Warm Air Units Uk

I am interested in the views of all gas engineers regards warm ai

units.

Do you think they are good or bad systems? Is there any safety issues ?

Which do you feel is better,,Warm Air or Wet Systems????

Would you install a warm air unit in your house???

Please note this is only a UK questio

-- gastec

Reply to
gastec
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How interesting....zzzzzz

Good

None whatsoever

Warm Air

Yes

Why, is gas less dangerous just across the channel?

Reply to
Matt

Of course, but only in line with all types of gas appliances. Safe enough to live with if properly installed, operated and maintained, possibly not otherwise.

IMHO wet systems especially underfloor wet systems would have to be considered better in many respects except for warm up time. Distributions of smells. Dust, (even with electrostatics). Noise levels. Draught levels. Difficulty is finding qualified people to service them. Bulky ducting.

I wouldn't, even if it were possible.

Reply to
Ed Sirett

your comments are very interestin

-- gastec

Reply to
gastec
[Why, is gas less dangerous just across the channel

in reply to this question i have to advise you YES there ar differences from country to country....

I have worked in the USA for a few years and concider the large American WAU of better quality than the average standard systems foun in the UK..

However I am interested in the thoughts of UK gas engineers wit regards UK warm air units...

How would you grade or compare the general safety between UK - WAU an Wet Ch systems??????

-- gastec

Reply to
gastec

Isn't WAU a much dustier system simply because it blows air around ? I assume UF heating would be best in this respect...

Nick

Reply to
Nick

Can you highlight the respects please.

Not a prblem with fiorced air if designed and installed properly.

Nonsense.

More nonense. no more than any fan flued boiler.

Nonsense again. A positive pressure system eliminates draughts.

Same gas controls as on boilers.

Designed and installed right you don't see them. Not an issue.

It is clear you have little to no knowledge or experience of such systems and go on old wives tales.

I would fit one any day. A forced air with fresh air vent and heat recovery is the business. It can heat, it can cool, It can humidify it gives fresh air and it recovers heat. All in one system.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

They were?

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

Most know sweet FA about them. If one unit fails they recommend slapping in rads. That is how bad it is.

No different. A room sealed forced air unit, or one with a copper heater duct battery, are very safe indeed.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

No. Electrostatic air filters are available, that are recommended for asthmatics. See:

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Reply to
Doctor Drivel

As below. I will make my representations on this matter once clearly. I have no intention of getting into a ding dong thread.

By their very nature an odour (or aroma) in one room will find it is drawn back to the unit (remember the regs state there has to be an explicitly installed return path). This is inevitably going to be distributed into all the rooms with open registers soon afterwards.

Not nonsense but I concede I may be over stating the case.

The noise of the boiler is only at the boiler with a ducted system the noise travels in the duct to the rooms. Although I concede that wet systems have there own sources of noise (creaking pipes, rads, water noises, pump noises and TRV troubles).

Not draughts from outside, silly. Draughts caused by the fact that air is being forced - if it isn't then the system isn't working!

Indeed so, BUT. Most fitters and/or installing businesses are not prepared to pay several hundred quid to acquire a qualification (DAH1) that is unlikely to be needed.

They take up space that simply isn't available in the majority of UK housing. Above all other considerations this is the show stopper.

Reply to
Ed Sirett

You really don't know do you. Carbon filters can be fitted if smells are a problem. With fresh air systems, that always intake a percentage of fresh air this is rarely a problem. With fresh air forced air, the air quality is far better than a locked up rad or UFH system.

It is nonesense.

Nonsense if designed and installed properly. How many houses are plagued with pumps and water noises in a wet system. Of course..if it is designed and installed properly then problem...as with forced air.

Nonsense. Moving air does not cause draughts. If it is of the correct temp then no draught feel. Once again, design and fit right.

In areas where forced air is common service people are not difficult to come by. Have an air handling unit with copper heater battery and no corgi or BBA anywhere insight, as it is remote from the boiler..

I said: "Designed and installed right you don't see them". This is self explanatory. Design the house for it and they shine - as in the USA, who the experts at this game. I have seen forced air retrofitted in 1930s houses. The ducts under the ground floors with a air handler under the stairs, and a air hander suspended in the loft All totally inconspicuous. Fresh air and heat recovery too. Hot summers days? 100% air from outside cooling the place with air movement in every room.

