alpha etec boiler?

ThisIsWeird

Albermarle said:

If your current system actually performs fine - plenty of DHW flow, for instance - then an alternative to your combi could be a smaller, fast-recovery DHWCylinder, and a replacement for your Heat-Only boiler (tho' worth considering 'system' to get rid of the small F&E tank in the loft).

If they changed to a system boiler - so an unvented system running direct off the mains, would that not mean quite a bit of extra costs as an unvented HW tank would have to be fitted with all the extra pipework/safety valves etc ?

A H-O boiler will almost certainly be far more reliable than a combi

Is that actually a widely accepted fact ? Just interested.

Ah, by 'system' boiler, I just mean that the boiler itself, and the radiator system, would now be pressurised, so no F&E tank. The CWS tank would remain for the vented cylinder.
The DHWC can remain vented. Yes, to also change that to unvented would carry additional costs.

Steveotwo

@Albermarle Thank you, so perhaps I should do a simlar timings and see how my bill is affected before upgrading?

FreeBear

One thing that could cut gas consumption is a programmable thermostat - This would allow to set different temperatures throughout the day/week. Some sources say you'll save up to 15%. In reality, the saving is likely to be around 5%.

I fitted a smart thermostat/control to an ancient Baxi boiler and got a 10-12% reduction is gas consumption - Some of that was probably down to better timing & control over hot water.

Steveotwo

@FreeBear thanks for the idea, are they easy to fit DIY or is it a engineer call out job?

Albermarle

Steveotwo said:

@Albermarle Thank you, so perhaps I should do a simlar timings and see how my bill is affected before upgrading?

Sounds like a plan .
 

FreeBear

Steveotwo said:

@FreeBear thanks for the idea, are they easy to fit DIY or is it a engineer call out job?

Some (most ?) boilers require removal of the main casing in order to access the wiring terminals. But you already have cabling connected to the existing timer, so no need to open up the boiler.

As to the ease of DIYing it, that depends on how confident you are working with mains voltage and identifying the correct wires. You'll need a multimeter and not one of those screwdrivers with a neon in the end (known as death sticks for a reason) or a non-contact stick (can give false positives and should never be trusted).

If you have any doubts about ability, get a heating engineer in.

Albermarle

FreeBear said:

Steveotwo said:

@FreeBear thanks for the idea, are they easy to fit DIY or is it a engineer call out job?

Some (most ?) boilers require removal of the main casing in order to access the wiring terminals. But you already have cabling connected to the existing timer, so no need to open up the boiler.

As to the ease of DIYing it, that depends on how confident you are working with mains voltage and identifying the correct wires. You'll need a multimeter and not one of those screwdrivers with a neon in the end (known as death sticks for a reason) or a non-contact stick (can give false positives and should never be trusted).

If you have any doubts about ability, get a heating engineer in.

I have found in the past that heating engineers tend to avoid any electrical work, and say to get an electrician.
Not sure if that is normal or not ?

FreeBear

Albermarle said:

FreeBear said:

Steveotwo said:

@FreeBear thanks for the idea, are they easy to fit DIY or is it a engineer call out job?

Some (most ?) boilers require removal of the main casing in order to access the wiring terminals. But you already have cabling connected to the existing timer, so no need to open up the boiler.

As to the ease of DIYing it, that depends on how confident you are working with mains voltage and identifying the correct wires. You'll need a multimeter and not one of those screwdrivers with a neon in the end (known as death sticks for a reason) or a non-contact stick (can give false positives and should never be trusted).

If you have any doubts about ability, get a heating engineer in.

I have found in the past that heating engineers tend to avoid any electrical work, and say to get an electrician.
Not sure if that is normal or not ?

The Gas Safe "engineer" that installed my boiler last year refused to do the (most basic) electrical work - I had to wire the darned thing in to the mains and connect the battery operated (programmable) thermostat. It would have been a reasonable expectation that he was competent to do the basics....