Updating an elderly heating system
 

I have been looking to downsize and have seen a sixty or so year old
bungalow.
The radiatprs are c 1968-70. Assuming that electrolytic action has
hollowed them out and that they may need replacing, are the copper pipes
likely to be equally affected?

--
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Updating an elderly heating system
 

It happens that pinnerite formulated :
The radiatprs are c 1968-70. Assuming that electrolytic action has
hollowed them out and that they may need replacing, are the copper pipes
likely to be equally affected?

Copper, no, however.... Radiators rust from the inside out, if they
have not been kept topped up with inhibitor. The rust and gundge tends
to then block copper pipes, especially so the small bore systems.

All depends on how well the system has been looked after.

Updating an elderly heating system
 

On Wednesday, 28 October 2020 10:08:51 UTC, pinnerite wrote:
I have been looking to downsize and have seen a sixty or so year old
bungalow.
The radiatprs are c 1968-70.

Such installations were often wired as a single pipe system, which is incompatible with almost all modern boilers, so you would need to run a new return pipe, and move one connection of each radiator from the single pipe to the new return pipe.

Or put a new system in, either plastic below the floor or microbore to each room in the loft below the loft insulation and drop down behind the curtains.

Owain

Updating an elderly heating system
 

On 28/10/2020 10:08, pinnerite wrote:
I have been looking to downsize and have seen a sixty or so year old
bungalow.
The radiatprs are c 1968-70. Assuming that electrolytic action has
hollowed them out and that they may need replacing, are the copper pipes
likely to be equally affected?

Once you start disturbing something that old and with unknown corrosion
inhibitor history you are asking for trouble if you don't replace the
whole lot in one go. It could well be a nightmare of pinhole leaks
otherwise (shortly after you refill it with fresh oxygenated water).

If there is a Fernox certificate on the CH header tank you might just be
OK, but I wouldn't chance it myself.

Preferably done before you move into the property so that it is easier
to access the pipes and much less disruptive. Living without heating or
hot water is no fun - especially in winter.


--
Regards,
Martin Brown

Updating an elderly heating system
 

On Wed, 28 Oct 2020 11:21:48 +0000, Martin Brown wrote:

Once you start disturbing something that old and with unknown corrosion
inhibitor history you are asking for trouble if you don't replace the
whole lot in one go. It could well be a nightmare of pinhole leaks
otherwise (shortly after you refill it with fresh oxygenated water).

If there is a Fernox certificate on the CH header tank you might just be
OK, but I wouldn't chance it myself.

Yeah, a lot depends on the history. Including has the system ever
been replaced in the past? Radiator sizing in the late 60's would
have been for flow/return temps of 75/65 C or there abouts, rather
than the 65/55 flow/return that a condensing boiler likes so it runs
in condensing mode.

The some of the radiators here are from the mid 70's and aren't
leaking despite half the system being replaced with new copper and
rads, thermal store added etc. I suspect one of the first things I
did would be bung a bottle of inhibitor into the system nearly 20
years ago mind. The previous owners had trouble matching fixing type
(nail v screw) let alone size... so I doubt they did anything in the
10 years they lived here, no tell a lie a new boiler was fitted a
couple of years before we moved in so perhaps it got inhibtor then.

Preferably done before you move into the property so that it is easier
to access the pipes and much less disruptive.

+1

Living without heating or hot water is no fun - especially in winter.

Young, softy, namby pambies might. Depends what you are used to. We
didn't have central heating until I was about 10. Generally the only
heat in the house was an open coal fire in the back living room. The
gas fire in the Front Room was only lit on special occasions, like
present opening at Christmas. HW was from a gravity back boiler from
the coal fire. Hot water bottles, blankets, eiderdowns and supply of
pennies to suck and melt the frost on the inside of the windows was
order of the day in bedrooms.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Updating an elderly heating system
 

In article ,
pinnerite wrote:
I have been looking to downsize and have seen a sixty or so year old
bungalow.
The radiatprs are c 1968-70. Assuming that electrolytic action has
hollowed them out and that they may need replacing, are the copper pipes
likely to be equally affected?


