Do you need a boiler with a unvented system such as a Megaflow (or other brand?)

[itstime222]

Hi,

Question - we are planning to upgrade our heating and hot water system in the near future. We are oil 'fed' and have poor hot water pressure so were planning on getting a megaflow or similar system. Am I right saying that we need to have both a boiler as well as the Megaflow, or does the megaflow replace the oil boiler as well?

I have also seen that you can get electricity powered megaflow's, if you go down this route do you still need the oil boiler? And are they ridiculously inefficient on the electric?

Finally, if we need to keep an oil fuelled boiler as well as the Megaflo, can this be situated outside?

Thanks for your help!!! Im baffled!

 

[Last Plumber]

Hi,

Question - we are planning to upgrade our heating and hot water system in the near future. We are oil 'fed' and have poor hot water pressure so were planning on getting a megaflow or similar system. Am I right saying that we need to have both a boiler as well as the Megaflow, or does the megaflow replace the oil boiler as well?

I have also seen that you can get electricity powered megaflow's, if you go down this route do you still need the oil boiler? And are they ridiculously inefficient on the electric?

Finally, if we need to keep an oil fuelled boiler as well as the Megaflo, can this be situated outside?

Thanks for your help!!! Im baffled!

The Megaflow is a cylinder / tank for storing water. They are normally mains fed but you could use a cold water storage tank and a pump to feed it, if your main is poor ?

Normally the Boiler would heat it but you can use the immersion heater only if you like. They are 3KW and won't heat the cylinder completely like a boiler would do. ( fully )

You could ( if site permits ) have an external boiler, yes

 

[itstime222]

The Megaflow is a cylinder / tank for storing water. They are normally mains fed but you could use a cold water storage tank and a pump to feed it, if your main is poor ?

Normally the Boiler would heat it but you can use the immersion heater only if you like. They are 3KW and won't heat the cylinder completely like a boiler would do. ( fully )

You could ( if site permits ) have an external boiler, yes

Hi there - ah okay I see. Our mains isn't that bad - sorry was getting confused!

So it sounds like I need both really - or it would work better if we had both. I'm thinking boiler outside and then the megaflo in an airing cupboard somewhere upstairs. I suppose the only other option is a combi boiler but its an old 3 bed, 2 bath house with bad pipes so my understanding is that the combi wont be man enough for the job..

When you say site permits - do you mean we would need a permit, or if do you mean if we have somewhere to put it?

Thanks again.

 

[Last Plumber]

Hi there - ah okay I see. Our mains isn't that bad - sorry was getting confused!

So it sounds like I need both really - or it would work better if we had both. I'm thinking boiler outside and then the megaflo in an airing cupboard somewhere upstairs. I suppose the only other option is a combi boiler but its an old 3 bed, 2 bath house with bad pipes so my understanding is that the combi wont be man enough for the job..

When you say site permits - do you mean we would need a permit, or if do you mean if we have somewhere to put it?

Thanks again.

I meant somewhere to put it that falls in line with regs.

Personally, I think you've already got the best idea. Boiler and Cylinder.
I would go for a Vaillant cylinder myself.

There are lots of makes of cylinders and Boilers (Vaillant don't make oil fired Boilers) and each Engineer will have their own preferences. There are other options too, for example, Vaillant do an aurostor cylinder which has two coils ( thing that boiler uses to heat it up ) so if at a later date you wanted to add, say, solar panels to heat your water, it would already be in place.


Best thing to do is find a recommended Heating engineer, who is G3 qualified and also has the relevant Oil qualifications.

I presume your existing Boiler has come to the end of it's life ?

You need someone to see it really because there are things that need checking, like water pressure and flow, Heating system water etc.

 

[Riley]

Your best bet in the first instance is to get an engineer out who carries the G3 ticket as you need this to install and work on unvented cylinders. If he's any good he will test your static and dynamic pressure as well as your flow and make a recommendation based on your circumstances. Would obviously help if he were Oftec (oil qualified) too