newbie to the forum, needs advice on central heating

[spycatcher]

Hi All, i'm new to this forum and though not a complete novice at plumbing I'm about to embark on a large project (for me that is) and would appreciate some of your expert advice before i start spending the cash on the materials

I have bought an old house (to retire in) and i intend installing a central heating system. My wife and i will be the sole occupants of the house with visitors occasionally. The house is a 3 bedroom, 3 shower / bathrooms bungalow, double glazed throughout. There is a hallway that runs down through the length of the house, approx 20M long with rooms going off to either side. I plan to install a woodburning stove in the lounge / dining room, an lpg tank and a Worcester Greenstar 30CDi Conventional Regular HE Boiler LPG Gas boiler, open vent system.

I intend running a 22mm, i believe its called a manifold, right down the hall and taking 15mm spurs of it to run in total 12 radiators, 3 towel rails and also heat a 140ltr hot water tank in the loft

I have been trawling the internet for days now reading and reading up about it untill my eyes are going wonky. Not to mention the heat loss calculator driving me around the twist

Do you think the boiler will have enough ooomph to run everything and do you think the hot water tank is to big/small.

Please excuse me if i have some of the terminology wrong. Thank you all in advance

 

[dontknowitall]

Are you installing the boiler and log burner yourself?

 

[spycatcher]

hi dontknowitall,

yes i intend installing it myself but i think i have to get a proper gas guy to hook it up and check it out

 

[dancinplumba]

sounds a big hse, is it well insulated ? is double glazing energy eff ? good loft insulation, if retiring want to keep bills down
imo

 

[spycatcher]

hi dancinplumba,

thanks for the reply, yes i do need to watch the pennies, hence i need to do it myself, not to mention i do need a project to keep me going

 

[diamondgas]

:welcome: to the forum spycatcher

30kW's is a lot of umph IMO & will handle quite a large house no problem at all. Average older 3 bed semi, 8 rads, needs 10-15kW I'd say so you have scope for some big radiators and rooms

In your trawling did you read up on building regulation requirements for installations? Are you zoning your system? Providing the right requirements for loft installation etc? Just wondering

 

[dancinplumba]

zoning...good mention DG

 

[spycatcher]

Hi diamomdgas,

i appreciate all the advice i can get

i havent read up about the building regulation requirements for installations. where can i see that. and zoning ???

it does have loft insulation but i'm quite prepared to put in more if its required

the front of the house is actually triple glazed

its in a fairly sheltered spot

 

[dancinplumba]

Hi diamomgas,

i appreciate all the advice i can get

i havent read up about the building regulation requirements for installations. where can i see that. and zoning ???

it does have loft insulation but i'm quite prepared to put in more if its required

the front of the house is actually triple glazed

its in a fairly sheltered spot

put as much as pos, min 270mm rockwool
what about walls ?

 

[spycatcher]

thanks for that dancinplumba

the outside walls are about 3 foot thick

its 186 years old

do you think the 140ltr hot water tank is adequate or would it be sensible to put in a larger one

 

[diamondgas]

Hi diamomdgas,

i appreciate all the advice i can get

i havent read up about the building regulation requirements for installations. where can i see that. and zoning ???

it does have loft insulation but i'm quite prepared to put in more if its required

the front of the house is actually triple glazed

its in a fairly sheltered spot

Click on this link spycatcher http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_PTL_DOMHEAT.pdf should take you to the document worthy of a read Page15 most deffo

 

[dontknowitall]

I wondered about whether you were employing a GasSafe chappie which, thankfully, you are.

Many of us know that not all customers are wealthy enough to spend thousands re-plumbing their houses. What some of us are happy to do is to give advice to customers as long as we receive part of the job.

In your case why don't you ask for one or two quotes for the installation of a boiler. When phoning (and before they visit) tell them of your plans and whether they'd be happy to give advice for the pipework (letting them work with you for a day or two makes it worthwhile). This way, you can have a boiler installed well and mated up with pipework that will work.

It's difficult for anyone to say much on this forum without much more knowledge. We can give pointers here and there but there might be other stuff we'd notice that would be worth mentioning if we were to visit your house.

What I'm saying is that if you can find a plumber to install the boiler and have a couple of days' work, you'll probably save yourself much in time and hassle.

imho, naturally!

 

[spycatcher]

thats great diamond gas thanks

does it include the "zoning" you mentioned

and what about the 140ltr hw tank, do you think i could put in a bigger one?

