central heating

[Gill Smith]

where did you hear of/get your central heating system from?

(next thing to consider options on.....)

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[geoff]

In message , Gill Smith writes

I D-i-Y'ed it

boiler was given to me free

So, what are you asking for, a shop to buy the bits from, or an installer to do it for you?

And where are you

[Gill Smith]

I'm in Barrow

I need recommendations on good (combi) boilers

the radiators and the boiler are clapped out, but presumably the copper tubing will be re-used

p.s. is there scrap value for the old radiators?

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[geoff]

In message , Gill Smith writes

You need a Furness then ...

Vaillant seems to be the fitters choice ATM, but they don't have a long warranty

You could go the other way and look for the longest warranty (you can get 5 year warranty on some cheaper boilers ATM)

If the rest is clapped out, how far is the pipework away from pinhole failure?

[newshound]

This is a good place to start

it had a combi before (i.e. it isn't a *very* ancient system) you might expect to get away with a combi transplant.

If you think the rads are too rusty / blocked to re-use, are you happy that there are no partial blockages in the copper piping?

General view in this group is that Vaillant and Worcester are reputable boilers.

[Gill Smith]

in that case, new everything! (i.e. boiler + 7 rads, anyone willing to give me a ballpark figure for this?)

thanks again

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[Gill Smith]

in that case, not very far, judging by the state of the rest of this house (why, oh why did I buy it......)

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[The Natural Philosopher]

Good and combi do not belong in the same sentence.

>

[Gill Smith]

£3-4000 I just been told

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[ARWadsworth]

You will upset Drivel with comments like that.

[Andrew Gabriel]

AFAIK, this was a problem with copper tube manufactured over a couple of years which was contaminated by iron (which then rusts). However, this was long enough ago that any such pipes would have failed by now. Copper pipe does not normally wear out, unless it was faulty.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I dont give a stale fart about that, since he is in my killfile anyway.

Combis Wind energy Clockwork Spaceships. Lead free solder

What is the common feature? Whilst they may be fit for Common Purpose, they have in common that they aren't fit for purpose.

[The Natural Philosopher]

When you see a house like that, assume its going to cost 10k to rip the plumbing and electrics out, and maybe another 10k to sort the insulation and a further 5k to replaster and decorate it to take it to where a basic house would be if it were new and modern, with the luxury that this one can have a proper hot water system in it and wont be made of cardboard.

If the seller wont take that sort of offer, walk away.

The tragedy I find is the reverse: that you can now buy houses that are basically brilliant and only take 30-40k to make perfect, that are going for 100k less than cobbled together crap that 'looks modern' but is complete rubbish.

[Andy Cap]

Electric cars ?

[ARWadsworth]

Drivel claims to have one of those:-)

[The Natural Philosopher]

Almost fit for limited purpose, and if cheap enough would be my choice. I.e. they get the befor of thhe doubnt for now.

we didn't mention CFL's did we? the only bulb that is guranteed to blow faster than an incandescent lamp..even a mains halogen!:-)

[The Natural Philosopher]

No, he claimed he had a Prius. which is not an electric car. Its an electric assisted invalid carriage with an IC motor in it.

I think he over heard the doctors saying he had 'Priapism' and thought they were talking about his car...drivel is a very confused lad really.

[Gill Smith]

know what you mean

I'my leery of 'refurbished' houses, having sold my previous house to a property developer

One reason I accepted a low offer was to avoid being sued (i.e. the price reflected the scale of the repairs needed)

The developer. of course, had no intention of doing what needed doing, covering-up the defective brickwork behind render etc. etc.

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[Gill Smith]

oh no, I was rather hoping combi was something everyone could agree was a good thing.....

what is the basis of its defectiveness?

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[The Natural Philosopher]

Inadequate hot water flow unless large enough (or fitted with a heat bank) and bigger and more expensive than a system boiler and a mains pressure hot water tank.

AND then here is the issue of efficiency. Most heating needs at best

5-10Kw max, and usually a lot less than that. A modulating condensing boiler is efficient at that. A shower however - well 50KW is a *good* shower. Or a fast bath fill. Two together.. well you see what I mean.

Hot water tanks or heatbanks give you peak hot water rates that match demand, at low overal heat demand on the boiler. But a heatbank plus a combi is neither a cheap nor a compact solution. And you might as well plonk a system boiler and a pressurised hot water tank in, instead.