Hot Water Tank + Boiler vs Combo ?

[photoshop]

Hey,

Been looking at houses and the one that we are set on has the old style of heating and water with a tank in an airing cupboard and a boiler downstairs in the kitchen.

I've always had a combi so was wondering what sort of costs I would be looking at to change over the existing system to a combi system?

Would new pipes need to be laid? The property has been renovated to a high standard and it would be a shame to butcher it to lay new piping but if needs must...

If I did decide to leave it in then would a Nest thermostat handle a old style system where the water and heating are two systems?

 

[robj20]

Hey,

Been looking at houses and the one that we are set on has the old style of heating and water with a tank in an airing cupboard and a boiler downstairs in the kitchen.

I've always had a combi so was wondering what sort of costs I would be looking at to change over the existing system to a combi system?

Would new pipes need to be laid? The property has been renovated to a high standard and it would be a shame to butcher it to lay new piping but if needs must...

If I did decide to leave it in then would a Nest thermostat handle a old style system where the water and heating are two systems?

Is it old, ie cisterns in the loft? Or do you just refer to all system boilers as old.
Arguably they are better than a combi for everything except unplanned hot water use.

New pipes would be required but not much, just running the DHW to the current supply from the cylinder. Plus some tweaking of the current flow and return.
Might also require an increase in gas pipe size, plus if it is actually old you'll need a condensate running.

 

[hornetstinger]

£2000-£4500. Plus ripping up pipework, maybe new electrics if it has old fusebox. Removing radiator tank and hot water cylinder. Maybe ripping up floorboards, and putting in a new gas line (depends on what size of the gas pipe is) Putting in vent and condensation outlet pipe to outside.

Massive job.

 

[a1ex2001]

£2000-£4500. Plus ripping up pipework, maybe new electrics if it has old fusebox. Removing radiator tank and hot water cylinder. Maybe ripping up floorboards, and putting in a new gas line (depends on what size of the gas pipe is) Putting in vent and condensation outlet pipe to outside.

Massive job.

Slight exaggeration without ever seeing the job! Some boiler moves are easy some are not get a local plumber out to quote.

 

[hornetstinger]

Each is different of course. But for us, we needed to get the fusebox done because boiler installer would not connect up new boiler to old fusebox. New TRV's in each room, alter pipework from boiler to hot water tank (lift up floorboards but through floor) also needed a new pipe from old boiler to exit place in the ground from the gas pipe, if it was wrong size that would mean digging up whole floor or re-routing gas pipe, or putting boiler in another location. Then going into loft.

 

[Jamesyboyjim]

Currently having our house converted to a combi boiler and radiators put in, the house has been butchered but that's because of all the pipe work required for the new radiators. I'd say if you have existing rads then it shouldn't be a whole lot of work but if you go combi then you'll need some pipes and the whole system will need to be converted to run off the mains.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

you will be able to install a nest with zero issues at all. so no problems there.

personally i have the same system as you. i use about £400 worth of gas a year. i don't see the point in spending £3.5K on getting a combi to save £40 a year. you will never get that money back. when it dies just replace it with a more efficient version of itself.

same goes for the water pump. when it dies make sure you get the new efficient ones that only use 10-20W of electricity, the old ones use 100W.

 

[DXP55]

I went from hot water tank to Combi - unfortunately I can't afford to revert back to a Hot water tank system - One of the few big errors in my life.

 

[bobbarley]

It's not necessarily an old system. My house is 9 months old and uses a boiler and hot water tank on the top floor. One advantage over a combi is the pressure seems to be higher than any other house I've lived in.

I have Hive and it controls my central heating perfectly.

 

[andy_mk3]

One of the few big errors in my life

Can I ask why?

It's obviously different for everyone with how it's used. But we quite rarely use hot water. The shower, dishwasher, washing machine etc are all cold water fed. I hate the idea of a tank of water being kept hot all the time for no reason. I find the hot water comes through quick enough, and never need to worry about running out either.

 

[hornetstinger]

Can I ask why?

It's obviously different for everyone with how it's used. But we quite rarely use hot water. The shower, dishwasher, washing machine etc are all cold water fed. I hate the idea of a tank of water being kept hot all the time for no reason. I find the hot water comes through quick enough, and never need to worry about running out either.

Same here, say wash plates once a day, have a shower once a day, why heat 40 gallons when those two uses maybe at most 4 gallons?

 

[photoshop]

Thanks Everyone- seems like there are mixed views on this....not sure what to expect. If i bought the house then i would prob wait till the existing setup when kaboom and then changed it over to a combi..
The house was built in 2000

 

[hornetstinger]

Thanks Everyone- seems like there are mixed views on this....not sure what to expect. If i bought the house then i would prob wait till the existing setup when kaboom and then changed it over to a combi..
The house was built in 2000

yeah we changed from system to combi only when the existing boiler was deemed unsafe. Personally though it was burning a stupid amount of gas to heat- if it was my money I would changed a lot earlier.

 

[andy_mk3]

I forgot to add, our old boiler was a horrible old back boiler behind a horrendous old gas fire. The new boiler was fitted upstairs and I think was at a cost of around £2500. All the plumbing was in the airing cupboard aside from a gas feed so not much work was required really. The hot water tank pipes were capped off or moved to the boiler.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Thanks Everyone- seems like there are mixed views on this....not sure what to expect. If i bought the house then i would prob wait till the existing setup when kaboom and then changed it over to a combi..
The house was built in 2000

You have to be crazy to think saving £40 a year is worth spending £3.5k on.

You may as well get solar panels too for £8k to save £100 a year.

 

[robj20]

You have to be crazy to think saving £40 a year is worth spending £3.5k on.

You may as well get solar panels too for £8k to save £100 a year.

People have been brainwashed into thinking a combi is the be all and end all and will save them a fortune.

 

[Dangerous Dave]

The saving changing boiler will depend on the current usage and effiency of the old boiler, I changed from a old storage combi to a unvented cylinder and system boiler reducing gas usage by 45% and our electricity by 10% saving is almost £800 a year.

The main advantage of an unvented hot water cylinder is main pressure hot water to multiple outlets. If you want to run two or more outlets/showers simultaneously a combi boiler is the wrong choice.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

The saving changing boiler will depend on the current usage and effiency of the old boiler, I changed from a old storage combi to a unvented cylinder and system boiler reducing gas usage by 45% and our electricity by 10% saving is almost £800 a year.

The main advantage of an unvented hot water cylinder is main pressure hot water to multiple outlets. If you want to run two or more outlets/showers simultaneously a combi boiler is the wrong choice.

His house was built in 2000. Therefore it will be extremely energy efficient compared to much older properties. He won't be spending huge amounts on gas unless it's a large 5 bedroom triple the size of the average home.

You have to take into account a home that is over 100 years old will require a lot more gas and enery to heat it than a modern home, etc. There is no need for him to buy a combi other than to throw money away.

 

[hornetstinger]

Modern houses have tiny rooms and have tissue paper walls.

I just went to view a property , had minton tiling on the hallway, large rooms. Granted electrics need updating, but it had a combi, modern bathroom with thermostatic shower and sliding doors.

In a new property if you fart the neighbours 6 doors down will hear it.

 

[Jamesyboyjim]

Same here, say wash plates once a day, have a shower once a day, why heat 40 gallons when those two uses maybe at most 4 gallons?

Completely agree, hence our decision to rip out the old system and go combi.

Although, it was a really old hot air system boiler that had been condemned and repaired several times in its 50 year life and burnt its way through a few £ of gas a day without the hot water or heating even being used!