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Recommend a heating system for a 4 bed, 2 bathroom home :)

9 replies

Squirrelfruitandnutkin · 15/04/2018 17:35

We have a boiler and a thermal store system at the minute. It’s 15-16 years old and as I want to replace the kitchen it may be wise to replace it now.

But what system to go for??

I’m assuming Combi boilers are no use for bigger houses?

Maybe a Combi with a store? Could it cope with 2 showers?

Or a hot water tank?

Or another thermal store system?

I’m looking for local plumbers so will see what they suggest but was hoping someone here would be a ken to explain things simply for me! Smile

OP posts:
Mymouthgetsmeintrouble · 15/04/2018 17:43

I know people who have had higher powered combi boilers fitted its probably best to contact a heating engineer

purplegreen99 · 15/04/2018 18:13

Have you got a megaflow? This has really helped with hot water availability in our house. We don't have a combi - was advised this wouldn't be a good option (we have 3 bed, 2 bathroom house & 2 teenagers).

Squirrelfruitandnutkin · 15/04/2018 18:14

What’s a mega flow? Confused

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 15/04/2018 19:25

A Megaflow is one brand of unvented cylinder. I was going to suggest an unvented cylinder, it gives unsurpassed hot water, especially if you have two bathrooms.

They are made of stainless steel and very well insulated, so there is hardly any heat loss, and people often have quite big ones these days (e.g. 250 litres, which will give two hot baths or numerous showers and you only need to run the boiler once or twice a day, it uses less gas than a combi.

It's a good idea to have two electric immersion heaters, one at the top and one at the bottom, for the rare occasions when the boiler is out of action. If you happen to have solar panels they can save a bit. Conventional boilers probably break down less often than combis.

With an unvented (and also to get good performance from a big combi) you need a good incoming water flow, which might mean a more modern supply pipe out to the pavement; and also ensure your internal stopcocks, service valves and pipes to the bathroom are full-bore.

Start by filling a bucket at the kitchen cold tap (and the garden and utility taps if you have them) and time it. How many litres per minute do you get?

Squirrelfruitandnutkin · 15/04/2018 19:48

Piglet John!

I can find out the litres/ min. :)
House is 15-16 yo too so I’m assuming that supply pipe is modern enough.

Un-vented cylinder sounds perfect!

OP posts:
Squirrelfruitandnutkin · 15/04/2018 19:51

I have googled but I don’t know how to tell if the pipes are full bore.
Sorry for being clueless! Confused

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 15/04/2018 20:21

inside a house, copper pipes are often 15mm (the size of your finger) or 22mm (the size of a smallish banana.

22mm has twice the capacity of 15mm

Bath taps need good flow, since a bath holds about 100 litres, to fill up quickly, so are 3/4" taps preferably on a 22mm pipe.

Basin taps are 1/2" on a 15mm pipe.

However, if the pipe coming into your house is only 15mm, and there is no cold tank in the loft, the maximum amount of water that can flow out of one, more or all your taps added together at any one time will be limited by that 15mm pipe. It might be in the region of 11 litres per minute.

So a huge combi that can deliver 20 litres per minute is wasted, because that much water is not available.

11lpm is quite a good shower, but inadequate if two people are trying to run taps at the same time. Hence combi owners often moan about fluctuations.

Incoming water pipes in modern houses are usually run in blue plastic. 20mm plastic has the same capacity as 15mm copper, because the walls of the pipe are thicker. 25mm plastic is like 22mm copper, and is adequate. 32mm plastic is better still and will give superlative flow. The cost difference in pipe is trivial, but valves are more expensive in bigger sizes, and sneaky plumbers may fit small ones, which will constrict the flow, hoping you won't realise. It is much more difficult and expensive to dig it up and change it than to do it right first time.

Also copper pipes inside houses are often fitted with cheap ball valves that constrict the flow (and leak). Full-bore ones of better quality are more expensive. So you may have to insist and monitor your plumber.

Cheap

good

EmmaGrundyForPM · 15/04/2018 20:23

We just switched from an oil fired boiler to an air source heat pump for our 2 bath 4 bed house.

So far so good.

AppleAndBlackberry · 15/04/2018 20:34

We have a large combi boiler (4-bed 2 bathroom house). I like it, the hot water never runs out. It is about the size of a washing machine though.

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