 

[spycatcher]

hi dontknowitall,

there is no mains gas in the area so i have to get an lpg tank put in and i think they will give me a price for installing the tank plus a boiler and if the price is right i may just get them to do that.

i am quite capable of most things building wise but i do realise gas is a rather specialist trade and would get in an expert to make sure things were right.in saying that i am on a tight budget and would like to do most things myself.

the 3 bathrooms are not there yet i have still to build them, so more money

theres a lot to do to it but its in such a beautifful spot overlooking the kyles of bute, we just had to buy it

 

[spycatcher]

Hey diamondgas,

i clicked on the link to the building regulations

i may be gone some time

 

[diamondgas]

Hey diamondgas,

i clicked on the link to the building regulations

i may be gone some time

Popped out for a wee while then

There's a minimum requirement section on page 15 that lets you know what you require to conform to building regulations. It includes zoneing, temperature controls etc. Regards the cylinder, is it going to be unvented or vented? Personally i really dissuade folk from putting a huge amount of water in a place that'll cause most damage should/when it leaks There's also a need for access, loft lights and boarding for safe working, a loft ladder with rail ... etc. However if its the only place for the thing then that's where it's going!

 

[spycatcher]

was away for a wee while too

we seem to have inherited a peacock with the house and he needs fed

the cylinder will be vented, from what i've read it seems to me to be the safest and easiest for me to do plus i understand the system better than the closed systems, expansion tanks etc.

i do want to do the thing right and i will get in the gas guys to check out my work, i'm a wee bit of a perfectonist and i do want to comply with building regs etc, its just having to decifer the beurocratic language takes longer than doing the job itself

i was hoping you guys might help me to cut through the gobbledegook

 

[TBServices]

There's more to fitting a boiler than connecting and checking the gas isn't leaking.

I would suggest if you want to do the plumbing yourself, doing this first then having a professional come in, hang, plumb and commission the boiler so it's safe and legal.

Why are you going for a Worcester boiler? They don't deserve their reputation IMHO. overpriced and unreliable, also have condensate issues in the cold winters.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[dontknowitall]

Log burners also require a competent person or building inspection.

I'm not suggesting you don't do the plumbing - far from it!

I'm suggesting that apart from the boiler installation you pay this chappie to help you for a couple of days and ask him about pipe sizes, runs, zoning, etc. He'll be much more willing to help if he has a boiler installation plus a couple of days of work, as opposed to just a boiler to install. Who knows, he just might know someone who can help with the log burner for not too much money.

 

[spycatcher]

hi tbservices, i do understand that, as i said in my previous post i do intend getting in a gas guy to check my work before it gets switched on

the only reason i picked a worcester was because there is a combi one in the house we are in at the moment and has given us no trouble whatsoever

the reason i came onto this forum was to get advice from proffesionals. what boiler would you suggest?

 

[spycatcher]

hi logburner, i do apreciate your advice and may well do as you suggest

i wasnt thinking particularly of getting a wood stove with a back boiler but if you think it would be worth it i will consider it

cheers

 

[diamondgas]

i was hoping you guys might help me to cut through the gobbledegook

Ask the questions spycatcher and you may get the answers .... You'll most likely get a bit of flack too but that comes with the teretory I guess

Reason i mentioned zoning is because all new installations require separating the heating system .. Kind of day time/night time areas of occupancy! Other must have's are thermostatic radiator valves, room thermostats for each zone and a means of timing when you want the heating on and off!

There's some gobeldegook removed However vthere's a great deal more to instalation than just running a coup[le of pipes here and there IMO but I understand where you're comming from!

Get it right and you're in the good books, get it wrong and you're in the dog house!!! lol

 

[spycatcher]

yeh i feel like i'm walking a bit of a tightrope here

i do intend having thermostatic radiator valves on each radiator and will have a 7 day timer

i believe i have to have one radiator without a trv

i didnt know i had to have room thermostats too

i wish i had 10 - 15 grand to spare and sitting back and getting proffesionals in to do the whole job but i dont

 

[PlumbBobBob]

the separate room stats are to control the temps of the separate zones

 

[Rickster123]

yeh i feel like i'm walking a bit of a tightrope here

i do intend having thermostatic radiator valves on each radiator and will have a 7 day timer

i believe i have to have one radiator without a trv

i didnt know i had to have room thermostats too

i wish i had 10 - 15 grand to spare and sitting back and getting proffesionals in to do the whole job but i dont

10 - 15 grand?! I'd do it for 9!