its the standard method.

Run costs are similar, the big fan means more on the leccy bill, and a
bit less on the gas, but overall a bit more money.

Replacing an old system would improve run costs if the new boiler is
more efficient, but not not if its the same efficiency.


I used to have
radiators in another house and when they first came on they used all the hot
water until it heated up again as I found out when I started to run a bath
just as the timer switched the radiators on, but that was a coal fired
system.

ah. If that happened on a gas system it would be lousy design. HW gets
priority. Coal systems tend to lack proper controls.


Another cost saving would be that I would no longer need a maintenance
contract with Scottish gas as there is less to go wrong with a radiator
system than a warm air system.

no theres more. Forced air is just a big fan and ducts, a hydronic
system has plumbing, rads, pump, header tank, TRVs, inhobitor,
ballcock... thats why forced air is cheaper to install.


NT