Replacing Old Potterton C40 Boiler from 1970s

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9 Jan 2013
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Hertfordshire
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Hi

The house is three bedroom with three medium size radiators downstairs, one very small upstairs and tower rail. No radiators in bedrooms. The house is quite warm unless the whether is very cold but even now when it is just +3 outside it is +20 in the bedroom. Radiator temperature is maxing at 50 degrees and based on gas consumption boiler takes in about 5kW of gas so given low efficiency it outputs under 3kWhs.

The house is planned to be rebuilt in several years - so the idea to make it warmer and more energy efficient with minimal hassle and expenditure.

The current set up is as follows:
1. Boiler is floor-standing on the ground floor directly below bathroom airing cupboard where hot water cylinder is located.
2. The heated water pipe rises from the boiler and goes straight up into the airing cupboard where there is a T-junction, and then continues into the loft.
3. There is a connection from the T-junction to the coil of the hot water cylinder that is in the airing cupboard. The return from the hot water cylinder drops straight down to the ground floor and into the boiler.
4. In the loft there is a water tank / venting pipe and pump that pumps water into radiators on the second and ground floors. All this pipework including return pipes is outside the airing cupboard.
5. Flueing from the boiler is via roof, the flue is 40 years old. There is a garage right next to the house so wall flueing from the ground floor is difficult but possible from the airing cupboard.

I think replacing just boiler would really solve my needs. If I could get radiators to 75C, their power output would at least double so the house would be quite warm even when it is freezing outside. I think it would be cheapest to place boiler, probably a 20kWh one, in the airing cupboard.

So I think the following would have to be done:
1. Remove current boiler. Remove the return pipe that goes from HW cylinder to the boiler - as now return pipe from it will not be going to the ground floor.
2. Connect the current return pipe near the boiler to the current heated water pipe which will now become return pipe.
3. Current gas supply is 22mm, so this would need to be extended about 3 meters to the airing cupboard.
4. Install the new boiler on the outer wall of the airing cupboard.
5. Install pump and HW / Heating selection electrical valve in the airing cupboard. (Pump would be taking from the loft).
6. After the electrical valve central heating pipe would go to the loft as currently along existing pipework and then to radiators. The Hot Water pipe would go into the coil in the HW cylinder in the cupboard.
7. The new return pipe coming from the downstairs would have to be joined with return from the HW cylinder and connected to the new boiler.


Any advice whether the above is sensible and feasible?

Would it be done in one day or would it take two days to do?

How much should I expect to spend on labour for this (I understand boiler, electric 2 way valve, a bit of pipework and wire would be about 1K it is labours charges I am not sure about)?
 
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