Replacing a heat-only boiler with a combi - advice please !!

[markoneswift]

Hi all, I'm new on here and have some questions. I have a 3-bed, one-bathroom, 1978 vintage detached house with a traditional boiler / cylinder / tanks in loft CH system. The age-old ( presumably original ! ) Glo-worm boiler has now died ( I think the heat exchanger has cracked ) and I need to replace it. My questions are :-
1) Would it be possible to put the new combi into the airing cupboard currently occupied by the cylinder ? It has an outside wall and would seem ideal as all current pipework goes there except gas ). Would anyone advise against this ?
2) Carrying on from 1), my CH pump / drain is currently at low level in my kitchen where the dead boiler is. Could I leave the pump / drain alone if I change to a combi ( ie leave the pump in-line but not running ) or would I have to remove the pump from the pipework ? Just wondering on this one cos it will be a b*tch to get to !!!
3) Would there be any negative effect on CH pumping effort by having the combi on the 1st floor rather than the ground floor ?
I need to decide whether just to replace the current dead boiler with a new heat-only boiler or go for combi. Based on price / availability I'm wanting to go combi, but I'm open to suggestions and / or help !! Thanks

 

[Agile]

I would always recommend a stored water system for a family house. If you understand the shortcomings of a combi and will accept them thent that would be fine.

The old boiler/pump will probably have to be cut off and the pipes capped but thtat all depends on where the controls and perhaps a three port valve. Usually all the connections can be made in the airing cupboard.

Hopefully you will have a registered gas engineer to do the installation and advise you.

Tony

 

[markoneswift]

Just picking up on the bit about the old pump location, would it be likely that the CH pipe would travel up to the cylinder from the boiler, out of the cylinder down to the pump and then back from the pump and into the CH system ? Just trying to get my head round which bits of pipework could be done away with to remove the pump from the system.

If I decide to keep all my exisitng pipework and simply do a like-for-like boiler replacement, can I use a 'system boiler' ? I've seen these about and thought they were the same as heat-only boilers. I gather they aren't, but what would the implications be of fitting a system boiler in place of a heat-only one ? Thanks again.

 

[izzy eckerslike]

My sister has a recently fitted combi & altho it's a good make it's failed 3 times in 12 months.
Biggest problem is that when it breaks down she has no alternative option for hot water as there is no longer an immersion heater as of course there is no hot water cylinder.

 

[palerider45]

i agree with agile, look into unvented cylinder for hot water get great pressure at all taps, but bit expensive, stick in a decent boiler i.e valliant and bobs your uncle.

 

[bengasman]

My sister has a recently fitted combi & altho it's a good make it's failed 3 times in 12 months.

In that case the boiler make is not as good as you think it is, sounds like an ideal, or the workmanship of the installer was very poor.

Most resident RGI's on here agree that finding a quality installer is the most important part of the job.