Boiler Question for the Plumbers Here
 

Hi, maybe this should be in DIY but I'm looking to know what I'm dealing with asap. My boiler is basically knackered. Had my plumber patching it up for a while. Now it's not firing and I'm going to just bite the bullet and change it. Bad time of the year though.

Anyway, I can't get a hold of him tonight. I've got a few queries about what can be done. The old boiler heats a tank in the loft. I was planning on having a combi fitted, obviously doing away with the big tank but all the piping needs done as the previous owners had it done with microbore. So everything needs replaced ideally. However, just to get me going through the winter without the hassle of taking up carpets and flooring etc, can a combi be straight swapped with what I have now and heat the tank in the loft for the time being? Or is that not possible?

In that case, is the tank in the loft easy to bypass to use the combi's direct hot water? Or do I need to just bite the bullet and do the whole lot.

Any input appreciated.

Yes the tank in the loft is usually bypassed easy enough, have you looked at a full pressurised system?

You would need to connect the outlet from your existing water heater to the outlet on your combi to bypass what you have, this would mean you shouldn't need to touch anything below it, depending on where you are putting the combi you're also gonna need a cold feed, gas, and heating pipes putting in also power, mine is in the loft on a remote thermostat for the heating.
Also a waste pipe for a condensing boiler
Ps I'm not a plumber :lol1:

you can fit a combi with microbore and the hot tank in the loft will be disconnected (if it's copper, don't let the plumber take it, take it to the scrap yard yourself and get £40 for it)

have you thought about not having a combi and fitting a conventional system with solar hot water or immersun unit?

solar hot water heats the water in panels on the roof and immersun uses solar panels (PV) to run the immersion heater

£40 in scrap for a hot water tank.......ha ha ha

Air To Water Heat Pump is the way forward :)

(powered by PV panels obviously)

Our boiler is about 18 years old and the British Gas man who comes around once a year to service it says it could let go at anytime, or likewise run for another 5+ years. We've got a hot water tank upstairs in a cupboard, so was wondering about replacing the boiler and getting a solar water heating system fitted in one go - would I save much money? Ballpark if anyone knows? I expect our gas usage is mainly down to heating water, mainly because the heating isn't turned on for at least 6 months of the year, so to reduce the amount of gas we burn is quite appealing.

Cheers

-
Q

Our boiler is the one fitted in the house when new in 1988 - so its best part of 28 years old - still going strong never had it serviced, touched, never fails to light - utterly reliable....

Can't even remember what make it is - I think its a Glow Wom (or maybe a Potterton) but never ever have to open the cupboard to look at it! hahaha

A bit different to some of the horror stories I read about the new combi's/pressured etc.

(you watch - I'll go home tonight and it will have broken down - LOL!)

Never have so few words cost somebody so much money :)

Quite! If the chap has a scrap yard paying that, I'd like its details. You'll be lucky to get £15 for a standard sized one at present.

However, I'm still happy to take any unwanted ones away free of charge for you...!

this is correct, just as long as your in a nice area and don't have Pikeys nicking them :)

I ran an Ariston Micro Genius for 10 years it coped with a Family of 5 for that time, in the end i changed it for the Ideal 35, and the differeance is amazing. not only does the water blow me across the bathroom but the heating gets soo hot its like Barbados..

Cant recommend the ideal enough, My dad was a plumber for 40 years and we used to fit Valient which are the best, but i had mine fitted and supplied fr under 1k :)