Reply With QuoteYours sounds like a legitimate reason to replace it if it's beyond reasonable repair.Originally Posted by Michael 38
All but one of our houses have combi boilers, but like above one has a faithful - never goes wrong 20 year old boiler, the advice of our gas safe engineer is "don't replace it with a combi",
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Yours sounds like a legitimate reason to replace it if it's beyond reasonable repair.
We live on a new estate, still building roughly 70% complete, all houses good old fashioned boilers with hot and cold pressurised water tanks.So no progress in N. Wales
Two years ago we stayed in a National Trust holiday let. It was a very large detached bungalow heated with a AS heatpump. A couple of observations
The radiators were huge! Eg 6 inches deep and wide.
The water in the rads apparently only heated upto 70 deg C , so they were always hot to touch , but certainly not toasty warm.
The controller had a “ boost” button which ran for 60 mins and certainly warmed the place up fast , Im not sure what it did or how it did this ;)
The bungalow also had numerous fan and oil filled radiators dotted around the place.
The AS units were two very large Mitsubishi type units bolted to an outside wall. Their location would need to be considered on a property as they were just like AC units and not easy on the eye.
Last edited by higham5; 19th October 2021 at 19:25.
Same with my partners valliant, there is a local guy who only works on them, took one look and said “the best they ever made, brass internals, no plastic, never replaced a pressure vessel in one, don’t get rid of it”
Pumped up the pressure vessel, fitted a new valve, paid him £160. This after British Gas wanted over 5k as they needed a cherry picker to fit a new flue if we had a new one fitted.
But it makes sense that those who can afford it top up the difference at this stage. As a result costs will drop and lower income families will eventually get one.
Anyway it’s hardly a benefit, combi’s do a great job (by the sounds better). The benefit is to society, so whether low/high income have them at the start doesn’t really matter.
Only other option is the Government buys the entire country a new boiler.
I just don’t believe that.
I think like most things that have a generous government grant attached, heatpumps will stay a lot more expensive for longer than they need to be.
A guy I know has imported his own heat pump of Chinese origin, costs less than the grant being talked about, does a good job apparently.
I’ve looked at them, and solar panels with a battery bank, payback looks like it’s multiple decades unless energy prices really go astronomical.
Last edited by Tooks; 19th October 2021 at 20:55. Reason: Typos
Because you can think of a lot of technology where prices don’t drop?
So you do want the Government to buy everyone a new boiler.
Last edited by Rodder; 19th October 2021 at 20:29.
My next door neighbour has one for his swimming pool. Fking noisey
The government wouldn’t be buying the boilers. The tax payers will be.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Exactly there is no such thing as Govt money only our hard earned money
I FEEL LIKE I'M DIAGONALLY PARKED IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE
Quite, my money will be helping him have cheaper energy.
I wonder if the grant will just inflate the price of the equipment, with car chargers it works against the consumer, they are £1-200 bits of kit, but all of the sellers inflate the price to £7-800 installed to soak up the grant, obviously sellers are making fortunes out of it.
Almost certainly, everything grant supported seems to get cheaper as the grant is reduced or removed.
Solar, EVs, car chargers and soon to be heatpumps.
Rodder, not many people are as fortunate as most of us on here and splashing out the additional £7500 to install a heat pump on top of the grant is simply not an option. Making such daft statements beggars belief.
Have a look at Roger Bisby on Youtube it might surprise you.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhAKMAcmJFg
What beggars belief is the ignorance to reply to a comment before finishing the thread. As such you can read back for clarification. But to précis ; there is very little benefit to the individual in buying a heat pump, it is a societal gain. So let the wealthier top it up at this stage with the hope technology will reduce in cost and improve in quality.
And again, do you want the Government to buy everyone a new boiler?
Also, remember, a heat pump might cost 12k but manners are free
Last edited by Rodder; 20th October 2021 at 09:59.
Great subject and thanks Adrian re your ceiling mount AC units which has spurred me on….
Having done some further research on options for heating and cooling and wanting to be less reliant on my gas boiler….i am drawn to “air to air” AC / heat pump options…which have advanced massively…
Seems quite straightforward that I should be able to install one in our downstairs lounge diner effectively an AC unit that also does blown warm air ? So heat and have benefits of much needed AC in summer , its a 500 sqft room approximately would something like this do the job ?…
https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p...ir-conditioner
Common sense talking at last, maybe the government need to take a look, or whoever is advising them.
Good point about the extra heating coil that makes sure the hot water is hot enough to prevent legionnaires from forming, that will increase your electric bill.
That looks like a really good bit of kit, a few models along from mine.
Running costs look pretty good as well
That is very good, it's interesting that he was saying this back in July
I seem to remember him making a partial retraction in a subsequent video, or at least adding some caveats and qualifications.
I'm sure Boris has already got his mates setting up companies to make and install these things as we speak so it will all be unbiased and above board that I'm sure of
He's got a double page spread in the Daily Mail today.
I agree, the whole heat pump thing isn't viable for the vast majority of us.
When I first moved into this house I looked at ground source heat and was told it wasn't viable because we are in a bungalow and the walls where the radiators are currently located are too small for the size of radiator needed.
I've also got a friend who has installed air source heat and the amount of physical changes he had to make was astounding - new bigger radiators, shed for the fan thing (condenser?), new water tank cupboard etc etc. Plus a set of levers in the water tank cupboard that would get a cathedral organist excited.
Thanks but no thanks. Its not for me.
