We've recently moved to a new house. (Well, it was a year ago, but it still feels recent!). Our old house had a combi boiler, which we loved, but things are a bit older in the new house. Realistically, it's also too big for a combi.
We've started to make plans to redo the en-suite (hideous pink sanitary ware, etc). However, we got a bit sidetracked, because the water pressure is not good enough to support a shower. We've got a gravity-fed system, so my first thought was to rip it out and install an unvented cylinder. We started to get quotes, but realised that the whole house's water pressure is low.
Three of our neighbours, in the course of moving-in-renovations, replaced the water mains and are now delighted with their pressure. Another two, who've been in their houses for years, just installed shower pumps when they needed to refit their bathrooms. I want to be in camp 'has good water pressure' but DH is very stressed about the cost and disruption.
I've had one quote so far and it was £1680 for the moling (not tooo bad) and £3700 to run the new pipework up to the loft and put in a cylinder (ouch!!).
I've got quite excited about Mixergy cylinders, which can apparently save 20% on heating bills and warm up fast. On the other hand, two plumbers have told us how great the Aqualisa pumped smart showers are.
Benefits:
- If it goes in the loft, I get more space in the airing cupboard
- We fix the shower pressure problem both for this bathroom, and the next bathroom when we get round to doing it (flowered sanitary ware!)
- A mixergy cylinder could be more eco than our current cylinder
- We've been told we shouldn't drink even the cold water from upstairs. Every night before bed I have to truck downstairs for a glass of water, and I hate the house a little bit.
- I've been put off by stories of noisy and unreliable shower pumps
- We save the money of fitting a shower pump
- If we're going to do the water mains work, sooner rather than later feels smart
Drawbacks
- We can save up £5k for the water works, but it delays the bathroom
- DH is stressed about our mortgage and the money-pit-ness of the house, and would like to be using the money to pay down mortgage and protect us against future interest rate rises
- Moling will make a hole in the hedge, a hole in the drive, a hole in the back patio
- We've already had the floors sanded (doh) and the plastering done (doh), and running new indoor pipes will be a bit disruptive
- What if the new mains doesn't fix things?
WWYD? DH and I can't agree about it. :(