Hi all - would be graetful for any help with the following:
I currently have a hot water system that I inherited when I moved into my house about 5 months ago. I have a Grants outdoor oil fired boiler which has two pairs of feed and return pipes. These pipes appear to seperately heat the water for the ch and hw systems.
The ch system is an open vented and pumped system, but does need frequent radiator bleeding in the upstairs bedrooms.
The hw system is, I think, gravity fed. The hw tank (140l) is about 3 metres from the boiler, but on a raised shelf in a cupboard - so that it sits higher than the boiler. The hw system isn't pumped and heating the relatively small tank takes quite a long time.
So, I got a reputable firm of plumbers to come out and give me a quote for upgrading the hw system to a pumped system. They have suggested an S plan, removing one pair of the feed and return pipes and installing a auto-bypass valve to the heatin circuit. They've also suggested changing the ch to a pressurised system with an 18l expansion vessel. Apparently, that should stop the draw of air into the upstair radiators.
Would be good to get views on the following:
Is removal of one pair of feed and returns from the boiler and installation of the valve the best way to go? Why not just retain the two pairs of feed and returns and pump the hw? Is an S plan the best option?
Is a sealed hw system worth converting to? I think that there's clearly an issue with the current ch set-up. I've previously posted and been given advice to look for pipes tee-ing into the system beside the ch pump. I can't find any, so suspect that the ch design is flawed.
Total quote for convering the system, adding a room and boiler thermostat is £1000. I know that there will be regional differences in quotes, but any views on reasonableness woul be welcomed. We're in Fife.
Thanks in advance
Brian
I currently have a hot water system that I inherited when I moved into my house about 5 months ago. I have a Grants outdoor oil fired boiler which has two pairs of feed and return pipes. These pipes appear to seperately heat the water for the ch and hw systems.
The ch system is an open vented and pumped system, but does need frequent radiator bleeding in the upstairs bedrooms.
The hw system is, I think, gravity fed. The hw tank (140l) is about 3 metres from the boiler, but on a raised shelf in a cupboard - so that it sits higher than the boiler. The hw system isn't pumped and heating the relatively small tank takes quite a long time.
So, I got a reputable firm of plumbers to come out and give me a quote for upgrading the hw system to a pumped system. They have suggested an S plan, removing one pair of the feed and return pipes and installing a auto-bypass valve to the heatin circuit. They've also suggested changing the ch to a pressurised system with an 18l expansion vessel. Apparently, that should stop the draw of air into the upstair radiators.
Would be good to get views on the following:
Is removal of one pair of feed and returns from the boiler and installation of the valve the best way to go? Why not just retain the two pairs of feed and returns and pump the hw? Is an S plan the best option?
Is a sealed hw system worth converting to? I think that there's clearly an issue with the current ch set-up. I've previously posted and been given advice to look for pipes tee-ing into the system beside the ch pump. I can't find any, so suspect that the ch design is flawed.
Total quote for convering the system, adding a room and boiler thermostat is £1000. I know that there will be regional differences in quotes, but any views on reasonableness woul be welcomed. We're in Fife.
Thanks in advance
Brian
