Pipes too narrow for a combi?

[chrishutt]

yes but what if the other properies used the taps

Taps? Are you thinking of a water pipe? Everyone else is talking gas.

 

[corgiman]

yes I am

Have I been a plum again?

 

[gas4you]

Have another cider corgi

 

[corgiman]

Have another cider corgi

I believe I should dave



DOH

 

[chrishutt]

Well, the OP's first post was very vague, but he confirmed it was the gas supply later.

 

[corgiman]

My humble apologies

I will get my coat

 

[NickStone]

NickStone for gawd sake tell us where your meter is! Is it down at ground level or in your flat!
It would be unusual for an engineer to make pronouncements about the shared bit, which is before the meters. That's at some unknown higher pressure.

The meter is outside in a purpose-built meter box. We all have separate meters, but (again showing my ignorance) I have no idea where the gas pipes actually go on their way to my flat. I'm going down there this weekend and I'll check it out. Thanks, guys, for all your help.

 

[Dan Robinson]

I would be very surprised and not a little worried if it goes through another flat.

There is probably a central duct that the pipes run through. How old is the building? Is it a converted house?

 

[NickStone]

Well, the OP's first post was very vague,

Yes, I'm sorry about that. It was vague because quite frankly I'm out of my depth here. Reading everybody's questions has actually been very helpful.

 

[NickStone]

I would be very surprised and not a little worried if it goes through another flat.

There is probably a central duct that the pipes run through. How old is the building? Is it a converted house?

It's an old listed building in Bath, Dan. It was converted in the 1980s. I'll have a nose around and see if I can follow the pipe. Unfortunately, the floors have got reinforced concrete on them so there may be a problem, even if I can find the pipe. Somewhere inside the flat (and despite looking, British Gas couldn't find out where) the pipe changes again. BG said it could fit a new pipe inside the flat - but apparently still not big enough for a combi.

 

[Dan Robinson]

but apparently still not big enough for a combi.

Can't think why? I suppose they're not going back to the meter?

Lets hope its a better conversion than most of the 80's conversion we deal with in London

 

[NickStone]

but apparently still not big enough for a combi.

Can't think why? I suppose they're not going back to the meter?

Lets hope its a better conversion than most of the 80's conversion we deal with in London

Well, the lessor is Beazer Holdings, which I would guess is associated with the builders, Beazer Homes. I think the conversion is OK. At least, we do have gas boilers. It can be difficult in Bath to get listed building consent for things like flues and extractor fans - spoils the sight of the building from the road. There are an awful lot of flats here whose internal bathrooms simply vent into small lofts with airbricks, instead of proper outlets. Anyway, re the gas, I'll be able to ask rather more searching questions than I did last time, thanks to everyone's help here. I really appreciate that.

 

[chrishutt]

Nick, if you already have a boiler fitted it would be quite easy to measure the existing pressure drop through your gas pipe and then calculate what the drop would be for a bigger (combi) boiler, as I think ChrisR mentioned. It would then be possible to determine the extent to which it needs upgrading. However only a very capable gas installer would know how to do this and you may have to hunt around a bit to find one (I'm in Bristol by the way ).

 

[NickStone]

Nick, if you already have a boiler fitted it would be quite easy to measure the existing pressure drop through your gas pipe and then calculate what the drop would be for a bigger (combi) boiler, as I think ChrisR mentioned. It would then be possible to determine the extent to which it needs upgrading. However only a very capable gas installer would know how to do this and you may have to hunt around a bit to find one (I'm in Bristol by the way ).

Thank you, Chris . I found the guy who's coming at the weekend on the Corgi website so hopefully he'll know what this involves. If not, I might just come back to you. Are you listed in Yellow Pages?

 

[chrishutt]

Are you listed in Yellow Pages?

No way! I get all the work can manage through word-of-mouth and existing customers, as would any decent gas installer. You can contact posters on this forum by clicking on their names (in blue) and seeing if their profile includes an email address.

With your local gas installer, do see if he suggests the check described above on his own initiative. If not, I would be doubtful about him. You might as well get him to take the measurements required anyway (working pressure at meter and boiler, plus gas rate of boiler read at meter) and post them here, together with your best estimate of the length of the run from the meter to the boiler and the size of pipes used where visible. Then someone here should be able to extrapolate from that whether a combi might be a goer.