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Combi in the loft
Okay, I've done a bit more research and it seems the Heat bank option has
leapt up to a ton shy of 2K so the combi is definitely still a contender. Still looking at the actual make model options but the Worcester Bosch 40kW HE Plus Condensing Combi is a strong possibility. Now I still want to stick this stuff in the loft. A good location for me is attached to the party wall. Are these upto supporting 50Kg? As far as the access requirements go at present you can pop your head through the loft and it would be right in front of you, since the loft is low head room (4ft max at apex) it would be more convenient for service bod to tackle it from waste at hatch height. So hopefully just a loft ladder will do. Other boiler options after top reliabilty/quality are satisfied may hinge on the program options. Since it will be in the loft some sort of remote option for the programmer would be best. I take it this is common. Though alot seem geared to kitchen installation, 800 high, nice finish, inbuilt digital displays - all of which are unnecessary for my loft. Suppose best place for fault diagnostic display is on boiler. Other than that I want max flow/heat 16 l/min @35°C rise to beat! Can I do the whole fitting or do I need a Corgi chap for final connection. How is the guarantee on the boiler affected by this? Will I EVER find a plumber willing to do JUST the hook up (twiddle, fiddle, poke, 'that's okay mate') at a reasonable rate? Thoughts? Everyone it seems loves a boiler thread -- Mike W |
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On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 11:39:25 GMT, "VisionSet"
wrote: Okay, I've done a bit more research and it seems the Heat bank option has leapt up to a ton shy of 2K so the combi is definitely still a contender. Still looking at the actual make model options but the Worcester Bosch 40kW HE Plus Condensing Combi is a strong possibility. Now I still want to stick this stuff in the loft. A good location for me is attached to the party wall. Are these upto supporting 50Kg? As long it's a structural , load bearing wall in good condition, that should be OK. As far as the access requirements go at present you can pop your head through the loft and it would be right in front of you, since the loft is low head room (4ft max at apex) it would be more convenient for service bod to tackle it from waste at hatch height. So hopefully just a loft ladder will do. You have to board and light the loft and put in a guard rail, but the loft ladder is OK. Other boiler options after top reliabilty/quality are satisfied may hinge on the program options. Since it will be in the loft some sort of remote option for the programmer would be best. I take it this is common. Though alot seem geared to kitchen installation, 800 high, nice finish, inbuilt digital displays - all of which are unnecessary for my loft. Suppose best place for fault diagnostic display is on boiler. Other than that I want max flow/heat 16 l/min @35°C rise to beat! Well it's pretty simple. 40 kW gives 16 lpm at dT=35 degrees. If you want more then you will need a larger boiler. There are a few 46kW models around that will give you around 18lpm but they cost rather more - e,g, MAN Micromat 46kW combi. Can I do the whole fitting or do I need a Corgi chap for final connection. How is the guarantee on the boiler affected by this? Will I EVER find a plumber willing to do JUST the hook up (twiddle, fiddle, poke, 'that's okay mate') at a reasonable rate? This is your choice. Legally (according to Gas Safety Installation and Use Regulations 1998), you can DIY this if you are "competent". This is by exception, in the sense that there is a specific requirement (via the HSE acting as policeman) if you are installing professionally to be a member of CORGI. The legislation does not define competent with respect to DIY and doesn't positively mention DIY. CORGI membership certainly does require training but of course this is no absolute guarantee of a good job. The HSE is certainly aware that DIY gas fitting goes on and periodically there have been discussions about trying to stop it, but there is no justification for doing so from the rate of problems occuring from it, and they admit that. Plus it would be hard to enforce. There is now a requirement with respect to the energy saving aspects of the Building Regulations Part L1. If you use a CORGI fitter to do the work, then he can self certify it. Otherwise you have to apply for a Building Notice at the local authority - cost around £100 I believe. It's a difficult proposition to ask a CORGI fitter to come along and sprinkle holy water on your work for two reasons. - It is not that interesting business-wise if they haven't supplied and fitted. - They are taking responsibility for your work with respect to the gas supply and the flue. Once you have fitted them, it may be difficult to see those and many would not touch it under those circumstances - Most have plenty of work, so have no real need to do this for you From a competence perspective, have a look through Ed Sirett's FAQ. Ed is a CORGI fitter (as well as being a thoroughly nice guy), and his comments are valuable. The main ones are do you have a good, repeatable result with soldering fittings together and do you understand all the issues involved before you start? Thoughts? Everyone it seems loves a boiler thread ..andy To email, substitute .nospam with .gl |
