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| richard.cs:
--- Quote from: SteveyG on July 29, 2019, 10:34:31 am ---A system boiler has everything except the cylinder internal to the unit, so even if you just need to replace the diverter or pump, you have to disassemble the boiler to get to those parts (and also be gas safe...) A heat-only boiler just has the heat exchanger and a flow and return to the boiler. You have everything else separate making it more customisable and maintainable . You can buy an Intergas 24kW heat-only for less than £700. System boiler comes in around £1100 and a similar (Intergas Xtreme) combi is close to £1800. Unless massive work needs doing, both end up around the same £2000-3000 in total. --- End quote --- So just to be clear, heat only and system boilers are functionally equivalent, the distinction is only in the detail of whether the pump and valves are internal or separate. Combi boiler is on-demand water heating at mains pressure, plus heating a circulating loop for radiators. The actual implementation is usually that it has pump and valves internally like a system boiler and that hot water mode takes priority over space heating and circulates water from the sealed heating loop locally through a water-water heat exchanger to heat the mains pressure cold water. --- Quote from: paulca on July 29, 2019, 10:44:30 am ---Then add in the cost of the unvented tank which is £600-800 and we are already at £3500, so the plumber is only adding £500 for additional work for plumbing and setting up the hot tank. --- End quote --- The plumbing for an unvented tank is probably more similar to what you have now (vented low pressure tank) than the plumbing for a combi boiler is so I am very dubious about higher labour cost for unvented vs combi. Also a heat only boiler is cheaper than a combi (see SteveyG's numbers) by pretty much the price of the unvented tank. I'd tend to agree with him that the 4k quote is pretty high. In my experience plumbers tend to push you in the direction of doing what they're familiar with. I'm not saying a combi isn't best for you, it depends on your use case, but it sounds to me like he's pushing for combi for his own reasons. |
| SteveyG:
--- Quote from: richard.cs on July 29, 2019, 10:56:26 am ---In my experience plumbers tend to push you in the direction of doing what they're familiar with. I'm not saying a combi isn't best for you, it depends on your use case, but it sounds to me like he's pushing for combi for his own reasons. --- End quote --- Yes, both familiarity, ease and (depending on the manufacturer) heavy discounts to "accredited" installers. Just to be clear, I am not suggesting any system is better for you than another - the use case should be entirely at the centre of the decision. Remember to account for the future too (additional family members etc). |
| Towger:
If the hot water cylinder is more of less replacing like for like (with just original pipes/electrics moved/extended) £500 seem high for labor. I have done this several times my self over the years. The going rate in Dublin is touching on €200 a day, wife has me spending 10K :palm: on a new bathroom, pumps and plumbing etc... I would expect the labor rates in NI to be cheaper, since they follow the money and most builders vans down here have NI reg plates! Your labor rates will probably drop after 31st of October, if BJ and the DUP have their way. The price of a cylinder has gone up with the price of copper. Watch what happens to the old one, it will not be going into a skip ::) |
| SteveyG:
--- Quote from: Towger on July 29, 2019, 11:17:36 am ---If the hot water cylinder is more of less replacing like for like (with just original pipes/electrics moved/extended) £500 seem high for labor. --- End quote --- There would be additional pipework for the PRV and expansion valve given the move to an unvented cylinder, but not much else. Another thing to check would be if the installer is even G3 registered. He may not be, hence pushing the price high so that you do not go down that route. |
| paulca:
Well anyway, I'm going to get another company to do a quote also. As to which system I want I'm still undecided. If I wasn't considering the solar water heating at all, then it would be 100% combi. The house only has me in it with the option later of my daughter spending the odd night here and there is always the potential of a partner later. But the point is the hot water demand is small. On an average day I maybe use 5 litres of hot water in the mornings washing, a handful of litres rinsing some dishes before they go in the dishwasher or washing my hands. Every other day (yes, you can call me a smegger and judge all you want), a shower. Thus storing a full tank of hot water would not be that efficient. That's compared to a busy family home serving up three or four showers a day and the odd bath. The only thing leaning me towards a system boiler (or heat-only) is the ability to stick 1000W of solar on it and basically have free hot water with some of it taking a tiny bit of load off the space heating as a by product, although I haven't worked out just how much that would be. Install of the solar system is around £1000 + whatever a spark charges me to check it for safety + the plumber cost to install the immersion. |
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