My system is late 70s. Rads still fine - but then I'm paranoid about
keeping inhibitor up to date.

But would be very surprised if the copper needed replacing regardless of
inhibitor or not.

--
*Few women admit their age; fewer men act it.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Updating an elderly heating system
 

On 28/10/2020 10:49, wrote:

The radiatprs are c 1968-70.

Such installations were often wired as a single pipe system,

My house was built in 1968 and it had a single pipe system. It just
didn't work. I had the whole thing redone; pipes, radiators, the lot.The
difference was incredible and the fuel bill dropped to a quarter of what
it had been.

Bill

Updating an elderly heating system
 

On Wednesday, 28 October 2020 13:21:10 UTC, Dave Liquorice wrote:

Yeah, a lot depends on the history. Including has the system ever
been replaced in the past? Radiator sizing in the late 60's would
have been for flow/return temps of 75/65 C or there abouts, rather
than the 65/55 flow/return that a condensing boiler likes so it runs
in condensing mode.

and target temps were lower, eg 13C in bedrooms.

It's not impossible to just add another rad or upgrade the occasional one, but the condition of rads & pipes is at best unknown. It might be blocked beyond hope.


NT

Updating an elderly heating system
 

On Wed, 28 Oct 2020 13:21:04 +0000, Dave Liquorice wrote:

Young, softy, namby pambies might. Depends what you are used to. We
didn't have central heating until I was about 10. Generally the only
heat in the house was an open coal fire in the back living room. The gas
fire in the Front Room was only lit on special occasions, like present
opening at Christmas. HW was from a gravity back boiler from the coal
fire. Hot water bottles, blankets, eiderdowns and supply of pennies to
suck and melt the frost on the inside of the windows was order of the
day in bedrooms.

Identical description of my home, with an Anderson shelter in the front
room. My dad lined it with asbestos. We were lucky to survive. :)



--
Mint 20.0, kernel 5.4.0-45-generic, Cinnamon 4.6.7
running on an AMD Phenom II X4 Black edition processor with 8GB of DRAM.

Updating an elderly heating system
 

On Wed, 28 Oct 2020 10:08:47 +0000, pinnerite wrote:

I have been looking to downsize and have seen a sixty or so year old
bungalow.
The radiatprs are c 1968-70. Assuming that electrolytic action has
hollowed them out and that they may need replacing, are the copper pipes
likely to be equally affected?

Thanks for your advice. I will try and get a professional to look at it
ASAP.

--
Mint 20.0, kernel 5.4.0-45-generic, Cinnamon 4.6.7
running on an AMD Phenom II X4 Black edition processor with 8GB of DRAM.

Updating an elderly heating system
 

On 28/10/2020 10:49, wrote:
On Wednesday, 28 October 2020 10:08:51 UTC, pinnerite wrote:
I have been looking to downsize and have seen a sixty or so year old
bungalow.
The radiatprs are c 1968-70.

Such installations were often wired as a single pipe system, which is incompatible with almost all modern boilers, so you would need to run a new return pipe, and move one connection of each radiator from the single pipe to the new return pipe.

Or put a new system in, either plastic below the floor or microbore to each room in the loft below the loft insulation and drop down behind the curtains.

Owain

Just a warning on microbore, especially in a very old house with
difficult accesses. I had this done on mine (four kids including a baby,
tight finances and heavy work pressure). It was mostly OK but the main
living room never got enough heat. Too much hassle to get the plumber
back in the end, eventually I traced it to poor flow in very
inaccessible microbore (either kinked or almost filled with solder from
end-feeds). I would not have it again (except maybe in a bungalow with a
concrete floor, and simple drops from the roof space).

Updating an elderly heating system
 

On Wednesday, 28 October 2020 13:21:10 UTC, Dave Liquorice wrote:
The gas fire in the Front Room was only lit on special
occasions, like present opening at Christmas.

And that wasn't for very long, as you got one Big Present plus socks and slippers if you were lucky.

Owain