Options, Options and more options..... help!!!!!!!!!

[belgiumboy]

I'm sorry for the long post but I'll try to give you as much info as possible.

I have a large house in Brugge, currently running 3 boilers 2 x 54Kw in cascade and 1 x 24Kw with own circuit, all boilers are about 30 years old and I expect running at about 50% efficient, these need to go, well past sell by date. Had a quote from a local heating engineer to fit a new 90Kw condensing boiler €15,000 = £11,500 ha ha ha ha can't afford that

The house needs some renovation so installing new plant isn't that much of a problem, here are my thoughts on what we'd ideally like to do.

Install a new condensing combi boiler for the ground floor and zone it into 3 zones each with it's own programmer and thermostat, "possible"?????
This would only need to supply hot water to the kitchen tap.
I've calculated that the boiler size would need to be 30Kw but the rads we have and want to keep are the old cast iron type, they are big, probably too big, how do you calculate the BTU of these old rads? I would run new pipework to the old rads, is 22mm for the new circuit and 22mm for the rad feed OK????

Continue using one of the old 54Kw boilers for the upstairs for the next years or so until we can afford to get another boiler to replace it.

I could also go for underfloor heating on the ground floor, most of the floors will be re-tiled, we have concrete floors now with a 2" screed and basement below so pipework access is good, would a wet underfloor heating system work if I was to cut grooves into the present floor to a depth of about 2" and lay the pipe into the groove and then fill in and tile over??? then leave the old rads for looks and maybe get away with a smaller boiler = less gas used, your thoughts??????

Last years gas bill for 5 months that we used the heating was €6,000 = £4,000 all rads have TRVs and we didn't heat all the house, surely we can do better with a little investment.

I'm up for any ideas that you guys may have that will save me money and make us warm.

I'm capable of installing all the new pipework myself just not to sure about how things would be laid out and the technical side of things any help would be very appreciated as I'm starting to get some ear ache from her indoors as it starts to get colder.

Thanks in advance for you help

 

[Agile]

With such a large house and probably a valuable house as well the normal advice would be to employ a competent heating consultant to design a suitable system and then get it fitted as you wish.

I really cannot understand how some very wealthy people want to skimp on their heating work. I went to a £4M house where the owner earns about £400k p.a. and he had left his wafe and kids without heating and hot water because he thought he would be able to fix it himself.

When he finally called me it only cost £96 and it was all back to normal in an hour.

Tony

 

[belgiumboy]

Tony

Not Wealthy, Not Working, retired and living off savings, house prices in Belgium are half that in the UK so we get more for our money here, not trying to skimp on anything just want the right system for the job.
Anything got to be better than we have now.

But thanks for you input

 

[Balenza]

Belgiumboy wrote

£11,500 ha ha ha ha can't afford that

You mean your to tight to fork out the readies.
Ha ha hahaaa

 

[Balenza]

Belgiumboy wrote

would a wet underfloor heating system work if I was to cut grooves into the present floor to a depth of about 2" and lay the pipe into the groove and then fill in and tile over???

You say you are retired and yet you are considering cutting grooves in concrete in order to lay pipes in for UF heating.
Do you have any idea how long this would take and the cost ?
I do.

I'm up for any ideas that you guys may have that will save me money and make us warm.

How about a big woolly jumper.

 

[belgiumboy]

Retired but still active!!!!!
I'll be re-tiling the floors, it was just a thought if it would be worth the trouble

 

[Terrywookfit]

It would be easier to use an overlay system!!
Polypipe make one!!

 

[Balenza]

Terrywookfit wrote

It would be easier to use an overlay system!!

It would even be easier to use the existing rads.

 

[doyle]

what ever you try, it would proberbly tae several years to recoup the money spent, i aint sure how old you are but way up whether its worth it or not are you going to save any money buy doing it.

i mean you could be 80 yrs old so why spend the money.

is it easier to resell the property as you dont need to disclose fuel bills and british investors are paying well over the odds on foreign property investment.

 

[belgiumboy]

Doyle

Not too old at 54, still active and have all day to take on projects like this, keeps me off the streets or rather out of the bars, mmmmmmmmmmmmmm Belgium Beer

Only had the property for 18 months, needs improving thats my lifes project so selling before I die is not an option.

As to recooping the cost, thats what I'm trying to do, £11,500 will take a long time where as if I spend less it'll come back quicker

Think the underfloor heating would be too much of a pain, so lets close on that idea, what about the combi option for the ground floor this winter?????

 

[doyle]

ok , the whether is better out their than the northern uk, you could invest in ground system heating , those new spandangled heating systems warmed by earths heat. these would reduce summer time bills but you would need to think about ok do i do that or are summer warm enough that heating isnt needed in summer. therefore a loss rather than a gain.

i personall would look at reducing bills elsewhere first, maybe get a couple of polish on route to britain to do some building work on the cheap if you can.

it is a lot of money like you i know how hard it is with money abroad everybody wants more of it.

i think if you should go for what youve already said but find the same cheaper.

why not install pipework and rads leaving only boiler to be fitted and gas connection by engineer removing the biggest pert of the cost.

simply buy what youve been quoted on direct from supplier outlet get prices first and compare cost of basic installation new boiler on existing system.

 

[belgiumboy]

Ground system heating is too expensive and we don't have enough garden space for the underground pipe or access for a drilling machine

Priced the boiler at around £1000 30Kw combi, calculated room sizes online but if using the old rads I think they may be a little oversize which may draw too much from the boiler, anyone any ideas how to calculate the BTUs of the old rads, is it by sections x height x width sections ????

Recon I can install the system for the ground floor for around £2000 plus getting someone in to commisson the boiler, big saving on heating costs and installation

 

[doyle]

take measurements with you to your supplier and they will help calculate the btu's

 

[Agile]

With a five month gas bill at £4000 you must have a very good income to be able to support that kind of expenditure.

And with 108 kW of installed heating it must be a massive house!!!

The average pensioner in the UK has an annual income of little more than your 5 month gas bill.

Not that I am in any way complaining. Its good to work hard, retire early and have an annual income over £50k p.a. Somehow I think that I have missed that opportunity though.

As I said before, get a good heating consultant to design it properly and then fit it yourself if you are bored.

If only I could learn flemish I could almost volunteer myself. However I am sure you have plenty of competent locals.

Tony

 

[doyle]

language aint a problem there tony they tend to be able to speak out english well enough.