Moving cold water tank

[rasmanisar]

Hi, first post so please be gentle I'm currently in the process of planning a DIY loft conversion and one of the aspects that will need to change prior to any serious work taking place is that of moving/removing the cold water tank in the loft itself. I'm currently investigating moving the tank as that seems like it would be a much cheaper option than removing the current system and fitting a combi boiler. The way I would move it would be as thus - we actually have two lofts, the main one for the original house, and another above the extension - I was hoping that the tank could simply be moved into the other loft, which I do not plan on developing for some time. Obviously I don't know how feasible this is etc, which is why I have come here for advice.

The alternative is replacing the system with a combi boiler, but really that is an option I'd rather avoid if possible as it will take a chunk out of my budget and my limit for having the work done would be under a £1000. In the event that I did have to go down the route of combi boiler, is it possible to sell on my current boiler to scrape back some cash?

Thanks.

 

[SimonJohns]

I would say you need a plumber in.

These "tanks" require many regulations to be fulfilled

One is temperature control. Another is for. Provision for expansion
Another for overflow and water contamination protection

Also one of the "tanks" may be for the heating. And this could be highly dangerous if not done correctly

 

[rasmanisar]

Oh I absolutely plan to have a plumber perform the job, I was hoping for some assessment of the situation first so I can decide on the right path. I suppose another option would be to simply build a pillar around the tank but that would be difficult in terms of access and also be generally awkward.

 

[SimonG]

Get rid of tanks if certain criteria are met. As SimonJohns said get in a pro.

 

[rasmanisar]

So it's definitely worth trying to replace with a combi? If that's the case, is it likely that I'll be able to sell on my current boiler? It's not very old.

 

[SimonG]

Combi not the only option, get someone in to explain the options, might be able to keep current boiler. Don't know what the scrap value of old gas boilers is at the minute because that's all you'll probably get.

 

[rasmanisar]

Ok thanks for the knowledge. I'll get someone in to share the details. Thanks

 

[secret squirrel]

As described above many options, unvented cylinder: providing you have the correct water pressure and flow, this combined with a system boiler will eliminate the need for any tanks, will also give you the ability to run 2 x bathrooms, Combi boiler if you've only got one bathroom and don't intend to use multiple outlets at the same time. As you've already said move the tanks.

Whatever you do will take a chunk out of your budget but better to do it right now than latter!

 

[rasmanisar]

That sounds like a good option if I could run the system without tanks. I do intend to fit another bathroom in the future, in the other loftspace, but as I said above it would not be soon. I'd like the capacity to have more than one bathroom.

 

[kay-jay]

Well it sounds like you need to plan for the future. If adding a second bathroom i would look at an invented istall

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[heliotrope]

Moving your cold water tank is easily D.I.Yable and
using plastic pipe would keep the cost down (£1000 for the whole conversion)

What needs more thought is the type of boiler system. If it is pressurized then
no problem. You would be able to get the heating up to the loft. If it's not then
you would be looking to move the F&E tank as well and this needs to be done
with care by someone who knows what they are doing.

Whatever system you have you won't get hot water up to the loft unless the
cold water tank is higher than the highest hot water draw off.

 

[SimonJohns]

Moving your cold water tank is easily D.I.Yable and
using plastic pipe would keep the cost down (£1000 for the whole conversion)

What needs more thought is the type of boiler system. If it is pressurized then
no problem. You would be able to get the heating up to the loft. If it's not then
you would be looking to move the F&E tank as well and this needs to be done
with care by someone who knows what they are doing.

Whatever system you have you won't get hot water up to the loft unless the
cold water tank is higher than the highest hot water draw off.

How is it "easily diyable" if there's all of these complications.

And plastic is not my preference. Especially if it's a gravity system. I'm sticking to my guns. You need a professional. If the "tanks" are done wrong it could cause health issues. And with plastic it will probably airlock

 

[Bernie2]

Moving a storage tank is relatively easy if you are moving it to a position of the same height or higher than the place it is already in and retain the same working head pressure. There are a few things to check of course. One basic one is can the new loft position take the weight of a storage tank full of water?
A 70 gall nominal, 60 actual tank weights 600lb of water plus the weight of the tank plus the weight of the person working on it. You can build support platforms of course if the ceiling rafters will not hold it. I would look up "stored water tank (cisterns) positions" if I where you. At least you could get some idea of how feasible it would be to do before you call in a plumber. Try "Polytank" website if its a plastic tank or you intend to fit a plastic tank.

After that and the pipe routes are found to be okay the rest is usually by-law 30 stuff and ventilation to stop condensation. But you can get plenty pf advice about that. It can be a DIY job to do, if you want to tackle it yourself. If a central heating header tank is involved that can be a bit more tricky and requires a bit more info, but still DIY doable. :smile5::smile5:

 

[AWheating]

i would avoid plastic pipework to tanks if possible, especially if you need to run a good distance away from the air cub and trying to keep pipework gradients. possible high temps on pipework under fault conditions is also a factor.

it can be done diy, but it needs alot of careful planning and research to make sure its safe and suitable.