Last edited by barreti; 20th October 2021 at 13:43.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/a...ing-trade.html
Very informative post, I wonder if anyone in Government knows this info...
Maybe Town Gas and Thermal Cladding is the way to go??
You did well there. £5.1k here for a new Vaillant system boiler moved into the bathroom from downstairs with the gas pipe routed under the house instead of around the outside.
That didn't include anything to do with the megaflow, which was already in place, and I still have to pay the same donkey another £150-£190 to install an extra two Nests so we can heat each floor individually.
Also went oversized on the rads too. Rather have overkill running low than regular maxed out.
Just another thing to add, if you have one fitted, be prepared to offend/upset your neighbours too. I have just discovered this myself by bumping into my neighbour, it was only fitted yesterday. Anyway, they’ll have to lump it, its down the side of the house (alley way between both detached houses, 4 foot wide each side and fenced down the middle). Oh well, you can’t please all the people all the time.
Is it the noise that's upset them?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58959045
Listened to a radio advert this morning about heat pumps, pretty convinced I never heard the advert state anything other than reducing your carbon footprint. Nothing about installation costs, running costs or will it reduce your heating bills which for almost everyone in the UK will be the driving force.
Pie in the sky figures again from the government I feel.
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Part 2 here, https://youtu.be/pFl8jcLOiP8
Absolutely bang on there isn’t he, reminds me of the Solar Panel push a while back.
Gas price fix is interesting.
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Exactly, the installation teams called it the gold rush which came crashing down when the FIT dropped.
The guy that fitted my car charger remembers it well, all those trained up teams suddenly not needed.
Yep, pretty sure my best mate paid money to be involved in fitting these and got stung when it all changed.
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At that point they hadn’t heard it, it was the sight of it. Apparently it spoils their view; like the blank brickwork side of my house is some kind of wonderful view! Its the side window of their kitchen to let some light in, the rear window affords a nice view over the fields at the back. If they enjoy looking out the side window they must be nuts.
The system was commissioned today, it is honestly so quiet I could barely hear it at all, we live at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, so its a quiet area. You could hear a mouse pass wind over the compressor fan!
I thought this was interesting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhAKMAcmJFg
Ahh late to the party I see :)
Our boiler has just packed up and I was considering an ASHP. It’s worth knowing that if the unit (or housing) is bigger than 0.6 cubic meters then you may need planning permission to install it. Also it can’t be closer than 1m to your boundary and various other rules.
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/inf...7/heat_pumps/2
It didn’t make sense for us at this stage due to cost and the lack of decent insulation in our house, plus no suitable external wall where it would comply with the guidance above.
Last edited by SlipperySam; 21st October 2021 at 07:58.
Wonder what the solution would be for properties like yours when gas boilers are banned. Suppose needing planning permission doesn't rule one out.
Try turning your combi down to minimum setting and if that’s sufficient to heat your house then a air source pump may be sufficient. Otherwise spend thousands to insulate your home to sufficient standards + new rads, pipe work etc. No thanks!
Hydrogen gas boiler, a lot are already duel fuel
Yes, hydrogen would work but can't see the infrastructure being ready in time.
Prototype boilers exist, that's all (domestic anyway).
Is existing domestic gas pipe work up to scratch for (very leaky) hydrogen? Is it also being touted for hobs? Can you see hydrogen flames?
Might need safety blow out devices in the roof and kitchen walls!
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😂😂😂
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
I’m not sure really as the only suitable position would be on the front elevation which I wouldn’t want plus we live in a Conservation Area so planning permission isn’t a certainty. I’d imagine local authorities are under pressure not to refuse applications for ASHPs though.
I think solar panels would be an issue for us too for the same reasons.
Last edited by SlipperySam; 21st October 2021 at 09:11.
I just checked, the Vaillant boiler we have been quoted will run on up to 20 hydrogen mix with natural gas. I'm not sure how this works as obviously the gas supplier sticks whatever they want down the pipe, the user has no control over it, so all boilers must be like this, so maybe just marketing.
Okay, 20% might work. Pure hydrogen is probably a long way off https://www.vaillant.co.uk/homeowner...edge/hydrogen/
Relatively easy to switch over in new 'villages' with suitable boilers but in others existing boilers could become redundant overnight and changeover will have to be enforced.
IMO electric heating would be far simpler and don't see it being dearer to generate than hydrogen.
There are a lot of challenges with hydrogen. Green hydrogen is not available at scale today and the UK lacks the necessary gas storage facilities.
I’m starting to ask the same question. Producing ‘green’ electricity on a huge scale would solve all the problems.
Maybe the way forward is a combination of heat pumps (supplemented by electrical heating where necessary), hydrogen gas, and straightforward electrical heating, or maybe we simply retain natural gas usage where it’s the sensible answer. A one size fits all solution doesn’t look feasible.
Being cynical I can’t help thinking the politicians are looking for maximum publicity by making sweeping statements of intent. Carbon- neutral is a dramatic statement, doing what’s feasible to reduce carbon emissions by 70% doesn’t have the same ring to it.
We will never be carbon neutral in the time span they have quoted, and they won't be in power to defend it anyway, so it is very much a publicity stunt, trouble is, it hits the pocket of those that can ill afford it.
Insulation is the first key measure needed in any environment, without that you're just wasting energy, but that will cost a huge amount to achieve and probably not achieve the publicity they so desire, and it will prove the road blockers right, and they really don't want to do that.
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