Combi boiler in the loft

oggiet

oggiet

oggiet

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Looking to change our boiler to combi boiler.
We have been quoted for keeping in the same place (downstairs in kitchen) for £3500 or moving it into the loft for £3900. Both included removing hot water tank and both tanks in the loft.

Not sure about moving it into the loft, any advantages for it ? Also boiler both plumbers have quoted are Ideal Vogue Max 32, any thoughts on this model.....we have always had Valiant but they both said Ideal are good as don't pay for the name and they come with 12 warranty.
 
One advantage of it being in the loft would be you won't be able to hear it, but modern boilers are pretty quiet anyway. A disadvantage is that access to the boiler is more difficult.

Personally I would prefer it in the kitchen where I could easily inspect it and see what it's doing.
 
I have that exact boiler, had it installed when moving it to the loft. It’s a decent boiler, it’s what instructed the plumbers to fit after I did my own research.

Not sure why you’d want it in the kitchen taking up space. It’s not an entertainment device, it’s got a wee screen on it but you don’t need to keep an eye on it.

The loft needs to be boarded, have a permanent installed light and a proper ladder but I’m sure they’ve already checked / factored that in
 
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Ideal logic+32 combi in kitchen - there it's close to sink so that water gets hot fast without a lengthy pipe run.

I'd be concerned about pressure in the loft with the additional head to get water up there, live at the high pint in village +30m or so.
problems we've had with it principally the trap for condensing water evacuation where having it in close proximity helps in diagnosis.
I guess most combis have pre-heat but the Ideal implementation where it puts the burner on every 20minutes or so always seems a waste of gas,
so usually manually turn that off overnight.
 
Pressure wasn't a consideration, and I asked them to plumb the condensate drain internally - so I don't have to consider that either. For us, it being in the loft is closer to the shower but further from the kitchen. I'm OK with that.
Pre-heat is on, I've not noticed it kick in every 20 minutes or so
 
I'm probably going to move my boiler into the loft on the new house I'm purchasing to free up some kitchen space. The only downside for me is if the boiler develops a leak then its making a mess of your ceiling potenially before you notice anything.

If you keep on top of the service/maintenence this should be less likey but I'll probably try and make some sort of drip tray underneath and make a point of inspecting it more often than I would if it was in the kitchen
 
GeX said:
and I asked them to plumb the condensate drain internally - so I don't have to consider that either. For us, it being in the loft is closer to the shower but further from the kitchen. I'm OK with that.
Pre-heat is on, I've not noticed it kick in every 20 minutes or so
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issue I had was condensate syphon was failing to remove condensate and you could hear what the issue was - gurgling.
I don't have a smart gas meter if that would enable me to see what the standby gas consumption of pre-heat is, but I would like a system where you could pre-heat only during peak usage periods-
7am , 6/7pm.
 
Thanks all for the comments.
Space in the kitchen is not the issue, we will cut of that part of the kitchen and turn it into utility room. We are getting extension done so will gain some space from there to add to what space is left from original kitchen.
As some of you have said I'm just worried about if there is a leak , also water pressure.
Also we want a combi as makes life easier compared to current system. We gain space by not having water cylinder in cupboard and ones in the loft. Also don't have to worry about running out of hot water.
Ideally would like to go down heat pump root bit prices are just ridiculous at the moment.
 
oggiet said:
Thanks all for the comments.
Space in the kitchen is not the issue, we will cut of that part of the kitchen and turn it into utility room. We are getting extension done so will gain some space from there to add to what space is left from original kitchen.
As some of you have said I'm just worried about if there is a leak , also water pressure.
Also we want a combi as makes life easier compared to current system. We gain space by not having water cylinder in cupboard and ones in the loft. Also don't have to worry about running out of hot water.
Ideally would like to go down heat pump root bit prices are just ridiculous at the moment.
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Heat pump requires cylinder. Combis are old technology. Tank is better.
 
dlockers said:
You'll have to have a tank put in if you go to a heat pump later on. Very short sighted especially if heat pump was even a possibility.
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Got space in the garage for all that if do decide to go heat pump in the future. At current prices I'm not interested, it's a rip off.
 
I agree with dlockers on a normal boiler instead of a combi. At least with a normal boiler and a hot water tank if the boiler goes faulty you can still have hot water by switching on the immersion heater.

My neighbours at my old house had a combi put in their loft. The plumbers ran a large copper pipe from the gas meter externally up the side of the house and in to the loft, always struck me as ugly and a bit of a bodge if not a slight risk. The larger gas pipe was required to meet the extra demand of the combi boiler.

It'll get pretty warm in the loft so make sure your ventilation is good, I'm sure the boiler will be rated for it anyway.
 
Mysterae_ said:
I agree with dlockers on a normal boiler instead of a combi. At least with a normal boiler and a hot water tank if the boiler goes faulty you can still have hot water by switching on the immersion heater.

My neighbours at my old house had a combi put in their loft. The plumbers ran a large copper pipe from the gas meter externally up the side of the house and in to the loft, always struck me as ugly and a bit of a bodge if not a slight risk. The larger gas pipe was required to meet the extra demand of the combi boiler.

It'll get pretty warm in the loft so make sure your ventilation is good, I'm sure the boiler will be rated for it anyway.
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Oh, yeah any external pipework was a dealbreaker for us too. Or visible internal for that matter too
 
Fine as long as you have good access for servicing.

Regarding pressure etc, you'll soon find out if it's working or not due to pressure loss. They also have safety valves so nothing to worry about. The boiler will stop working on the heating side of it doesn't have pressure, so just pop up in the loft then. Nothing is fool proof but the reality is boiler don't leak that often, and in theory a once a year service should be enough and then a quick check every time you enter the loft.

The loft will still require pipework to be insulated. No need to worry about heat in the loft either won't have an impact on the boiler.

If your having large scale works done look to oversize the radiators and install an opentherm thermostat, this will enable the system to work at a much lower temperature and use less gas.

Make sure the boiler isn't over sized for the property when switching to combi boiler installers just tend to throw over sized units in.

I wouldn't personally go with ideal, but at the end of the day probably best to stick with what your installer suggests as they will likely be servicing it and know the intricacies of that brand and model, and sometimes they are affiliated installers which helps the warranty process aswell should you need it.
 
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