Replacement hot water cylinder

margaretclare

Hi VS

Your Mum is applying for a WarmFront grant - is she hoping to replace the boiler and upgrade the whole system? If so, she could ask for a combination boiler which won't require a hot water cylinder. That's what we've got 'in the pipeline'. Warning: I applied for a WarmFront grant at end of June, the approved installer has only just sent their quote to WF, we may get the actual work done sometime Feb/March, so a 9-month wait is realistic (2 months between the surveyors' visit and the quote being sent to WF!) Nothing will happen this winter. However, we'd prefer to have the combination boiler because there's no point in having 40 gallons of water sitting in the loft being kept hot when 2 of us, wrinklies, don't use that much hot water, and what we do use is mainly in the mornings (shower each daily, washing-machine 2 or 3 times a week). Not like e.g. a family where people might have baths in the evening.

It's also worth remembering, for those older people on the Staywarm system where you pay a set amount according to number of bedrooms/inhabitants, not on usage, that if you get a modern boiler and updated system your gas usage is likely to tumble, so Staywarm may NOT be the best and cheapest option.

HTH

Margaret

Canucklehead

Hi

If I were asked to price this as a job in my part of Kent it would be £450 to £500.

Apart from the cylinder itself,that would include a new immersion heater and test electrics, (if one were fitted originally.) Any other fittings to adapt the new cylinder.
Insulation to hot water pipes as per Part 'L'.

Good luck

Corgi Guy.

HugoSP

The only other comment I would make is the pipes being in the right place can make a bit of a difference. The one I did a couple of years ago (referred to above) had the primary flow and return entering different sides of the cylinder. This actually meant quite a lot of replumbing and boxing in etc of the return back to where it entered the airing cupboard. The new cylinder had both flow and return entering the same side - one directly above the other.

vegansaver

Thanks Canucklehead, She had a call back from the company asking how they found their service and was now in a position to tell them they were considerably overcharging her.

margaretclare, She has just put in motion a warmfront grant. However, they have told her they don't replace hot water tanks so it's a matter of whether they deem her boiler needs replacing. If so she'll go for the combination boiler and get rid of the need for the tank. The man who services her boiler has been warning her for a number of years that it is on its last legs and has frequently had to come out and mend it.

One other matter though is that she is not on gas but oil. Since mentioning getting a oil combination boiler she has had 2 people warn her that these aren't overly realible unlike the gas fired boilers.

Does anyone else have any experience of this?

Many thanks again, your input has been invaluable.

Canucklehead

Hi
I think oil is as reliable as gas.

Oil condensing boilers are more efficient than gas by a couple of %.

https://www.oftec.co.uk might help.

Corgi Guy.

moonrakerz

Just had mine replaced, plus immersion heater.

£428-76 inc VAT.