Worth it to have Economy 7?

When our heating broke last winter, some kind soul donated a calor gas heater, but we didn't think about opening a window because it's standing in an open fireplace. We spent many hours just dozing off and not knowing why, until we were told. Oops.

Reply to
Maria
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All modern ones will automatically switch off if CO levels get too high or O2 levels drop too low. (Using a very simply mechanism as well).

Reply to
Cynic

We've just got shot of them and gone for E-ON around 450 quid a year cheaper gas and leccy..

Reply to
tony sayer

We were told in April we could have it, it packed up completely in October, and we got the new one in February, about a week before the cold snap ended. Natch.

Valliant's a good make I think, but then I thought Potterton was until it spat out a circuit board once a year, always about two weeks outside the guarantee period.

Maybe you had a narrow escape - this is what my new boiler looks like -

(no it's not a dodgy photo - the pipes are not parallel)

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really sound ungrateful but if I want to rent the house out in the future I'm going to have to do something about it.

Reply to
Maria

Commercial storage heaters, rebadged AEG, Miele, Electrolux, many others

- Creda TSF Turbo

- Dimplex VFM

They are the top units actually made in Germany.

There are some oddball units out there

- Elnur 2-3-4-5 kW - most people only carry the 2-4kW (*1)

- Stiebel Eltron 3-4-5-6-7-8 kW - the 8kW is very long :-)

(*1) Elnur have no peak rate boost-element (eg, 700W 1000W etc). Also check what the real capacity is because I think some quote an 8hr total charge (Manchester?) when the more common E7 is of course 7hr. They are a bit uglier than the Dimplex & Creda type, but cheaper.

Whilst a dumb "box of bricks" 24kWhr will cost =A3300-350, the "fan gets heat out" 32kWhr will cost =A3700-850. So the UK tends to go for the former, whereas Germany & USA go for the latter with thermostat on- demand heating like GCH. Shops tend to fit the commercial fan units because they work well, no plumbing risk, any charge not used offsets the charge period the next night, temperature can be carefully controlled. However if the shop is selling soft drinks & ice-cream the freezers they get usually means they drop the additional heaters and they can be had for =A350-100 only a few months old (how I got one cheap).

Interestingly the single 1984 heater had a brutally fierce heat in the morning & stone cold by 7-11pm, whereas the twin 2009 heaters have a moderate heat all day long through to 11pm. Indeed I only noticed two nights ago when checking that I could open the room thermostat from min to max at 11pm and pour a substantial amount of heat out. Sizing really does matter, and I think the heater insulation may have improved. That puzzles me somewhat because the 1984 heater had white silica which should be better than the 2009 heater rockwool. I think the 2009 heater has thicker insulation AND is noticeably taller (more correctly it sits closer to the floor) than the 1984 heater. If the front panel insulation slab (silica) is not fitted correctly then the heat loss out the front will be substantial and the heater will not perform very well. Extremely easy to do - the UK "box of bricks" are not particularly well designed in that regard, it's a bit heath robinson.

Reply to
js.b1

next to that switch. And maybe that filling loop doesn't need to be right on that corner...

Some boilers I think have the option of a pipe being routed behind the boiler (with an entry or exit at the top).

I don't think renters care about that, it's not their boiler; it just needs to work.

Reply to
BartC

There's a big brassy cylinder thing sticking out at the bottom also - some kind of trap. This one has more bits and pieces on it than my previous two did.

This one has a big space behind for all the pipes AIUI, but WF only do basic installations. Making a special effort to hide them is not 'basic' apparently, though I'd have thought it would use less copper pipe!

I can only tell you that the hideousness of it does not come across that well in the photo - I was going to decorate the kitchen but I can't be bothered now.

Reply to
Maria

Any long-term renter would probably care. What I would do is simply put a few of bits of wood around the whole thing to make a corner-cupboard for the boiler and pipes. Less than £100 and a weekend of work for any amateur DIY-er.

Reply to
Cynic

That is a complete and total utter bodge. If that lot cost over 2000 then someone somewhere is wearing a mask and carrying a bag marked swag

Reply to
AlanG

You could box the whole lot in but if you do you need to make sure the boiler can operate without room ventilation and put full length doors on the front for access to boiler and pipes

Reply to
AlanG

Relatively cheap to install apart from the electric supply to each heater, the new CU and the £200 to buy each heater!

Reply to
ARWadsworth

Maria, box it in (all of it). Alternatively cut down a cupboard and stick a door on the front, making the cupboard lift-off (you can buy brackets which lift off). The instructions will say what ventilation it requires, as in a bottom vent & top vent of certain area etc.

Remember to fix the hole in the ceiling, just in case you miss it (!).

I would have moved the SFCU on the RHS further away from the pipework, but that is just me. Others cable tie the supply cable to the lead gas pipe, making it festoon on its cramps, but the cable ties are at the correct spacing for the cable diameter...

Reply to
js.b1

2.5k according to the invoice thing I had to sign. The bloke was really ill with some terminal disease and had two thick sons doing the donkey work. It put me in a bit of a quandary, and I didn't feel that I should complain. I hoped that the WF inspector might say something, but he seemed to think it was acceptable - it works and I suppose that's satisfactory.
Reply to
Maria

The box will have to be massive and stick out into the walking space (that's the bathroom door at the end), due to the location of the mains power point which is almost behind the pipework. At the side, the remote control switch thingy is up close to the boiler so it would have to come this side of that. The ceiling is high. Apart from saving up for a few years to get it moved into what was the airing cupboard (behind wall on left), I can't really think of anything else I can do to hide it without putting enormous pieces of wood in there.

Reply to
Maria

Please see my reply to Alan G

Reply to
Maria

Sounds like a good idea, as long as it will be wide enough. I have the manuals which have the clearances on it, but I might have to move some electrical points (mains switch and RC thermostat thingy)

SFCU?

Unfortunately they wouldn't move anything, even for cash. :) The overseeing electrician was ok with it, though having said that, I paid him 25 to remove a ceiling fan and replace it with a cheap pendant and it hasn't worked since!

Reply to
Maria

I've just checked the scrap of paper that came with it (allegedly the 'manual', but I can't see anything about that. I'll have to double check.

Reply to
Maria

Many thanks :-)

I have made a note and will think about those as part of the overall scheme.

Reply to
Jeff Gaines

Get the fused spur moved.

Measure what size is needed to just clear the pipes and the front.

Look around for a kitchen cupboard to fit, get it cut down on a table saw. If you can not find something suitable simply fix battens to the wall as necessary, then go to B&Q and get them to cut down MDF on their "wall saw" (gives a superb cut, better than the admittedly old

20k american table saw at the local hardware saw). Then paint it.

You can make a door out of MDF and hinge it. To make the entire cupboard easily removable search on Ebay for "Rigifix". These require a 12mm hole in the wall, you push in a nylon plug, then screw in a threaded tube with an allen key, into that you can screw in a standard M6 or M8 machine screw. That makes a VERY easy remove-refit system which even the most clueless fool can manage. You just need to draw out the dimensions and B&Q will cut to size for free.

Moving the boiler, well I would only do that at failure - otherwise it is a lot of money to achieve little.

Reply to
js.b1

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I'll take a look! The problem of course is that a company that is cheaper this month - may well be more expensive next month!

Reply to
Ret.

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