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"Andy Hall" wrote in message ... As long it's a structural , load bearing wall in good condition, that should be OK. Well it is a party loft wall, I suspect it is only there as a boundary, I doubt it is load bearing, but it is brick. and it is supported by the whole brick party partition. You have to board the whole loft? and even if it would never be used by trades person? and light the loft and put in a guard rail, but the loft ladder is OK. lighting no problem. What is a guard rail? Other than that I want max flow/heat 16 l/min @35°C rise to beat! Well it's pretty simple. yes for sure - Most have plenty of work, so have no real need to do this for you Quite! From a competence perspective, have a look through Ed Sirett's FAQ. Ed is a CORGI fitter (as well as being a thoroughly nice guy), and his comments are valuable. will do. The main ones are do you have a good, repeatable result with soldering fittings together and do you understand all the issues involved before you start? Yes, I have no qualms about my ability. It was just the guarantee aspect, am I likely to violate the boiler manufacturers requirements, I suspected they required a Corgi fitter. I know... I shall phone WB etc. Cheers Andy -- Mike W |
#4
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"VisionSet" wrote in message ... "Andy Hall" wrote in message ... As long it's a structural , load bearing wall in good condition, that should be OK. Well it is a party loft wall, I suspect it is only there as a boundary, I doubt it is load bearing, but it is brick. and it is supported by the whole brick party partition. You have to board the whole loft? and even if it would never be used by trades person? Not the whole, loft adequately around the hatch, to and around the boiler. A light over the boiler and hatch and a rail around the hatch so no one will fall down it. This may be wood screwed to the rafters to make the rail. and light the loft and put in a guard rail, but the loft ladder is OK. lighting no problem. What is a guard rail? See above. Other than that I want max flow/heat 16 l/min @35°C rise to beat! Well it's pretty simple. yes for sure - Most have plenty of work, so have no real need to do this for you Quite! From a competence perspective, have a look through Ed Sirett's FAQ. Ed is a CORGI fitter (as well as being a thoroughly nice guy), and his comments are valuable. will do. The main ones are do you have a good, repeatable result with soldering fittings together and do you understand all the issues involved before you start? Use Powerflux and flush properly after with Superfloc. Yes, I have no qualms about my ability. It was just the guarantee aspect, am I likely to violate the boiler manufacturers requirements, I suspected they required a Corgi fitter. I know... I shall phone WB etc. The law say you must be "competent". CORGI registration is only for when you make money out of fitting gas equipment. It is to stop the cowboys. |
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In article ,
Andy Hall writes: On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 11:39:25 GMT, "VisionSet" wrote: Okay, I've done a bit more research and it seems the Heat bank option has leapt up to a ton shy of 2K so the combi is definitely still a contender. Still looking at the actual make model options but the Worcester Bosch 40kW HE Plus Condensing Combi is a strong possibility. Now I still want to stick this stuff in the loft. A good location for me is attached to the party wall. Are these upto supporting 50Kg? As long it's a structural , load bearing wall in good condition, that should be OK. The part in the loft usually isn't though. Gable-end walls are notoriously weak, and can sometimes be blown out with a strong wind, so be careful. They don't support anything and have no weight on them (above any purlins). I certainly wouldn't mount a boiler anywhere near the top of such a wall. -- Andrew Gabriel |
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"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message ... In article , Andy Hall writes: On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 11:39:25 GMT, "VisionSet" wrote: Okay, I've done a bit more research and it seems the Heat bank option has leapt up to a ton shy of 2K so the combi is definitely still a contender. Still looking at the actual make model options but the Worcester Bosch 40kW HE Plus Condensing Combi is a strong possibility. Now I still want to stick this stuff in the loft. A good location for me is attached to the party wall. Are these upto supporting 50Kg? As long it's a structural , load bearing wall in good condition, that should be OK. The part in the loft usually isn't though. Gable-end walls are notoriously weak, and can sometimes be blown out with a strong wind, so be careful. They don't support anything and have no weight on them (above any purlins). I certainly wouldn't mount a boiler anywhere near the top of such a wall. mmm, this is what I feared. There are purlins and I suspect I can get it central to these. The house is well built 1930, I'll have a good look at it, get my uncle architect to take a look. Don't know what to do otherwise, substantially repoint it, though it doesn't really look like it needs it. -- Mike W |
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"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message ... In article , Andy Hall writes: On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 11:39:25 GMT, "VisionSet" wrote: Okay, I've done a bit more research and it seems the Heat bank option has leapt up to a ton shy of 2K so the combi is definitely still a contender. Still looking at the actual make model options but the Worcester Bosch 40kW HE Plus Condensing Combi is a strong possibility. Now I still want to stick this stuff in the loft. A good location for me is attached to the party wall. Are these upto supporting 50Kg? As long it's a structural , load bearing wall in good condition, that should be OK. The part in the loft usually isn't though. Gable-end walls are notoriously weak, What are you on about? they have the same foundations as the other walls. I have mounted boilers on gables and never had any problems. Boilers are not that heavy to worry a gable end. and can sometimes be blown out with a strong wind, so be careful. They don't support anything and have no weight on them (above any purlins). I certainly wouldn't mount a boiler anywhere near the top of such a wall. -- Andrew Gabriel |
