Central heating question

sebastianj

Hello all, I have a warm front grant to fit central heating. The guys came twice, the first one said ok to fitting combi boiler+ 5 radiaters and said that there is a lot of work.Then a second one came and said that there is not enough water pressure so the best option is to fit storage heaters.
I do feel that I am being given the cold shoulders, I don't like storage heaters, is there any thing I can do??

Kind regards,
seb

adaze

The water pressure would only affect the hot water not the central heating, I would imagine boilers have minimum pressures for the rising main that is required. Storage heaters aren't going to give you hot water (at least I can't work out how they could??), so are they giving you something else to heat your hot water???

jennifernil

The alternative to a combi is to fit an ordinary condensing boiler with a hot water cylinder in which the water is heated (by the boiler), and a cold water tank to supply that.

What do you have at present?

sebastianj

Many thanks Adaze, no they did not say anything about the hot water, I rather not have Electric heating not sure why I feel this.
Jennifernil, they did suggest this and I think they said that they will only supply 4 radiators and I have to pay for the rest 3.
As Adaze suggests that pressure only effects Hot water then I don;t lnow why they don't fit as heating costs are my major worry.
Can I ask someone else to do the job?
rgd
seb

ema_o

I am quite confused why the second chap suggested storage heaters as if your water pressure is not good enough you could have a condensing boiler as jennifer said.
We had people come to look at ours and one chap measured the water with what looked like a funnel type of gadget and said ours was fine. The other 2 chaps simply ran the cold tap and looked at it and said it was fine.
Sounds like the second chap was trying to fob you off, I would get a couple more quotes if you can (I'm not sure if you are restricted who you use with the grant).

ema_o

Oh, and I agree with you about preferring gas heating - we have storage heaters and I can't wait to get rid of them - I think unless you are in the house most of the day they don't work out at all economical and there is no flexibility if it happens to be a hot day and you have charged them over night you just have to open the windows!!

adaze

I guess they are giving you £2700 towards A heating system, but from the website....

The assessor will:

• call you to arrange a convenient time to visit you;
• ask to see proof of your benefits;
• discuss with you the energy improvements that are available under Warm Front; and
• recommend improvements based on what you already have in your home and the needs of your property.

It also says that they will fit gas, ELECTRIC or oil. But I would imagine gas is more effiect (just my opinion though). If I were you try and get the first person back so you can "discuss" (as it says on the website) your requirements. Ask them how they are going to provide your hot water (or why they think your existing setup is appropriate)

Please contact us as soon as possible regarding any concerns you have. Usually a member of our Customer Services team at our Customer Service Centre can resolve any issues you may have. You can contact them on 0800 316 6011.

However if you are unhappy with the resolution provided by them, please e-mail [EMAIL="customer.response@eaga.co.uk"]customer.response@eaga.co.uk[/EMAIL] or write to Customer Response team at eaga House, Archbold Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE2 1DB.

sebastianj

many thanks for very useful views, I already have a gas central heating with tank and cylinder etc. The boiler is very old and I was advised by these chappies not to switch it on, but I can't help it, so cold.
I think they saw the work as too much hardwork and that is why they are trying to talk me out of it plus the fact that there is too much clutter which I would get rid of.
Thanks Adaze, I will use your process, in our street many people have combi boilers fitted, if it is water pressure then my washing machine would not work but it is fine,
rgd
seb

EliteHeat

I don't think that you are understanding the issues.

No responsible installer will recommend a combi if the water pressure is insufficient to justify one and to ensure decent performance.

As a rule of thumb you really need a mains flow rate of at least 15 litres per minute and a pressure of ideally, 2 bar or above.

Your water company has an obligation to supply a minimum of 9 litres per minute at 1 bar. This is not enough to justify even the weediest of combi boilers.

There are plenty of customers who have been conned into having combi conversions done and are now bitterly disappointed.

To put this into perspective, I have just finished a conversion for a customer whose pressure was so great that when I turned the water back on after converting to mains pressure throughout, their WC float valve exploded - actually exploded - now that is the sort of pressure that you want.

jennifernil

sebastianj wrote: »

many thanks for very useful views, I already have a gas central heating with tank and cylinder etc. The boiler is very old and I was advised by these chappies not to switch it on, but I can't help it, so cold.
I think they saw the work as too much hardwork and that is why they are trying to talk me out of it plus the fact that there is too much clutter which I would get rid of.
Thanks Adaze, I will use your process, in our street many people have combi boilers fitted, if it is water pressure then my washing machine would not work but it is fine,
rgd
seb

Is it really just your boiler that needs replacing? Surely rads, pipes, cylinder etc do not need replacing if they are in good condition?

I can see you could need replacements if going for a combi as the pressure in the system is much higher. Personally I would not have a combi, and it would be no use in our house anyway, too many baths and sinks!

I get the impression from many sources, though I may be wrong, that most plumbers are "pushing" the combi systems. Surely it should be what is right for you and your house?

EliteHeat

jennifernil wrote: »

I can see you could need replacements if going for a combi as the pressure in the system is much higher.

Not normally necessary, except for the old Servowarm radiators which tend to explode slightly.