If I were to refurbish a bathroom in which a reasonably modern combination boiler (in what I assume is a pressurised unvented system with no header tanks) were located and then, in a few months or a year or two in the future, have solar thermal panels and/or a solid fuel stove in the kitchen installed such as would require a large accumulator tank to work effectively, would it be likely that significant further changes would be needed in the bathroom (for example, by replacing the combination boiler or placing the accumulator tank there - can 1,000 litre tanks go into attics?) such as to make it somewhat unwise to have refurbished the bathroom before doing this further work in the first place?
Combi boiler / accumulator tank
- Thread starter jamespetts
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Of course it'll cost more to split the work.
Spending money can be the wise thing to do.
You can put anything in a loft, as long as it's done correctly.
Spending money can be the wise thing to do.
You can put anything in a loft, as long as it's done correctly.
Thank you very much for your reply; does this mean that I should not refurbish the bathroom until I am ready to install an accumulator tank, if that is what I decide to do?
But that depends on if it will fit in!
The other thing to consider is the weight. A 1000 li tank is over a ton weight!
Based on what you seem to expect to do the supply to bathroom will need to be rerouted from combi to tank!
Tony
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Yes, that was the reason that I was asking about this. I have some doubts that a Victorian attic was designed to take a tonne weight. If it can't go in the attic, it would probably have to go in the bathroom, which would take space there, which would potentially affect redecoration, which is why I need to know this sooner rather than later even if I am only likely to do it (if at all) later rather than sooner.
Thank you - that is helpful. What are the implications of such re-routing?
Solar thermal panels complete waste of time and money.
You haven't said the size of the house. But I would stick with a combi.
You'll soon get bored with a solid fuel stove in the kitchen.
You haven't said the size of the house. But I would stick with a combi.
You'll soon get bored with a solid fuel stove in the kitchen.
Interesting perspective - thank you. It's a two bedroom terraced house.
The reasoning for the solid fuel stove and solar thermal is that all the rooms bar the kitchen have backup heating capabilities (i.e., the original fireplace) in case of central heating failure. I am trying to decorate in so far as I sensibly can in a style commensurate with when the house was built (1890s), so a nice kitchen range would solve both of those problems. Then I realised that this would not provide backup hot water heating, and saw that some kitchen ranges had hot water heating, then, looking further, found that some had enough capacity to run the central heating (which was how the few Victorian homes that had central heating did it, through a boiler in the kitchen range). I then saw that it would help to have a hot water accumulator tank because the range will not be burning the whole time, which could then accommodate solar thermal, which would also solve the problem of the range being far too hot to be used in the summer (especially in a small kitchen). The solar thermal installation could be of the PV-T type that also has electrical generating capabilities, which could also come with a battery backup system that would allow central heating pumps to run during a power outage.
Perhaps it's all a wild goose chase, but I don't want to rule it all out without knowing in more detail what is actually involved. Anything that reduces reliance on Russian gas at this time seems worthwhile considering.
Costs of such systems and integrating will never be economic and therefore
given size of house much better to stay with a combi boiler.
I had a solid fuel rayburn which would happily heat your house but more
trouble than it is worth. I put in a gas/electric range cooker which performs 100 times better.
If you want a backup heat source buy a second combi boiler.
You could have an oil combi boiler outside. People will be giving them away on ebay soon as the government is giving biomass away.
Solar thermal in the UK just doesn't work and will never pay back.
If you have the roof for it go with the solar electric.
But I would go simple with the combi for the size of house.
Thank you: that is very helpful. Perhaps I was overcomplicating things rather: I just liked the idea of backups if there was any future issue with gas supply, but perhaps there won't be with the advent of UK hydraulic fracturing. These things are hard to predict.
Could a gas/electric range cooker heat a small kitchen if the central heating broke down?
Thank you again.
Edit: Incidentally, on solar power: if solar thermal by itself is uneconomic, but solar electric is potentially worthwhile (and this house has South, East and West facing roofs), is PV-T (that is, panels that do solar electric and thermal in one) cost effective if one is going to do solar electric in any event, or will the additional costs of the piping, etc. outweigh the benefits even deducting the cost of the panels and their installation?
I don't know why you seem to be so fixated on heating breaking down.
Combi boilers break down about once every three years or less if they are properly serviced.
When they do break down, as long as you call be by 1130 am then I will normally come to repair them on the same day!
I have to disagree about solar thermal. It is the only solar technology which is potentially worthwhile.
This is because the thermal panels are about 80-90% efficient whereas the PV panels are less than 29% and usually only about 20%.
Unfortunately, feed in tariffs distort the basic viabilities.
But a two panel thermal installation can provide over 50% of the hot water requirements for a family of two adults and two children.
But the cost of the components is inflated and those who install them are not usually quoting a budget price. Even so a return on capital of 5-10% can often be obtained.
Tony
Combi boilers break down about once every three years or less if they are properly serviced.
When they do break down, as long as you call be by 1130 am then I will normally come to repair them on the same day!
I have to disagree about solar thermal. It is the only solar technology which is potentially worthwhile.
This is because the thermal panels are about 80-90% efficient whereas the PV panels are less than 29% and usually only about 20%.
Unfortunately, feed in tariffs distort the basic viabilities.
But a two panel thermal installation can provide over 50% of the hot water requirements for a family of two adults and two children.
But the cost of the components is inflated and those who install them are not usually quoting a budget price. Even so a return on capital of 5-10% can often be obtained.
Tony
Thank you for your reply. As to solar thermal, I presume that this would need an accumulator tank for maximum efficiency, as the sun does not shine 24 hours a day? From what I understand, solar thermal can provide a person's entire hot water needs throughout the day in the summer if a hot water accumulator tank is fitted.
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