New central heating system - some advice please

[Solaron]

Hi,

i have an old flat that needs its whole central heating system changed (for various reasons - including a cracked cylinder!). It is currently a standard gas boiler with a hot water cylinder. i want to change this to a condensing boiler to eliminate the cylinder altogether (to get greater storage in the flat).

The boiler is currently in the kitchen and the cylinder in a cupboard a few rooms away. The boiler currently has a cold feed (from a header tank i think) and a hot output to the cylinder.

To change it to a condensing boiler - i need some help. i am planning on doing all the pipes myself (with a competent plumber) and then get a corgi registered plumber to come in a connect it to the gas.

So here are my questions:

1) Is it possible to get a corgi guy to come in just to connect it? i have heard it is - but i thought i'd double check

2) any reccomendations on boilers to get under £1000? it's a 2 bedroom flat

3) i assume i need to pipe in a cold mains feed, have a hot 'mains' out and have a central heating mains in and a central heating out. Anything else i should be aware of - particularly when it comes to the flue and overflow (if any)?

Thankyou in advance and i really appreciate speedy replies!

Chris

 

[chrishutt]

i want to change this to a condensing boiler to eliminate the cylinder altogether (to get greater storage in the flat).....

1) Is it possible to get a corgi guy to come in just to connect it? i have heard it is - but i thought i'd double check

2) any reccomendations on boilers to get under £1000? it's a 2 bedroom flat

3) i assume i need to pipe in a cold mains feed, have a hot 'mains' out and have a central heating mains in and a central heating out. Anything else i should be aware of - particularly when it comes to the flue and overflow (if any)?

First, you mean a combination boiler. It will also be a condensing boiler, but that is nothing to do with it's ability to do hot water.

1) Get in touch with your Corgi guy now and discuss the arrangement with him. I would want to hang the boiler, fit the flue, connect the gas and commission as a minimum to be able to vouch for the installation.

2) Boiler output relates to hot water requirement, not heating load. Discuss it with your Corgi or competent plumber (as if..).

3) As above. Discuss siting of boiler, flueing requirements, condensate run, gas supply sizing, etc. with your Corgi in advance.

If your Corgi can't answer all these points with authority, find one who can.

 

[Solaron]

Thanks Chris. I thought that would be the case (and i did mean combi! thanks!).

So - if myself and my uncle do all the piping and provide a stopping point for the pipes underneath where the boiler is going to hang - that should hopefully cut the cost from £3k to around £1.5k (including boiler) - that about right?

This means i need to find out what pipes i need and what sizes - any ideas where i can find that out?

 

[chrishutt]

Yes, your Corgi installer! You're going to pay him anyway so you might as well use his expertise to cover the necessary advice.

 

[Solaron]

Hehehe. Take a chill pill!

The reason i ask is that i've booked british gas to come in on the 5th July (speedy) - and obviously the person on the phone doesn't have a clue. British gas are doing that deal where they give you £300 for your old boiler and a years free cover - so i need to find out as much as i can.

 

[Gasguru]

Don't be so gullible, they making 50% profit on the job - if they gave you a £1000 back and a 10 year warranty it would still be a rip off.

Using BG is a lottery - they have some very good engineers and a whole lot of dross.

Still I can't complain, get plenty of work of their disgruntled customers.

 

[Solaron]

Hahaha!

i was reccomended them to be fair. The deal was the icing on the cake really. I will continue to look for plumbers in the mean time - but being a sunday - not many are answering and the one guy i spoke to said "We'd ahve to do the whole lot mate"...... he can go do one.

 

[Nige F]

Recommended them

 

[Gasguru]

I'll give you an example of one of my neighbours (they didn't realise I was heating eng. at the time).

They paid £3500 for their warm air hesting system to be replaced by BG. BG sub-contracted the work out .

I installed the same unit at another neigbours for total cost of £1500 (price includes the cost of the unit and 3 days labour).

Bearing in mind BG can get the unit at less cost than I can thats 100% higher. Still think there good value?

 

[Solaron]

point taken dude!

.............. you come to Reading? hehe.

 

[Gasguru]

Don't do installs anymore - too many Poles/East Europeans/cowboys to compete with nowdays.

 

[Solaron]

I'm sure some of them are good - but yeah, i'm betting the majority aren't!

Finding a good plumber is going to be haarrrrrrd

 

[Agile]

Most CORGI reg heating engineers are quite competent.

There is however one fellow in Reading who is not but I cannot remember his name.

He went to try to repair a boiler and did not know how to do it and so he recommended a new boiler at an inflated cost.

The landlord was not that stupid and so he called me to do the repair ( failed ignition pcb! )

Tony Glazier

 

[Gasman1015]

Finding a good plumber is going to be haarrrrrrd

Not really for normal people, customers who want to reduce the cost however such as you, with your proposals, do find it more difficult to obtain a good one.

 

[geoff@cetltd]

"Most CORGI reg heating engineers are quite competent.

There is however one fellow in Reading who is not but I cannot remember his name. "

Just don't get me started ...