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- 8 Dec 2017
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So I've got a bit of a conundrum. I've recently moved into a new house and have inherited a system which really isn't performing the way i'd like it too.
The system has a gledhill torrent thermal store which is roughly 11 years old. I've also got a Worcester Bosch Greenstar RI boiler with a magna clean fitted. Its an s plan system. When we first moved in we had a wood stove with a back boiler connected to the gledhill but had this removed.
I've got two issues and one is more critical than the other.
Issue 1 - A minor leak. So I've got a leak somewhere on the tank/thermal store. I don't know if its from a connection or the tank itself as its wrapped in a thick insulation jacket. All I know is that there the floor beneath the tank is damp and the leak is worse when the whole system is cold and has been powered off for a few days (had issues with the boiler which meant it had to be off for a few days which is how i found out about the leak)
I'm on the British Gas plan and had a gent over to fix the initial boiler problem and he subsequently spotted the leak. British Gas quoted to repair the cylinder at £2.5k. Since I was spending that sort of money I looked at quotes for a combi system which was interesting. I had AA, boiler plan uk, helplink.co.uk, eon and BG. They all quoted the same Worcster Bosch Combi apart from Eon and British Gas's combi guy (different from the person who quoted the repair) who refused to quote on ethical grounds because said that we'd be better off repairing what we have as its a superior system and a better fit for our house.
Its a 1930s house with 13 radiators and two bathrooms (electric showers). Allt he heating system is in the attic (boiler and thermal store)
So now i'm a bit stuck with the next step, I've reached out to gledhill about fixed fee repairs or replacements and am awaiting a response.
Issue 2 - This may or may not be related to the age of my system, the issues above or something separate completely at all but my radiators do not get hot. In my previous house a radiator on full blast would not be something I could touch without burning myself. In my new house the radiators at best get lukewarm, the heat isn't consistent through out the radiator either. There are cold spots. I've had one of the bigger radiators off the wall and completely cleaned it out so that clear water ran through it but that didn't seem to make a difference.
I know conventional thinking would point to a power flush to solve this but i'm conscious of throwing good money after bad if a replacement system is on the cards that would include either a chemical or power flush as part of it.
So that's it. I'm interested in general thoughts and ideas really. Should I be ripping off the insulation to identify a leak? Would a straight swap to a combi be best overall for simplifying the system. People talk about mains pressure hot water being a big selling point for the thermal store but i'd rather live in a hot house with a trickle of hot water than what I've got at the moment. Could I have both with a simple power flush and a repair? Do local plumbers typically have the expertise of thermal stores to carry out a repair or should i be looking at some of the bigger companies? I know there are probably some key details that I've missed so feel free to let me know if i need to clarify anything. I've included pictures for your enjoyment.
Thanks in advance for reading.
The system has a gledhill torrent thermal store which is roughly 11 years old. I've also got a Worcester Bosch Greenstar RI boiler with a magna clean fitted. Its an s plan system. When we first moved in we had a wood stove with a back boiler connected to the gledhill but had this removed.
I've got two issues and one is more critical than the other.
Issue 1 - A minor leak. So I've got a leak somewhere on the tank/thermal store. I don't know if its from a connection or the tank itself as its wrapped in a thick insulation jacket. All I know is that there the floor beneath the tank is damp and the leak is worse when the whole system is cold and has been powered off for a few days (had issues with the boiler which meant it had to be off for a few days which is how i found out about the leak)
I'm on the British Gas plan and had a gent over to fix the initial boiler problem and he subsequently spotted the leak. British Gas quoted to repair the cylinder at £2.5k. Since I was spending that sort of money I looked at quotes for a combi system which was interesting. I had AA, boiler plan uk, helplink.co.uk, eon and BG. They all quoted the same Worcster Bosch Combi apart from Eon and British Gas's combi guy (different from the person who quoted the repair) who refused to quote on ethical grounds because said that we'd be better off repairing what we have as its a superior system and a better fit for our house.
Its a 1930s house with 13 radiators and two bathrooms (electric showers). Allt he heating system is in the attic (boiler and thermal store)
So now i'm a bit stuck with the next step, I've reached out to gledhill about fixed fee repairs or replacements and am awaiting a response.
Issue 2 - This may or may not be related to the age of my system, the issues above or something separate completely at all but my radiators do not get hot. In my previous house a radiator on full blast would not be something I could touch without burning myself. In my new house the radiators at best get lukewarm, the heat isn't consistent through out the radiator either. There are cold spots. I've had one of the bigger radiators off the wall and completely cleaned it out so that clear water ran through it but that didn't seem to make a difference.
I know conventional thinking would point to a power flush to solve this but i'm conscious of throwing good money after bad if a replacement system is on the cards that would include either a chemical or power flush as part of it.
So that's it. I'm interested in general thoughts and ideas really. Should I be ripping off the insulation to identify a leak? Would a straight swap to a combi be best overall for simplifying the system. People talk about mains pressure hot water being a big selling point for the thermal store but i'd rather live in a hot house with a trickle of hot water than what I've got at the moment. Could I have both with a simple power flush and a repair? Do local plumbers typically have the expertise of thermal stores to carry out a repair or should i be looking at some of the bigger companies? I know there are probably some key details that I've missed so feel free to let me know if i need to clarify anything. I've included pictures for your enjoyment.
Thanks in advance for reading.