I am in the process of buying a house. Assuming that the sale goes through, I shall have a nice little 2 bedroom Victorian terraced house.
I rather like the idea of decorating and furnishing it in as authentic a manner as is consistent with modern standards of hygiene, comfort and convenience; but I am also rather interested in interesting technologies such as heating automation/remote control.
The house currently has an ordinary combination boiler system with steel flat panel radiators, mechanical thermostatic radiator valves and a single thermostat. It also has lots of lovely original fireplaces, which I intend to use (albeit occasionally and after the chimneys have been swept and tested, of course).
The radiators look totally out of keeping with a Victorian house, and I am minded to replace them with cast iron radiators. (Some have suggested just boxing them in, but I rather fear that effectively insulating the radiators in a wooden box is far from ideal; in any event, I have a dust allergy, and some websites suggest that cast iron radiators cause less circulation of air and therefore dust, although I have not been able to find reliable verification of that).
Am I right in thinking that radiator replacement should really come before redecorating, especially as the wall behind a cast iron radiator will be more visible than the wall behind a panel radiator? Is there any great advantage of having multiple radiators replaced at once (for example, lower installation cost), or can this easily be done one room at a time as each is redecorated?
A number of potential future projects with respect to heating interest me, and, although I will not want to do these immediately, I will want to make sure that what I do do will be compatible with those potential future projects.
Firstly, I rather like the idea of heat control automation using something like the Heat Genius system. It seems on the face of it from my brief research that retro-fitting this (and fitting its components incrementally) is not generally a problem. One problem seems to be that the special thermostatic radiator valve controllers look decidedly un-Victorian - any ideas on how they might be disguised would be welcome.
Secondly, and rather more ambitiously (and, therefore, probably further in the future and also more uncertainly), I have been looking into using multiple sources of heating for central heating and hot water: not just gas, but solar thermal panels (and I do not know whether I will want that with or without a solar electrical installation) and, on refurbishment of the kitchen, a solid fuel burning stove. My research suggests that linking all of these various sources of heat (gas, solar, solid fuel) would require an accumulator tank (as the solar and solid fuel systems are not easily switchable on demand as is gas). What I have not yet discovered is the extent to which such an accumulator tank would be compatible with the existing combination boiler, nor the extent to which the accumulator tank would be compatible with the thermostat replacement device that might be installed with an automated system such as the Heat Genius.
Even though the latter project(s) might be a while off, what I am keen to avoid is: (1) redecorating the bathroom (where the combination boiler is located) only to find that I have to redecorate it again if it is not compatible with an accumulator tank; and (2) fitting something like the Heat Genius at no small cost and finding that it is incompatible with an accumulator tank. If anyone can provide any guidance on these issues, it would be most welcome.
Incidentally, does anyone have any particular view on heated towel rails? I have never had one before, but there seems to be some historical precedent for them. Do they not just make the bathroom more humid than it ought to be?
I suppose that some might think it a little premature to descend into this level of detail in respect of a house that is not even mine yet, but I find it very useful to research and have a good idea of my options (without spending any money or making any final decisions) before completing so that I can progress more swiftly and make better decisions when (and if) it does become mine.
Thank you in advance for any assistance; it would be much appreciated.
Edit: Would the installation of a domestic water softener affect any of the above or anything else to do with central heating?
I rather like the idea of decorating and furnishing it in as authentic a manner as is consistent with modern standards of hygiene, comfort and convenience; but I am also rather interested in interesting technologies such as heating automation/remote control.
The house currently has an ordinary combination boiler system with steel flat panel radiators, mechanical thermostatic radiator valves and a single thermostat. It also has lots of lovely original fireplaces, which I intend to use (albeit occasionally and after the chimneys have been swept and tested, of course).
The radiators look totally out of keeping with a Victorian house, and I am minded to replace them with cast iron radiators. (Some have suggested just boxing them in, but I rather fear that effectively insulating the radiators in a wooden box is far from ideal; in any event, I have a dust allergy, and some websites suggest that cast iron radiators cause less circulation of air and therefore dust, although I have not been able to find reliable verification of that).
Am I right in thinking that radiator replacement should really come before redecorating, especially as the wall behind a cast iron radiator will be more visible than the wall behind a panel radiator? Is there any great advantage of having multiple radiators replaced at once (for example, lower installation cost), or can this easily be done one room at a time as each is redecorated?
A number of potential future projects with respect to heating interest me, and, although I will not want to do these immediately, I will want to make sure that what I do do will be compatible with those potential future projects.
Firstly, I rather like the idea of heat control automation using something like the Heat Genius system. It seems on the face of it from my brief research that retro-fitting this (and fitting its components incrementally) is not generally a problem. One problem seems to be that the special thermostatic radiator valve controllers look decidedly un-Victorian - any ideas on how they might be disguised would be welcome.
Secondly, and rather more ambitiously (and, therefore, probably further in the future and also more uncertainly), I have been looking into using multiple sources of heating for central heating and hot water: not just gas, but solar thermal panels (and I do not know whether I will want that with or without a solar electrical installation) and, on refurbishment of the kitchen, a solid fuel burning stove. My research suggests that linking all of these various sources of heat (gas, solar, solid fuel) would require an accumulator tank (as the solar and solid fuel systems are not easily switchable on demand as is gas). What I have not yet discovered is the extent to which such an accumulator tank would be compatible with the existing combination boiler, nor the extent to which the accumulator tank would be compatible with the thermostat replacement device that might be installed with an automated system such as the Heat Genius.
Even though the latter project(s) might be a while off, what I am keen to avoid is: (1) redecorating the bathroom (where the combination boiler is located) only to find that I have to redecorate it again if it is not compatible with an accumulator tank; and (2) fitting something like the Heat Genius at no small cost and finding that it is incompatible with an accumulator tank. If anyone can provide any guidance on these issues, it would be most welcome.
Incidentally, does anyone have any particular view on heated towel rails? I have never had one before, but there seems to be some historical precedent for them. Do they not just make the bathroom more humid than it ought to be?
I suppose that some might think it a little premature to descend into this level of detail in respect of a house that is not even mine yet, but I find it very useful to research and have a good idea of my options (without spending any money or making any final decisions) before completing so that I can progress more swiftly and make better decisions when (and if) it does become mine.
Thank you in advance for any assistance; it would be much appreciated.
Edit: Would the installation of a domestic water softener affect any of the above or anything else to do with central heating?