#8
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On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 14:59:09 +0100, "IMM" wrote:
"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message ... In article , Andy Hall writes: On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 11:39:25 GMT, "VisionSet" wrote: Okay, I've done a bit more research and it seems the Heat bank option has leapt up to a ton shy of 2K so the combi is definitely still a contender. Still looking at the actual make model options but the Worcester Bosch 40kW HE Plus Condensing Combi is a strong possibility. Now I still want to stick this stuff in the loft. A good location for me is attached to the party wall. Are these upto supporting 50Kg? As long it's a structural , load bearing wall in good condition, that should be OK. The part in the loft usually isn't though. Gable-end walls are notoriously weak, What are you on about? they have the same foundations as the other walls. I have mounted boilers on gables and never had any problems. Boilers are not that heavy to worry a gable end. 50kg mounted high up can create a substantial load....... ..andy To email, substitute .nospam with .gl |
#9
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"Andy Hall" wrote in message ... On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 14:59:09 +0100, "IMM" wrote: "Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message ... In article , Andy Hall writes: On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 11:39:25 GMT, "VisionSet" wrote: Okay, I've done a bit more research and it seems the Heat bank option has leapt up to a ton shy of 2K so the combi is definitely still a contender. Still looking at the actual make model options but the Worcester Bosch 40kW HE Plus Condensing Combi is a strong possibility. Now I still want to stick this stuff in the loft. A good location for me is attached to the party wall. Are these upto supporting 50Kg? As long it's a structural , load bearing wall in good condition, that should be OK. The part in the loft usually isn't though. Gable-end walls are notoriously weak, What are you on about? they have the same foundations as the other walls. I have mounted boilers on gables and never had any problems. Boilers are not that heavy to worry a gable end. 50kg mounted high up can create a substantial load....... On a wall like a gable end? Which has racking strength from the roof timbers too? Please. |
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Andy Hall wrote:
50kg mounted high up can create a substantial load....... He did say it was a party wall. in a 1930's house this would normally be double brick and not a problem. Regards Capitol |
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On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 14:59:09 +0100, IMM wrote:
"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message The part in the loft usually isn't though. Gable-end walls are notoriously weak, What are you on about? they have the same foundations as the other walls. I have mounted boilers on gables and never had any problems. Boilers are not that heavy to worry a gable end. The foundations are the same as you say. Problem is with top ends of walls which don't support anything above. I'm not a civil engineer - I'm thinking this through as a physicist, so obligatory hypothetical situation - but bear with me he Take a pile of bricks and construct a 6ft high by say, 4ft wide, 9in thick dry wall (no mortar or other filler) on a stable level surface. Kick the bottom - I would wager a fiver you'll hurt your foot before you move any bricks due to the weight holding them in place. Try nearer the top - should be able to knock out a load of bricks easily because you only need enough sideways force to overcome a little friction. Add mortar - that will scale the strength up by providing adhesion and better interlocking, but strength is still a function of internal load - and the top end of a wall carrying nothing is thus considerably weaker than a loaded wall or the base of the same. The combi will be hanging off one side of the wall giving you a significant turning moment which only needs to overcome the adhesion of the mortar and the weight of a few feet of bricks. I have no idea how heavy a combi is - but I'd consider it worthy of further investigation before hanging it up on a gable end. What's the typical weight of a small combi out of interest - and how deep is one? I won't contest that you've done it and it nothing fell off - but I wouldn't be so happy about doing it myself without a second opinion. Cheers Tim |
#12
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"VisionSet" wrote in message ... Now I still want to stick this stuff in the loft. A good location for me is attached to the party wall. Are these upto supporting 50Kg? Well it isn't a gable end - it is a party wall. If we assume it is not up to the weight. What can I do to make it suitable? Standard 30's construction 4ft void at apex, purlins and rafters. Brick stretcher party wall in good visual condition, lime mortar. -- Mike W |
#13
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"VisionSet" wrote in message ... Well it isn't a gable end - it is a party wall. If we assume it is not up to the weight. What can I do to make it suitable? Standard 30's construction 4ft void at apex, purlins and rafters. Brick stretcher party wall in good visual condition, lime mortar. -- Mike W I have no specialist knowledge, but I wondered if it is possible for the weight to be taken by the loft floor rather than the wall. I know such floors are not meant to take weight, but they are nonetheless used to house equally heavy water tanks. Or does the placement of such tanks rely upon a structural wall underneath? James --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.719 / Virus Database: 475 - Release Date: 13/07/2004 |
