Differant opinions?!

[MartinB85]

So we've just had 2 quotes for new boiler installations, the price isn't the issue as such but the opinions between both engineers who are locally run, and have been around for 20+ years.

Our house is a 3 bed detached and about 890 sqft, so not a huge house really, 4 radiators downstairs 4 upstairs and one bathroom.

We currently have a very old floor standing glowworm heat only boiler under the stairs (at least 25 years old), and a cylinder and tank in the loft (which are quite new by the looks of it... we have only just bought the place).

The first engineer advised due to the size of the house we should keep the gravity fed system and stick with a heat only boiler but obviously get a new one installed, we also wanted to move the boiler upstairs into the airing cupboard but he advised to leave it where it is.

The next engineer advised he was talking bullsh*t and rather didnt want the hassle of removing the tanks and boiler or didn't know an awful lot. He advised we should get rid of the tank considering theres only 2 of us with 1 bathroom which won't change and that even with a couple of children it wouldnt be an issue. He advised having tanks in the loft is a risk in itself and gthat a combi boiler would be just as good if not better. He also said that moving the boiler is perfectly fine it's just a bit more work, but gives us more space. The 2nd guy also quoted us better, including more radiators and a full new pipe system so we didnt have to worry about the pressure from the new boiler in the old pipes.

As we mentioned price isn't a huge issue but I was wondering if anyone could advise on who is in the right here?

The first guy also told us to block up the airvents in the house, which seemed a bit odd... I could understand new builds not needing airvents nowadays but a house that was built in 1925 i'd expect it would need some decent circulation.

 

[James1991]

The first guy sounds like a bit of a chancer.
If there's no reason why the boiler can't be moved says enough. It's your house, and it's what you want.
He's looking for the easiest solution with maximum profit.

 

[dilalio]

If you have good flow and pressure, my opinion would be to go for the combi. Why don't you ask the installer if he can give you the contact details of a recent customer who wouldn't mind you calling them to ask how they found his service and the performance of the new system.
But determine your flow rate, which he should have done.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Each option has its benefits. A decent installer would have explained both, then priced for either or both so you can make an informed decision.

I wouldn't trust either of them personally.

 

[dilalio]

where are you located OP?

 

[dilalio]

Each option has its benefits. A decent installer would have explained both, then priced for either or both so you can make an informed decision.

I wouldn't trust either of them personally.

Dan! I tried to pm you t'other day... By starting a conversation as I can't see how to PM via my iPhone! Did you get the request? Or don't you do them out of principle?

 

[Dan Robinson]

Will have a look - don't tend to check them very often - just finishing off some banking and will have a squiz.

 

[dilalio]

I hope you meant banking!

 

[Agile]

Typically I can fit replacement heat only new boiler in the same place for about £1750.

In a new place about £1950.

To convert to a combi about £2250.

But if the cylinder and loft tank are in good condition I would advise keeping them.

In a small house with two people, I have to agree there is not a lot of benefit from the cylinder. But that's not my point. They work better with a higher flow rate and for a lower installation cost.

Tony

 

[Dan Robinson]

 

[bernardgreen]

In a small house with two people, I have to agree there is not a lot of benefit from the cylinder.

Try getting hot water from a combi during a power cut. Maybe there is a combi that can provide hot water during a power cut, if there is please tell.

 

[dilalio]

Typically I can fit replacement heat only new boiler in the same place for about £1750.

In a new place about £1950.

"A new place"! - next door perhaps

 

[dilalio]

In a small house with two people, I have to agree there is not a lot of benefit from the cylinder.

Try getting hot water from a combi during a power cut. Maybe there is a combi that can provide hot water during a power cut, if there is please tell.

And when was the last time you had a power cut? I think we had one last year, for about 30 seconds; before that, I think it was 40 years ago when I was about 5 and we had regular power supply problems... 3 day working week I think!?
On the other side of the coin... Try providing constant HW for a family of 5 with small cylinder.

 

[bernardgreen]

And when was the last time you had a power cut?

Last long duration was this year, morning after the high wind storms, while repair crews re-strung overhead cables to two houses. Damage on the poles meant they could not work live so this area of the village was turned off for most of the morning.

But that doen't answer the question, is there a combi that can supply hot water during a power cut.

Try providing constant HW for a family of 5 with small cylinder.

For a family of five a large cylinder should be installed and / or the boiler fired up when the cylinder is running short of hot water..

 

[dilalio]

I changed over to a combi beginning of this year and am glad I did... Whatever you setup with indirect - the hot water will sometimes "run-out" - usually when events lead to abnormal usage and the family rows then start!

However, location does play an important role in system choice... As you have pointed out, many factors have to be considered when making the choice!
As for power during an outage then generator backup or battery bank is the only way a combi could be maintained.