Plumbing and Heating Design

[Peter James]

Hi,

I am starting a major refurb and extension (single floor bungalow) and will be installing new plumbing and heating. I will be getting the work done professionally, but want to be able to guide the specification.

The one thing I am OCD about is leaks.

The heating will be a combination of under floor and radiators.

I have been looking manifold based systems (mainly form The Emmeti web site).

My boiler (gas) will be installed on what is an existing external gable wall which will now be a wall in the garage loft. Garage now being integrated.

What I am thinking is bringing the mains supply to this location in the garage loft (with the stopcock). This then feeds the boiler etc..

Then have four manifolds -
1. Underfloor heating - five way.
2. Radiators - seven way
3. Cold mains water - seven way (boiler, outside tap, utility room, kitchen, bathroom, en-suite and garage)
4. Hot water five way (utility room, kitchen, bathroom, en-suite and garage)

All four of these manifolds would be located on the same wall as the boiler with all the output pipes coming down the garage wall and into/under the floor.

In the bathroom and ensuite I am thinking of secondary (accessible) manifolds to split the hot and cold water to the appliances (sink, toilet, bath, shower).

This to me will have no hidden joints.

Does this make sense and is it sensible?

 

[Dan Robinson]

This to me will have no hidden joints

Maybe

all the output pipes coming down the garage wall and into/under the floor.

That is a lot of pipes. Hope there's enough space.

Does this make sense and is it sensible?

To a point.

 

[durhamplumber]

This to me will have no hidden joints

Good luck with that.

 

[John D v2.0]

I am sure it's not the traditional way but apart from the joints advantage, your taps will not affect each other as much.

We went down a similar route, when we did an extension and refurb, brought the water in by the existing boiler which is now in the downstairs loo. Since it's central and below the upstairs bathroom and toilet, it made sense to separate things more than usual for the amount of extra pipe.

It's hard to put the whole layout into writing but in general we have separated the hot to the showers, and where things go in different directions, but the cold taps and shower are all combined upstairs and the downstairs loo, outside tap, washing machine.
Same goes for the island dishwashers and sink.

Heating is one manifold for each floor, a pair of pipes to each room. Only one room would have been more sensible to share in terms of pipe work.
It does use a lot more space but in our case it was mostly in space we already had available.

Not sure any concrete advantages, but I'll let you know if it leaks! Disadvantage is that hot water at the shower is one thing but you still have to purge the cold from the hot pipe to the basin. So more wastage

 

[picasso]

The manifolds are a good idea, you can have no joints with the rads but the pipework will look c**p, I normally put a pushfit elbow either in the wall or floor to transition to copper, hope your mains water pressure is decent.

 

[just pumps]

Hi,

I am starting a major refurb and extension (single floor bungalow) and will be installing new plumbing and heating. I will be getting the work done professionally, but want to be able to guide the specification.

The one thing I am OCD about is leaks.

Why do you think the pressurised wet test over several hours is carried out