Complete Newbie requires some advice?

[MikeInPoland]

HI Everyone,

I've just registered as I undertook multiple google searches and this site came up as being the most informative and helpful site regarding DIY and in particular my source of worries. I am looking for some advice and will try and describe my problem however please be patient if I do not use the correct terminology.

I have a 1960's built 2 bed house in SE London and until this morning I was completely oblivious to the term Gravity Water systems. Connected to this is a Potterton Netaheat (electronic if I recall) and upstairs in the airing cupboard I have an Immersion heater while above that a cold water and expansion tank in the loft.

My wife is currently there overseeing some rennovation works and she's decided to replace the bath/sinks upstairs and the kitchen sink. Of course the builders are not familiar with the UK gravity system so I've researched and explained it this morning so they now know how to drain the tanks upstairs before replacing any taps/sinks, etc.

My wife has claimed that when turning on the hot water tap in the kitchen, the Potterton fires up. Can anyone confirm if this boiler can heat water off the mains and straight to this tap or does the kitchen hot water come down from the immersion heater?

Any help would be greatly appreciated....

Cheers,


Mike

 

[rjm2k]

Is this a real post? Looking forward to the replies.

Are you sure your builders know how to comply with UK Building Regs etc?

 

[gasmarc]

not being funny but I would be seriously worried about your question and your builders, I hope they are not the same ones that managed to flood a friends house and his neighbours house causing thousands of pounds worth of damage and guess what the plumber had no insurance

 

[MikeInPoland]

Hi everyone (again),

rjm2k, yes this really is a real post? why would I ask the question in the first place? As I mentioned I'm a newbie, one of those individuals that is used to paying builders in order to do the work that I was clueless of or too busy to take care of.

The work they are doing is internal plastering and decorating and now the replacement of the bath and sinks. Interested to know what special regulations are required to replace those or plaster/paint a wall?

GasMarc? Not sure I understand why it's a worrying question to ask if the Potterton Netaheat directly heats water going to the kitchen tap that is 2 feet next to it? As I said, I am a newbie, never had to worry about this sort of stuff before so I'm seeking advice.

Cheers,

Mike

With regards to these builders, they've never been to the UK so certainly not the same as those your friends have referred to.

For the record, I've lived over here for 7 years now and these builders have worked for us on and off for 5 years. We've completely rennovated our home here, (240 Square Metres) and they've done a fantastic job with Building works, (enclosed an outdoor set of stairs)plumbing, guttering and outside drainage, plastering, tiling, re-laying the downstairs floor, bathroom fittings, doors, etc...

Over here, you have to have any building works drawn up by an architect and submitted for local planning. Once approved the inspectors arrived to inspect the initial stages, (such as foundations), spot checks and then a final inspection.

The builders I have there working on my house are courtious, excellent at what they do and are not going to charge an arm and a leg for turning up and doing a skim job.

I'm aware there is a lot of cowboys in the UK from Poland but you know what, there are a lot of Cowboys in the UK from the UK too which is why I chose them for this work.

 

[Phill Peck]

The building regs being referred to are not to do with your plastering but the fitting of baths and taps

 

[robin7]

Not wishing to get involved in the debate about the OP's builders, I'll just try to answer the question as asked.

No, the Potterton Netaheat Electronic is NOT a combi boiler ie. it does not instantly heat mains water.

From the description given of the system, the OP's hot water is stored in a Hot Water cylinder (which may or may not be fitted with an Immersion Heater) and then drawn off at any of the taps.

If the boiler happens to fire up when hot water is drawn off in the kitchen, it will be because the thermostat on the Hot Water cylinder has noticed a drop in temperature of the stored HW, and sent a call for heat to the boiler.

Hope this helps

 

[gasmarc]

Fair point but I would advise asking your qualified gas safe registered installer as i have seen some right dodgy work . I suggest you Utube Polish plumbers in Ireland . I had a mate call me recently where some idiot decided to plumb the cylinder on to the mains splitting the cylinder and flooding the property.

 

[muggles]

And now if we can get back to the original post...(come on guys, don't be giving him a hard time just because he's Polish). Incidentally, Gasmarc, that Polish plumbers in Ireland video on YouTube is a prank by the Irish and not an example of Polish work. I'm staggered you've actually fallen for that one

MikeInPoland - no, the boiler should not fire up when the hot water tap is turned on, the hot water in the kitchen is drawn from the cylinder upstairs at low pressure. It sounds to me like something's been incorrectly connected in your system, I suggest you identify it quickly as it might be about to cause a massive flood.

 

[Whitespirit66]

If your wife and foreign builders are replacing taps on your gravity fed system, I hope they are buying taps that are suitable for low pressure (ie. hot and cold stored water not at mains pressure). You may be very disappointed with the flow from some of the pretty, single levered mixers that are more suited to mains pressure combi systems. Fitting isolation valves and narrow flexi tap tails can slow the flow even further.

As you have found out, stored/gravity fed hot or cold water is unknown territory to builders/plumbers from many continental and central European countries.

 

[Nige F]

As you have found out, stored/gravity fed hot or cold water is unknown territory to builders/plumbers from many continental and central European countries.

What you need is an old P*key plumber from Ashdown Forest - and a competent Gas Safe engineer from London - both reside on this forum

 

[Whitespirit66]

As you have found out, stored/gravity fed hot or cold water is unknown territory to builders/plumbers from many continental and central European countries.

What you need is an old P*key plumber from Ashdown Forest - and a competent Gas Safe engineer from London - both reside on this forum

I can guess the second, but who's the first?

Didn't realise there were any diddys on here. Not even from Notty Ash!

 

[MikeInPoland]

Robin7, Muggles & White Spirit, thank you very much for your responses, electronic thanks added for your help.

For the record I'm actually fro South London, went the otherway in 2005 and very happy that I did

 

[Whitespirit66]

Robin7, Muggles & White Spirit, thank you very much for your responses, electronic thanks added for your help.

For the record I'm actually fro South London, went the otherway in 2005 and very happy that I did

You're welcome. Next time I'm in Krakow, I'll let you buy me a Zywiec, or maybe a Warka.

Na zdrowie!

 

[MikeInPoland]

Robin7, Muggles & White Spirit, thank you very much for your responses, electronic thanks added for your help.

For the record I'm actually fro South London, went the otherway in 2005 and very happy that I did

You're welcome. Next time I'm in Krakow, I'll let you buy me a Zywiec, or maybe a Warka.

Na zdrowie!

You'll need to be far more westerly (I'm south of Wroclaw), but you clearly know your Polish Beer Thanks again...