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"James" wrote in message ... Well it isn't a gable end - it is a party wall. If we assume it is not up to the weight. What can I do to make it suitable? Standard 30's construction 4ft void at apex, purlins and rafters. Brick stretcher party wall in good visual condition, lime mortar. I have no specialist knowledge, but I wondered if it is possible for the weight to be taken by the loft floor rather than the wall. I know such floors are not meant to take weight, but they are nonetheless used to house equally heavy water tanks. Or does the placement of such tanks rely upon a structural wall underneath? I see no reason why not, except that is is easier if there is good access underneath for pipework connection. Boilers tend to come on a wall mounted jig, which makes life easier. The load bearing wall that supports the party wall will be very close though so that wouldn't be a problem. And yes tanks are supposed to be close to or on a supporting wall. I don't think it will be a problem, but I'll ask uncle architect first. -- Mike W |
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In article ,
"James" writes: "VisionSet" wrote in message ... Well it isn't a gable end - it is a party wall. If we assume it is not up to the weight. What can I do to make it suitable? Standard 30's construction 4ft void at apex, purlins and rafters. Brick stretcher party wall in good visual condition, lime mortar. I have no specialist knowledge, but I wondered if it is possible for the weight to be taken by the loft floor rather than the wall. I know such floors are not meant to take weight, but they are nonetheless used to house equally heavy water tanks. Or does the placement of such tanks rely upon a structural wall underneath? I would probably look for a frame which would transfer the weight to the floor, and position it over a wall (50Kg is not heavy enough for it to need to be positioned over a structural wall), or spread across a few ceiling joists (but not in the middle of a long unsupported span). Fix it to the party wall and floor. I've seen something like this used to hold a boiler over a hot water cylinder to make a single combined unit. You could try asking in a plumber's merchant if they have such a frame. -- Andrew Gabriel |
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Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article , "James" writes: "VisionSet" wrote in message ... Well it isn't a gable end - it is a party wall. If we assume it is not up to the weight. What can I do to make it suitable? Standard 30's construction 4ft void at apex, purlins and rafters. Brick stretcher party wall in good visual condition, lime mortar. I have no specialist knowledge, but I wondered if it is possible for the weight to be taken by the loft floor rather than the wall. I know such floors are not meant to take weight, but they are nonetheless used to house equally heavy water tanks. Or does the placement of such tanks rely upon a structural wall underneath? I would probably look for a frame which would transfer the weight to the floor, and position it over a wall (50Kg is not heavy enough for it to need to be positioned over a structural wall), I can lift 50Kg easily mate. Are you saying that when I trawl 50kg up te stairs I am risking life and limb? Well you are not, but others are.. This thread is utter cobbblers. I've got a 600 liter water tank in my loft. 600kg or over half a ton when filled. It sits on the ceiling joists abutting a chimney breast. We did put a few more braces in. Its fine. A typical person weighs what - 14 stone? That's 88kg. Are you sure its safe to walk in your loft? 50kg is just two bags of cement. Its not even enough sand to fill a wheelbarrow. or spread across a few ceiling joists (but not in the middle of a long unsupported span). Fix it to the party wall and floor. I've seen something like this used to hold a boiler over a hot water cylinder to make a single combined unit. You could try asking in a plumber's merchant if they have such a frame. |
#17
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In article ,
The Natural Philosopher writes: I can lift 50Kg easily mate. Are you saying that when I trawl 50kg up te stairs I am risking life and limb? Well you are not, but others are.. This thread is utter cobbblers. What you've said seems to bear no relation to this thread, which is about hanging a 50kg weight 12" out from near the top of a brick wall (lime mortar in this case). -- Andrew Gabriel |
#18
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On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 17:07:16 GMT, "VisionSet"
wrote: "VisionSet" wrote in message ... Now I still want to stick this stuff in the loft. A good location for me is attached to the party wall. Are these upto supporting 50Kg? Well it isn't a gable end - it is a party wall. If we assume it is not up to the weight. What can I do to make it suitable? Standard 30's construction 4ft void at apex, purlins and rafters. Brick stretcher party wall in good visual condition, lime mortar. Hi, The worst case scenario is that someone working on the boiler looses their footing and grabs onto it, pulling with thier full weight. Resin anchors into engineering blocks would be OK, but not any old fixings into soft bricks. Do the boiler manufacturers offer any advice on fixing the boiler in that particular situation? One way to get a stronger fixing is a couple of 2x4 or bigger vertical bearers, that are bracketed to the rafters at the top and a cross bearer at the bottom, as well as bolted to the wall. The boiler could then be fixed with suitable studs bolted though the bearers. cheers, Pete. |
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