New type of system? (Well, new to a non plumber like me)

[r896neo]

I had a plumber round to give us a quote for a complete re-plumb of totally stripped out house.

I had toyed with doing a lot of it myself but want to end up with an efficient low running cost system and am happy to pay the extra for someone who can recommend and install an effective system with the right stats controls etc.

Its a small detached bungalow well insulated and we'll be putting in a 30KW ish combi.

He is giving us a price for both a standard sealed system and a system which he has started installing recently which I had never heard of. Basically every rad being piped back to a manifold at the boiler but all done in 15mm. The other advantage is no joints under the floors which are suspended wood and insulated between joists.

Every room then has its own thermostat. Does anyone have any experience with this arrangement or care to offer any opinions on it? I realise the initial cost will be higher.

Its just me and the wife for the forseeable and we are quite low energy users.

Thanks

 

[flameport]

A thermostat in each room is not necessary in a typical house.
Radiators connected to a central manifold isn't new either.
If you want the most efficient system a combi is not the answer, as it will be grossly oversized for the heating load.

Sounds suspiciously as if the person who quoted wants to fit a load of Uponor or similar stuff, probably because they have spent a shedload of money on the tools for it only to discover that most people neither want or care about that system.

In summary - a manifold and thermostat in each room will cost far more, has a lot more to go wrong, no real advantages.

 

[r896neo]

ok thanks for your feedback. He was not evangelical about it just said it was more effective. Do trv's actually work properly?

 

[martyn88]

I had a plumber round to give us a quote for a complete re-plumb of totally stripped out house.

I had toyed with doing a lot of it myself but want to end up with an efficient low running cost system and am happy to pay the extra for someone who can recommend and install an effective system with the right stats controls etc.

Its a small detached bungalow well insulated and we'll be putting in a 30KW ish combi.

He is giving us a price for both a standard sealed system and a system which he has started installing recently which I had never heard of. Basically every rad being piped back to a manifold at the boiler but all done in 15mm. The other advantage is no joints under the floors which are suspended wood and insulated between joists.

Every room then has its own thermostat. Does anyone have any experience with this arrangement or care to offer any opinions on it? I realise the initial cost will be higher.

Its just me and the wife for the forseeable and we are quite low energy users.

Thanks

just means that each room will then be ''zoned off'', and you'll have controll of each rooms temp, but dont really see much point tbh, a trv will do the same job

 

[r896neo]

Do you pro plumbers think trv's actually work properly in a real life situation?

Were pretty sold on a combi because we don't use a lot of hot water and storing hot water you dont use is a definate loss.

 

[CBF]

i'm guessing from your post he is talking about underfloor heating & not rads at all, this works on lower flow temps so will save gas.

edited: as realised it was a bungalow

 

[Dan Robinson]

Piping rads back to a manifold is a sound idea. Putting a stat in each room is ott.

Trvs are very effective. As can be the new programmable variants.

Look at weather compensation as well though. Will work a treat on your system if insulation is brought up to spec.

 

[ALEC1]

I agree with Dan, any compensation control offers better performance than on-off stats..

 

[ALEC1]

whats often overlooked with zoning and TRVs is that the constant opening and closing causes the water to run at different speeds lifting alot of muck into the boiler...

best avoided IMO...

 

[CBF]

whats often overlooked with zoning and TRVs is that the constant opening and closing causes the water to run at different speeds lifting alot of muck into the boiler...

best avoided IMO...

i'm glad it's only your view cause it's a stupid one, a new heating system if installed & flushed correctly shouldn't have any "muck" in it anyway & trv's & zoning are required by the building regs

 

[Agile]

whats often overlooked with zoning and TRVs is that the constant opening and closing causes the water to run at different speeds lifting alot of muck into the boiler...

best avoided IMO...

Most systems have zones and TRVs !

But ALL systems should be properly cleaned when a boiler is fitted and kept clean thereafter!

Tony

 

[ALEC1]

whoopsy daisy...it did read bad didn't it...and I ommited that a proper dirt seperator is essential...

 

[r896neo]

Thanks i really appreciate all feedback.

Do Weather compensators work effectively with combi's on a quite small system?

In an ideal world i'd love to hear how you would plumb a small system like this but i realise more info is probably needed and i'm sure you've responded to threads just like this all the time and are sick to death of it.

On the whole we tend to use relatively little central heating and use a fire/woodburner a fair bit in the winter

Cheers.

No worries about dirt its complete new system, all old copper and rads are gone. One or two rads and some pipe was salavagable but nice new pipework and spotless rads seems worth it for long term boiler health, especially a combi.

 

[r896neo]

So after absorbing all you lot have said and some deliberation i think i'm just going to go for a straight forward system.

Worcester greenstar 29CDI

WB FR110 modulating stat and standard trvs which i can then later add programmable trv heads unto if needed.

Last query, the room we will use 90% of the time is a large knocked through kitchen, dining living room. It will have 3 rads and has two sets of french doors. Due to this being the main used room it makes sense to have something in here that can actually knock the boiler off when the room is up to temp rather than just a trv.

Can the stat be placed in a room like this or will the 3 rads and large nature of the room make it go haywire?

Cheers