New central heating install - what to do!

joenitro · 4 Feb 2011

Hi all,
Just bought a detached bungalow in southern Scotland and want to replace the current night storage system and baxi open fire with backboiler (assisting immersion in small copper cylinder in kitchen for DHW) with a full wet central heating system.
There is no mains gas so it is either oil, LPG or electric really.
We are not planning to keep it for long (2-3) years max so whatever we do must add value or be appealing for prospective buyers in the future. Obviously, a full C/H system is way more appealing than the storage heaters, but what to do?
I would like to replace the baxi open fire boiler with a quality multifuel stove with high output backboiler, linked to a thermal store and doing all 9 (planned) rads. Thermal store would need electric backup for DHW during summer months as no stove running in summer! However I think this could be quite demanding to run i.e. Having to load with coal/logs every couple of hours, clearing ash etc.

Another option could be either an oil combi boiler and removal of baxi backboiler. Or, oil fired regular/system boiler linked to a thermal store with input from the baxi for now and perhaps a stove in the future.

What else haven't we thought of?!

joenitro · 4 Feb 2011

We had a plumber/heating engineer round last Saturday and have now received his estimates. What does everybody think? The bungalow has no wet central heating at present, so this would be a fresh install including running pipes and fitting all radiators etc.

Option 1 – oil fired central heating system
To supply and install:

Worcester 18/25 Heatslave Condensing Combination boiler
Standard Flue
1000 litre bunded oil tank with base
9 radiators with thermostatic valves
Programmer
Fittings, copper & consumables
Labour

Materials and Labour: £5500.00 +VAT @ 20%

Option 2 – LPG central heating system - Gas bottles/tank not included
To supply and install:

Worcester 28jr LPG Combination Boiler
Standard Flue
9 radiators with thermostatic valves
Programmer
Fittings, copper & Consumables
Labour

Materials and Labour: £4500 +VAT @ 20%

Option 3 – Gledhill Thermal Heat Store – Multi Fuel stove not included
To supply and install:

Gledhill thermal Heat Store
Central Heating Header Tank
9 radiators with thermostatic valves
Programmer
Fittings, copper & Consumables
Labour
Materials and Labour: £3800 + Vat @ 20%

Thoughts?

bobthebender · 4 Feb 2011

Go for a multi fuel boiler with a twin coil cylinder and hook up to solar or a heat pump.
Check out mainsflow http://www.albionwaterheaters.com/pdfs/sales/mainsflow.pdf

There are a few on fleabay.

Insulate.insulate,insulate.

joenitro · 5 Feb 2011

Hi bobthebender,
In an ideal world, that's probably what we'd do, but we simply don't have the budget for the heatpump/solar at this time. However I think if we do get a thermal store, one with a spare coil or two might be a good idea?
This is why we want to use the current open fire boiler "as is" for the moment. We know it currently works as we have lit the fire and it heated the current copper cylinder from cold in about 1.5 hours. Not a massive output, granted, but every little helps!
I've already registered with the energy saving trust's loft+cavity wall insulation scheme and am just awaiting the surveyor to come out (4-6 weeks!!) so that should make a difference.

I know it's obviously hard to say without seeing the property, but do you think the above estimates are reasonable?

joenitro · 16 Feb 2011

So in a cruel twist, a surveyor from Eaga insulation came to survey for cavity and loft insulation today. He reckons that the vehicle containing the hopper and pump etc.for the cavity insulation won't fit down our private road

Apparently a 7.5 tonne vehicle is 3.5m wide and the road is 3m? Weird how the Forestry commission logging trucks can fit down there though!
Does anyone know of any cavity insulation companies that use a smaller i.e. transit sized vehicle? Are there any other options?
They also quoted £129 to insulate the loft of 68m2. It's actually about 100m2, but the centre section has been boarded out and the "walls" of it boarded up as welll, so they can only do approx two thirds of the floor space up there. Does this sound a reasonable price?

muggles · 16 Feb 2011

Insulate the loft yourself, you can get rolls of insulation for £3.00 from B&Q http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.j...es<{9372230}&fh_refview=lister&isSearch=false

joenitro · 16 Feb 2011

Think that's what I'll end up doing now, as we still need some electrical work and plumbing done which will require loft access. Will be cheaper and easier to insulate after that, on our own timescale.
Still p*ssed off about the cavity insulation though... grrrrrr

londonboy · 16 Feb 2011

There are companies that use Transits for cavity wall insulation, I used to work for one

Nige F · 16 Feb 2011

londonboy said:
There are companies that use Transits for cavity wall insulation, I used to work for one

There`s a lot of cavity fillers using trannys in Brighton

joenitro · 16 Feb 2011

Any way of finding one in Dumfries and Galloway, South-west Scotland?!

londonboy · 16 Feb 2011

joenitro said:
Any way of finding one in Dumfries and Galloway, South-west Scotland?!

Just ring around I suppose, tell them you have access issues etc.

Miller Patterson used to have small vans but I'm not sure they still operate.

The pricing is generally around the same figure between companies.

Whitespirit66 · 16 Feb 2011

Nige F said:
londonboy said:

There are companies that use Transits for cavity wall insulation, I used to work for one

Click to expand...

There`s a lot of cavity fillers using trannys in Brighton

RichieHoneybucket · 17 Feb 2011

Joe, the prices you have been quoted look fair. Have you considered cheap rate electric & one of these;
http://www.heatwell.co.uk/our-products/combi-boiler/

We've fitted a few & the running costs are very good on Scoittish Power Economy 2000 tariff.

joenitro · 19 Feb 2011

Thanks for all the replies folks. Had another quote for:
Worcester Greenstar Danesmore 12/18kw Wall Mounted System boiler
Standard Flue
Gledhill 130ltr open vented thermal store
Titan 1000ltr bunded oil tank with base
Tiger loop, Fire safety valve
Oil Line
9 radiators with thermostatic valves
2 central heating pumps
Programmer
Fittings, copper & consumables
Labour

Materials and Labour: £7000 +VAT @ 20%

To be honest, this is WAAAY more than I want to spend, just on a heating system. Obviously, this doesn't include a MF stove and is just utilising the back boiler on the open fire at the moment. I can't justify the expense as we won't be living there long enough.
Another(!) thought now is a Dunsley neutraliser or Systemlink to link up a regular oil boiler and MF stove to do CH and a normal vented hot water cylinder. Would this work out cheaper, as you are not having to purchase a small 130 litre TS at over £1k!

So confused!

Agile · 19 Feb 2011

I think there is something wrong with that vehicle width unless there are sharp bends.

The maximum width in the EU is 2.55m ( or 2.60m if refridgerated ).

Obviously a clearance is required but with a straight access any vehicle should pass through any standard 10' farm gate.

Of course bends are different.

Tony

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New central heating install - what to do!

RichieHoneybucket

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