Buying a House with Old Fashioned Air Vent Heating.

dizziblonde

Jowo wrote: »

Our cat loved it and used to park itself in front of the vent in the hallway (because my father yelled at it when it hogged the one in the lounge).

Sounds like a typical cat there then!

donnaessex

We were going to buy a house with warm air heating and the feedback I got from family and friends was all very positive.

We didnt buy in the end but I think its a great idea.

firstaspect

We're just selling a house with warm air heating and have been living with it for around 3 years. It has pros and cons from radiators really.

PROS

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Definately cheaper to run than a full radiator system
Have more wall space as don't have to have radiators
It heats up the rooms with vents in about 5 minutes
Great for drying clothes
In the 3 years we've had it there's only been one problem which cost around £5 to fix, just have to keep the filter clean every few weeks.

Cons

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As well as heating up a room in 5 minutes it will also cool down in about 15mins after you've turned it off.
Rooms without vents (like hallways) stay very cold and don't warm up at all.
It's quite loud when it's turned on.

In summary, it's been ok for the last 3 years but I'm very glad we're moving into a house with a radiator system.

poppysarah

EPC should have energy costs.

I'd want to know how economical these ones were ...

And surely blowing air about means dust - which means there must be filters to maintain?

Lotus-eater

I lived with one years and years ago, it gave me a constant sore throat.

googler

hobnobs_mummy wrote: »

We are currently looking at putting an offer in on a 3bed semi which has the old style air vent heating.
Does anyone have any experience with this sort of heating? or know how much it would cost to install radiators instead?

In terms of installation cost for 'radiators', you should allow for the cost of a full CH system install, as none of the warm-air equipment will be re-usable.

You could leave the warm-air in place and unused, or you could have it removed to release space for a cupboard or such. Extra cost for removal.

Those removing the system should probably be aware that (I'm told) sometimes the cupboards in which they were installed had asbestos linings, and suitable precautions should be taken if disturbing these.....

Bettie

I have had it for 24 years. Had a new system fitted three years ago which is not a lot different to the old one. Once a week I vacuum the metal filter. When I redecorate I remove and vacuum the intake vent( once in a blue moon). My old one was silent until the fan began to go, had two fans fitted in the old ones lifetime and once a year service which was much cheaper than my Mum pays for her service on a combi supplying radiators.
My new one is not quite silent, can just hear a slight whirring when the fan stops - if there is no tv on or other sound, a bit like a fresh air fan. I have a summer setting that blows cool air around the house.
There is a timer, you can have a push pin timer or a fancy digital one. Whatever you choose it is like any other timer. On my old one the push pin broke and to save the expense of calling out an engineer I bought a new plug in timer and used it from that which worked well.
My hot water is on a multipoint from the kitchen so not connected to the warm air in any way. no tank in the attic, no immersion- constant hot water.
For me, it is the very best heating/hot water system I have ever had.
The new ones can have extra filters that remove all the dust for asthma sufferers etc.

vyvyan_2

My daughter's house has this. I am impressed. Very quick to get the place warm as has been said previously. Cats sleeping in front of the vents creating a trip hazard! It is drying though for the washing and the throat. I like the fact you have much more flexibility for your furniture arrangement as radiators take up so much space in the main rooms. I would be quite happy with it myself.

hazyjo

googler wrote: »

Those removing the system should probably be aware that (I'm told) sometimes the cupboards in which they were installed had asbestos linings, and suitable precautions should be taken if disturbing these.....

Good point. My parents' house (well, garage, where it was housed) had this problem! Definitely worth bearing in mind. Any damage to the asbestos can make it deadly. If it's intact, it's okay (I believe). A specialist would have to check it out.

Jx

property.advert

It is crap, expensive and the place will be cold. There is no upside to it at all.