changing from warm air heating to radiators

simongregson

Worth getting it serviced properly, we had ours done and firstly it now is on a lot less to heat the house (presumably removing dirt made it more efficient). Not only that, our flue was leaking a bit as it had dropped from its mounting in the roof. Cost a bit to have done, but our gas fitter is trained on these (there are loads in northampton!)

Not contemplating replacing it though. It is much quicker than radiators, at about 25-30 years old still works fine and our son can't burn himself on radiators!

George_Bray

C_Mababejive wrote: »

One of the biggest dangers is if the fan unit is allowed to create a negative pull on the flue. In this case,it sucks down on the flue and redistributed the products of combustion throughout the house via the warm air outlets

You say: "allowed". Do you mean via system degredation due to lack of servicing or something? What circumstances, exactly, would lead to the situation which you describe?

billykid

I currently have a Halstead Warm Air System, it heats up a central colum and warm air emits from three vents down stairs, there are no vents upstairs. the unit is approx 23 years old. I have looked into having the unit replaced by Johnson Stanley but have been quoted £3800 this to me seems far to expensive for what is in effect a change of boiler and some ducting. Has anyone else had quotes from them?

I have also had quotes for a combi boiler and 6 raditors coming in at under £2,000 so you can see my dilema?

Any comments views appreciated.

Ringo1964

I lived with a normal "wet" radiator system for many years until we moved in 2001 to a property with warm air heating, the only down side i have experienced is with the drying of wet clothes which was previously a snip with a house full of radiators but in saying that the cost and advantages of the warm air system would seem to outway the cons. I had my unit serviced today at a cost of £94 by a registered and qualified engineer from a local company, and the only issue i have had was with a blower that needed replacing 2 years ago. I am thinking of replacing my old Johnson and Starley with a new model with a more efficient model and cant understand why anyone would change to the wet system if they already have one of these in situ. In my view, "if it aint broke, then dont fix it"!!!!!

pete3080

Billykid,
The Warm Air quote sounds high and the combi boiler low. I was wondering about calling J&S and also about finding a local installer. I'd think J&S being in Northampton either have local installers and take a cut or travel to see you.

There's a good site called miketheboilerman.com who explains why a quote might be low and unapproved short cuts that keep costs down.

Our J&S boiler (1996) works well but I was wondering if newer ones have anything significantly different. Especially a more sophisticated timer and room controls.

Pete

billykid wrote: »

I currently have a Halstead Warm Air System, it heats up a central colum and warm air emits from three vents down stairs, there are no vents upstairs. the unit is approx 23 years old. I have looked into having the unit replaced by Johnson Stanley but have been quoted £3800 this to me seems far to expensive for what is in effect a change of boiler and some ducting. Has anyone else had quotes from them?

I have also had quotes for a combi boiler and 6 raditors coming in at under £2,000 so you can see my dilema?

Any comments views appreciated.

whuhammer

Stan_Bell wrote: »

Ive read with interest and amusment some of the comments regarding warm air heating and some of the untruths reported by some people on this site.
The truth about warm air heating is that it is alive and thriving.The range of air heaters available to replace heaters fitted in the 70,s and 80,s is vast.Furthermore all new heaters are fully Part L compliant (building regulations)
If you are considering a replacement of an existing heater it is a simple job and by far less expensive than a full system replacement using boiler and radiators.Additionally you must consider the life time costs of each system ie how long it will last ,how much will it cost to service and maintain.It is common for warm air heaters to last 25 years plus yet a modern boiler may only last 10 years.
Dont beleive it when installers tell you that parts are no longer available or that warm air heaters are not manufactured nowadays,or that they dont comply with building regs.It simply isnt true.
Check out comments from other readers of this site and you will find that warm air heating is many peoples prefered option.

I am just in the process of buying a 3 bed house with warm air heating and am considering changing to wet radiator heating but am unsure after reading some of the posts on this forum. My main concern now is that I am asthmatic and my middle son is prone to chest infections and have heard only bad things from other asthmatics who have claimed to have warm air heating.
Are any of you fans of warm air heating asthmatic?

simongregson

whuhammer wrote: »

I am just in the process of buying a 3 bed house with warm air heating and am considering changing to wet radiator heating but am unsure after reading some of the posts on this forum. My main concern now is that I am asthmatic and my middle son is prone to chest infections and have heard only bad things from other asthmatics who have claimed to have warm air heating.
Are any of you fans of warm air heating asthmatic?

I am not asthmatic myself, but new systems can be fitted with electrostatic filters that actually remove allergens from the air they blow around.

dchantry

We are in the process of purchasing a 4 bedroom house (about 27 years old) that has a Lennox warm air heating system. One thing I have noticed is that the unit is quite noisy when it is running and even noisier in one of the bedrooms where the return ducting runs that runs back to the heater is fitted in a cupboard. Everything is soundproofed.

I've been told that the system is a good one and that it is regulary serviced but was wondering if the newer units are quieter and if it is worthwhile swapping out.


If so what is the best way to approach this, who is the best people who supply the units and what sort of prices are we talking?

richardc1983

I would perhaps get someone in to check that the fan motor/s are not worn this could be creating the extra noise. Perhaps the unit has a fan speed selector try it on a lower speed to see if this helps.

philangst1

I replaced an old J&S unit with a newer one (economire 50) about 8 years ago (not cheap) and have had nothing but trouble with it really, in fairness it was mostly with the hot water but in the end I put it on a British Gas service contract and they have been out to it 13 times in 2 years. The latest problem (and the last one) was the fan disintegrated in the boiler, it had been very loud for a few months but suddenly stopped working one weekend. This was the last straw really and I have it replaced with a Worcester Bosch combi boiler and 10 rads last week. Time will tell if this is any better or more economical. I liked the warm air when it worked but it was just too unreliable, we tried to sell our house earlier in the year but I got the impression it was putting buyers off. I cant get used to the sight of radiators on the wall yet and the installer is still finishing off the job but at least we have hot water!

I've lived with warm air for the last 10 years so its not that bad. It does warm up fast but I found it heated the house inconsistently ( too hot some rooms too cold in others), its dusty even with the electronic filter and takes up a lot of space. Its a shame because the boiler has had so many parts swapped it was virtually new but I couldn't go through another winter with it, even so, slightly sad to see it go.