Give me one of these over rads or UFH anyday. BTW, the trendy thing in new house in heat recovery and vent. Which is a downside forced air system.

I have rads. I was considering having a small air handing unit in the loft doing the upper rooms and a large grill in the hallway. Then only a few rads left in some downstairs rooms. Then no stupid draught causing trickle vents on windows.

Don't go on old wives tales and the cheap system you saw in the council estate. Even the council estates can be greatly improved by installing a modern modulating burner and fan unit. They are a world away from the old British tat.

More info: Suggested books. Manual D

The books are published by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America. The books may be ordered via their web site or email. They are very readable and anyone with an average background maths can understand them.

Web site:

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1. Residential Duct Systems Manual D

Design a residential duct system in a fraction of the time with the streamlined duct sizing procedure in the new edition of Manual D. You can apply the new procedure to constant volume systems and zoned, variable air volume systems, over the full range of duct construction materials. The new Manual D also includes the most comprehensive equivalent length data ever published. (298 pages)

Topics include:

· Residential air-side equipment · Basic principles of multi-speed and variable speed blowers, pressure loss, operating point, and duct sizing calculations · Examples of duct sizing calculations - constant volume systems, flexible duct, junction box systems, multiple zone VAV systems, two story VAV systems, and system retrofits with VAV dampers · How duct leakage affects indoor air quality and the combined performance of the envelope equipment system · Duct losses--conductive losses and leakage losses · Noise control

Catalog ID: 29-D

Book 2. Residential Load Calculation Manual J Seventh Edition

With step-by-step examples, Manual J shows you how to calculate the heating and cooling loads of single-family detached homes, mobile homes, condos, town houses and apartment buildings. It's crammed with 38 figures and 16 tables to cover all standard residential construction methods. (126 pages)

Topics include:

· Basic principles of heat transfer, R-values, U-values, and heat transfer multipliers · A step-by-step example of a single-zone, single-family, detached calculation for a whole house and room-by-room · Sample calculations for multi-zone variable-air-volume systems and multi-zone split-coil systems · Mobile home load calculations · An optional procedure for making leakage area and infiltration CFM calculations on a component-by-component basis (Berkley Model) · Review of the methods used to estimate annual energy consumption and operating cost

Catalog ID: 33-J

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

That is an interesting topic about lack of qualified engineers to wor

on Warm Air Units..

When i revalidated my uk licence ACS...I definately felt a lack o interest in the WAU licence..

All other ACS classes had over 60 participants where as the WAU clas had myself and 3 others???????

True enough i service and repair 10 systems a day an id guess that iv only saw 4 WAU this year ..

I hear that alot of Warm Air Systems are being removed..

Is this a concern over the whole of the UK or is it just windy aul Scotland?

-- gastec

Reply to
gastec

Johnson & Starley are fitting quite few in. The tend be ripped out by those ignorant of them.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

They're ripped out by those with experience of them.

MBQ

Reply to
manatbandq

How would you know? You just made that up.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

I have the experience, I ripped mine out. You're the one making things up.

MBQ

Reply to
manatbandq

You have no experience. To rip one out is idiotic.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

It was life expired. Spare parts were not available. Ripping it out was the only solution.

MBQ

Reply to
manatbandq

I do not believe you can possibly give full and proper attention to 10 systems a day no matter what you describe as "a system". Even if it were possible that each and every one was next door to the last one. (Unless you work extremely long hours and have no accounted time travelling to the job.) Eggaggeration undermines your arguments

I recently retired from gas work but certainly in my part of Yorkshire I was one of the few who did WA. Most of the units were aged and the occupants had inherited them. Of the total I used to visit two occupants liked them the remaining 19 or so complained in various permutations about the air movement sensation (call it draught if you like), the muted but annoying "whoosh" sound and various physiological sensations such as dry throats, blocked noses and spread of cooking smells if the kitchen door was left open to allow a return path to the unit intake. Offhand I can't think of any new systems being installed locally but I do know of a couple being removed and wet systems installed.

Reply to
John

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