Electric Hot Water System

[keep_it_simple]

Hello all . I'm in the process of modernising a 'compact' one bed flat (350sqft) and have removed the old water tank & cylinder because it was in the middle of the flat and I needed the space. Now I'm deciding on what sort of system to replace it with.

I do not have a gas supply so it's going to be electric and I have about 3 bar of pressure. I don't have any loft space and I can't put pipes on the outside of the building (according to the lease) which would make an unvented system a bit tricky to install so I am leaning towards an electric combi or thermal store. I have also considered an instaneous water heater (or two) but they use about 50A and I'm having downlights and electric underfloor heating so I'm going to be a bit low on juice if I go down that route, am I not?

I will need to supply a kitchen sink and washing machine, and a bathroom basin and decent quality shower. No bath. The most important thing is keeping the space down to a minimum so the smaller the unit the better. Has anybody been in a similar situation and able to offer any advice? Many thanks.

 

[Fluffster]

If you have no bath install a decent electric shower esp with 3 bar of pressure.
Washing machine does not need hot water supply as it heats the water itself.

So an under cabinet water heater to supply your sink and basin would suffice.
Pete

 

[keep_it_simple]

Thanks for that Pete. Trouble is I'm going for a high-spec minimalist finish and I don't really want a plastic box in the shower! I thought about a Redring Powerstream for the bathroom but they only recommend their own shower kit which looks a bit plasticy to me, plus it takes 50A to run.

 

[Biggles..]

Dont touch Redring, just been to the electrical wholesalers and they used to stock them until customers and installers complained about the poor customer service offered when these units became faulty (generally within 3 months at that). Enginners took upto 4 weeks to visit and then demanded £70 from the customer for faults that should have been covered by the guarentee. now the wholesaler will only sell Mira and Tritton. Heavier in price, better quality and excellent customer service.

 

[keep_it_simple]

Thanks mate. Anybody got any experience with thermal stores/ heat banks?

 

[corgiman]

you need the mighty

dum dum duuuuuuuum

water systems

if he aint availible they are ok as long as you have the water flow and they are installed by someone who knows his arse from his elbow

 

[Biggles..]

Amptec manufacture an electric boiler, ideal for small properties. A new build of flats near me have just had Oso unventeds fittedthat are purely off of an immersion. work fantastic and the developer thinks their the muts nuts.

 

[keep_it_simple]

you need the mighty

dum dum duuuuuuuum

water systems

if he aint availible they are ok as long as you have the water flow and they are installed by someone who knows his a**e from his elbow

Huh? Am I being fick or did you forget to put a link in?

 

[corgiman]

sorry i was taking the mick out of an erstwhile poster who we all know and love

 

[keep_it_simple]

ah, gotcha.

aren't the amptec boilers designed mainly for central heating? you'd still need an electric cylinder for your hot water, no?

 

[ChrisR]

If you don't want to store water then it's an electric shower. There are some where you can hide the heating part away and just display a flat panel. Sure it would need a supply to itself, which is normal. Lights etc aren't relevant.
If you want a better shower than you need a big store. Look at http://www.heatweb.com/ Pandora, maybe.

 

[keep_it_simple]

Ta Chris. I spoke to a neighbour today who has a Redring Powerstream which feeds her shower, washbasin and sink and she says it's fine. Then she went on to say she also has a pump for the shower but Redring say that is not possible!

I'm starting to think about something like the Pandora. I'd hate to put a Powerstream in and also an undersink unit for the kitchen only to discover the flow rate wasn't up to the job, but the difference in price and the loss of space with storage still has me wavering.

 

[keep_it_simple]

Today I discovered that the flow rate into the flat is a very respectable 25 l/p. I'm still none the wiser about what this means for the various systems i'm considering, but I was mightily impressed anyway.