Old boiler has kicked the bucket...

[wannadie]

We have just moved into a new house and the old boiler we adopted has kicked the bucket. At least the weather is warm.

It is a heat only boiler with a vented hot water tank and cold water tank in the loft.

Eventually, we would like to have a unvented (Megaflo) cylinder to provide high pressure water to all bathrooms. But we want to do building work and are not ready to decide where it would go. We want to add bathrooms and a utility room.

We are also thinking that we might like to have 2 or 3 heating zones in the future.

Can we replace the boiler only at this point and still retain the future option for unvented cylinder and heat zones?

Getting confused between the difference between heat only and system boilers.

Is it a valid option to create heat zones by installing smart wifi thermostatic radiator valves?

Would there be more impacts if we wanted to install an unfloor heating system in the future?

Lots of questions but help greatly appreciated. It is a big investment.

Thanks,
Matthew

 

[Gasguru]

Megaflo is just one particular (over priced) brand of unvented cylinder...personaly I avoid the air baffle type (they are not fault free despite the claims).

Before you even consider an unvented cyclinder you need to measure the pressure/flowrates to see if your mains supply is sufficient (many areas of London have hopeless water pressures).

A heat only boiler just provides heat and (and if a sealed system is required) a pump/expansion vessel/gauge/safety valve must be fitted external to the boiler. A system boiler normally contains those components but depending on the size of property may not be sufficient (eg. the vessel/pump are too small). I also prefer separate components where I can choose the quality rather than be tied into the boiler manufacturers parts.

You are generally free to add smart stats but don't go mad trying to run single rads etc...the boiler will complain.

 

[wannadie]

Thank you Gas Guru,

- What unvented cylinder is the best in your opinion?
- We are on the outskirts on London and I believe water pressure is ok. Most neighbours have unvented cylinders but we would still get it checked.
- Does it make any difference if we were to install the cylinder in the loft?
- And would it matter if the boiler was on the ground floor?
- I think we would need a larger gas pipe if we were to move the boiler further from the meter.
- Is a heat only and open vent boiler the same thing?
- Would running a future underfloor heating system be a problem?
- We were quoted on a Vaillant Eco Fit Pure 30kw heat-only boiler to give you an idea of demand.

Thank you so much for advice.
Matthew

 

[MeldrewsMate]

My two-penneth....
I like Megaflo, they're made in Britain, they're the market leaders, but they are more expensive than others...just avoid the cheapies!
My condolences. It's poor water FLOW you'll complain about, or interaction between water outlets during concurrent use.
Install 22mm cold water mains pipe to wherever your cylinder will be - see above.
No, except that you MAY need a larger expansion vessel because the static system pressure (in your possible sealed system) is higher when the boiler is lower....you didn't say how many floors/storeys you have.
Yes you MAY, installer will be able to advise.
Not quite; a (sealed) system boiler is heat only, as is an open vented boiler (with a few exceptions). The other type is the Combination boiler - but you WILL need a larger gas pipe for one of those (and I don't recommend if you have room for stored hot water).
Only a problem getting rid of the spoil from digging your floor up.
Don't buy Geeerman. One day you may want your kids to have jobs. If this C19 thing has surely taught us, it's to spend our money as locally as possible.