DIY central heating and TRVs etc

Sentinal73

Hi all,

I have bought a 3 bed semi-detached house which needs total renovation. HUGE list of jobs that need doing. Was re-wired a couple of years ago, though will need some additional wiring done.

I’m going to tackle the central heating as one of the first jobs

My idea was to get in a central heating / corgi guy in to fix the boiler and pipes/wiring associated with it, and to fix all the radiators and remaining pipe work myself (I am fairly competent at DIY)

Has anyone had any experience doing it this way, obviously I realise that the fitter wouldn’t guarantee my own work.

I currently have a boiler/immersion combination. I was thinking of replacing it with a combi boiler. I have an electric shower. Are combi boilers more a preference with people or actually better boilers?

Other question is where the best place to fit the thermostat is. Currently it is in the small hallway behind the front door at the bottom of the stairs. This radiator has a RTV fitted currently. After reading on the forum, I thought that the radiator nearest to the thermostat shouldn’t have a RTV fitted?

Also will be fitting a conservatory at some point, not sure what type of heating to put in it, central heating or underfloor heating (electric or central heating type?)

Hope this all makes sense, learning as I go along and don’t quite know all the terminology etc

Oh, anyone know any good books or web sites about central heating?

Many many thanks, I’m sure this wont be the first nor the last time I’ll be asking for help here, will be tackling the double glazing ASAP too!!

alanobrien

I refurbished my heating system, moved some rads, replaced some added TRV's etc and new water tank, then got a Corgi fitter to replace the boiler.

I converted from an open vented system to pressurised using a system boiler. This is a stored water system. Works well for us to have a hot water tank as the bath flow rates are good and the showers are good to.

Probably saved 1K or more so if you can do it, go for it.

ScoobieGirl

Sentinal73 wrote: »

I currently have a boiler/immersion combination. I was thinking of replacing it with a combi boiler. I have an electric shower. Are combi boilers more a preference with people or actually better boilers?

I love my combi boiler. Mo more cold showers because I've been away for the weekend and forgotton to switch the hot water on again. Or there's been a power cut and the timers gone haywire. The lack of airing cupboard is a slight downside, but I would go back.

I thought the general guideline was combi boilers were good for 1/2 bed houses but not so much for larger houses, but they may have come on a bit since we got ours.

Sentinal73 wrote: »

Other question is where the best place to fit the thermostat is. Currently it is in the small hallway behind the front door at the bottom of the stairs. This radiator has a RTV fitted currently. After reading on the forum, I thought that the radiator nearest to the thermostat shouldn’t have a RTV fitted?

We don't have a thermostat. There are water and radiator temp setpoints on the boiler and then I have TRV on all radiators.

Canucklehead

Other question is where the best place to fit the thermostat is. Currently it is in the small hallway behind the front door at the bottom of the stairs. This radiator has a RTV fitted currently. After reading on the forum, I thought that the radiator nearest to the thermostat shouldn’t have a RTV fitted?

Hi
Stat should be 1.5m from the floor and ,yes, the radiator nearest it should have no T.R.V.
Corgi Guy.

Canucklehead

Scoobie.....

We don't have a thermostat. There are water and radiator temp setpoints on the boiler and then I have TRV on all radiators.

You should have a room stat. It stops the boiler cycling on/off.
Corgi Guy.

ScoobieGirl

Canucklehead wrote: »

Scoobie.....

ou should have a room stat. It stops the boiler cycling on/off.
Corgi Guy.

Thanks for the tip.

There was one on the wall when I moved in, but we soon found out it wasn't wired up to anything, just left there when they got rid of the old boiler. Thought it was a bit odd, but assumed the person who fitted it knew what they were doing. (You would have thought I'd learnt by now)

Would I be right in saying that it's not dangerous, just that it'll wear the boiler out sooner?

Sentinal73

Thanks, will try to go with the DIY option.

Anyone know of any good books or web sites about central heating?

Also, whats the opinion of central heating fitters where the householder fits the pipework and radiators and the fitter fits the boiler and connects to the rest of the system......obviously most will say its a bad idea, as they wont get as much work out of it, but as I've said before I'm a faily competant DIYer and on a limited budget so would rather do as much as i can myself.

ScoobieGirl

Sorry, learnt everything I know by word of mouth. Did a search on our local library and there were at least 12 books on central heating. Maybe you could try yours?

EliteHeat

Sentinal73 wrote: »

Also, whats the opinion of central heating fitters where the householder fits the pipework and radiators and the fitter fits the boiler and connects to the rest of the system......obviously most will say its a bad idea, as they wont get as much work out of it, but as I've said before I'm a faily competant DIYer and on a limited budget so would rather do as much as i can myself.

Personally, I wouldn't object but I would charge extra to repair any leaks caused by you which would hold me up fitting and commissioning the boiler. Of course you can check the integrity of your work prior to the boiler being installed. It always best to reach an agreement with your corgi person before starting any work like this, just to make sure you both know what both parties responsibilities are.

Forris

Sentinal73 wrote: »

Thanks, will try to go with the DIY option.

Anyone know of any good books or web sites about central heating?

Also, whats the opinion of central heating fitters where the householder fits the pipework and radiators and the fitter fits the boiler and connects to the rest of the system......obviously most will say its a bad idea, as they wont get as much work out of it, but as I've said before I'm a faily competant DIYer and on a limited budget so would rather do as much as i can myself.

Re. books - I swear by The Which? Book Of Plumbing & Central Heating. It goes into the detail about planning and installation, instead of just having a load of pretty pictures. ISBN 0-85202-610-2.

I'm sure that if you did all the rads and pipework yourself, even down to fitting the boiler (a pretty straightforward job), you could get a Corgi fitter to come in, make the final connections, and commission and test the system. They would have to balance the rads and check the system and boiler for safety, but it would cost you a lot less than a full install. The downside, of course, is that you need to be confident that you could deal with any problems that arose from fitting.

Sentinal73

thanks for all the advice, will take a look at the book and make a start