ADDING A HOT WATER TANK TO A COMBI

[jwturpin]

Hello,

If anyone can advise ont he following, i'd be grateful....

I have a Baxi 80 combi, and it's never really been up to the job of heating the water hot enough for a shower, so my plumber turned down the input flow rate so that the boiler effectively had slightly less to heat up, and hence , hotter water. So I have hot showers, but the flow rate is crap!

Anyhow, I was wondering, my radiators get so hot you can't touch them for more than a second, and I thought that since a hot water tank is in effect type a type of radiator that simply heats water up instead of air, can I add a hot water cylinder (and header tank) as if it was an additional raidator so when my heating is on, it also heats up some water, which I could then use to supply a feed to my shower. I'm aware I would have to have some sort of 3 port valve installed to prevent the radiators coming on during summer when i only wanted to heat up the water. I'd like to keep the normal 'instant hot water' feed to all other outlets int he house. I just want a pumped power shower to enjoy without going to the expense of having a ridiculously expensive electric shower installed as this would include having lots of electrical work done as my fuse box has no spurs left on it.

Is this possible, safe, worth it?

cheers

 

[Biggles..]

All is possible if you have the space,inclination and a little money.

Add the cylinder (choice is then vented or unvented)and convert the heating to either y or s plan using cylinder to provide shower.

Electrics will however probably work out cheaper.

 

[kevplumb]

s plan

 

[namsag]

why not stick a bigger output combi in. The 105he fits straight onto the 80e backplate(and gives 33% more water output) so does the even bigger duotech 33 lot less work than fitting a cylinder etc.

With a standatrd cylinder you would more often than not still have to buy a power shower to get a half decent shower

 

[dreadnoughtheating]

As namsag has mentioned, once you have added up the cost of a Copper vented cylinder, cold-water storage cistern, a control system plus installation, a bigger output better boiler (high efficiency) may be in the short and long term a better investment.

Add in an unvented cyl, with possible upgrading of cold-water main supply to get the best out of it plus installation (and another pressure relief pipe running to outside), well, I'll let you do the sums.

DH

Not at all sure I would have another (or indeed any) Baxi though.......

 

[Biggles..]

why not stick a bigger output combi in. The 105he fits straight onto the 80e backplate(and gives 33% more water output) so does the even bigger duotech 33 lot less work than fitting a cylinder etc.

With a standatrd cylinder you would more often than not still have to buy a power shower to get a half decent shower

flue holes different though so not quite a straight swap to a duo

 

[ManxPlumber]

Modding the flue hole is the least of your worries, nowt some sand & cement cant fix

...IF you go down the unvented cylinder route, you'd need to get a Plumber with his/her G3 certificate in to do that

 

[Slugbabydotcom]

Baxi 80 combi

Theres a combi 80, 80e, 80 eco, 80 instant and 80HE. Which one do you have again ?

 

[Paul Barker]

why not stick a bigger output combi in. The 105he fits straight onto the 80e backplate

But the flu is in the wrong place.

 

[jwturpin]

Baxi 80 combi

Theres a combi 80, 80e, 80 eco, 80 instant and 80HE. Which one do you have again ?

I have a Baxi 80 Eco. I wish it would heat the HW up as well as it does the CH.

As was mentioned up above, someone said the cost of all the bits and bobs would prob work out quite expensive. I'm and experienced DIYer and have built many things, including cars, powershowers, and adding additional radiators, so doing what I described above doesn't phase me at all. From what I can tell, Wickes sell copper cylinders + stat for about 250, cold water tank and header kit for about 100, plus copper piping, shower pump for 100, can't see the whole installation costing more than 500/600, which is MUCH cheaper than a new boiler with higher outflow rate?

 

[kevplumb]

go for it if you think you can do it

if you get stuck there is enough knowledge on here to get you out of the clart

 

[theheatinghelper]

i've done exactly that but as i was restricted for money i put in a biasi !!! hahahha i used the hot from the combi to run my kitchen and run the flow and return from the boiler to a 3 port and cylinder, htg system and i know people have there own views on it

..." if ya gonna do all the put a pressurized cylinder in etc etc "

well its in my new born babies room and i wasn't really happy with the idea of a pressurized cylinder in there, and i haven't got to much space aswell so i put in a torpedo ( slim but tall cylinder) the whole system works a treat ...and ..... " I DID IT MYYYYYYY WAYYYYYY" !!!

 

[namsag]

Paul barker .
No the flue hole on the 105he is in the same place as the 80e. with maybe an inch out the top off the hole

And in my post i put fits onto backplate.

As for the duo tch it would be another days work to move the flue hole a whole 4inches to the right not .

Stop trying to make the job sound complicated.

Personally i would be looking at shower fault either cartridge or if basic shower throttling down the cold and putting the hot flow back up