Upgrade advice needed for gas heating and external insulation.

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larbar

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Hi,
Hoping maybe can row in with some opinions/advice.House - 3 bed semi,one bathroom,open system- is at the stage where it's 'tired' and needs a few things done so am looking at heating system as well as external insulating.Gas boiler(Baxi) is about ten years old and whilst its going okay,my understanding that condenser will be far more efficient and so it comes down to what make and model.Any opinions?
Viessman seems to be popular?
Also Grant Vortex?
Should I stick with open vented or change to sealed? I have asked in another thread about the different makes of external.
Am I right in understanding that a condenser needs a water/liquid feed away from it and if so how is that managed? Does it need to be near a drain?
Thanks in advance
 
larbar said:
Hi,
Hoping maybe can row in with some opinions/advice.House - 3 bed semi,one bathroom,open system- is at the stage where it's 'tired' and needs a few things done so am looking at heating system as well as external insulating.Gas boiler(Baxi) is about ten years old and whilst its going okay,my understanding that condenser will be far more efficient and so it comes down to what make and model.Any opinions?
Viessman seems to be popular?
Also Grant Vortex?
Should I stick with open vented or change to sealed? I have asked in another thread about the different makes of external.
Am I right in understanding that a condenser needs a water/liquid feed away from it and if so how is that managed? Does it need to be near a drain?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Do you need the pipework replaced or just the boiler?
Zoning is a must & can be achieved without replacing the pipework but possibly some alterations. Unless it is gun barrel, then I would replace.
Boiler wise, Viessmann is a very good make but at over €400 more expensive than similar quality brands, I find it hard to justify.
Grant Vortex is an oil boiler.
Yes condensing boilers need access to a drain but a simple soakaway can be installed if a drain is not close by.
 
Thanks Shane.Can I ask,after Viessman what good gas boilers are there or when you say it is more expensive than other brands,can you give me a few names if you could?No, no pipe work really,just boiler.Am I right in reading that gun barrel is worth keeping as opposed to copper or is it micro bore...is that the right name?Thank you again
 
larbar said:
Thanks Shane.Can I ask,after Viessman what good gas boilers are there or when you say it is more expensive than other brands,can you give me a few names if you could?No, no pipe work really,just boiler.Am I right in reading that gun barrel is worth keeping as opposed to copper or is it micro bore...is that the right name?Thank you again
Click to expand...

Worchester Bosch are a very solid & reliable boiler. Ariston are rapid heating & have probably the best controls within their boiler on the market. They are extremely adaptable to suit problem systems. Vokera are a good boiler also, just the Mynute is difficult to service & only a 2 year warranty. They have launched a new Mynute model that is excellent to service.
I'm not a lover of non-adjustable gas valves in many modern boilers as they cannot be adjusted to suit site conditions but that it just me. I like to have a boiler running bang on.

Gun barrel has a life expectancy of circa 30 years so nearly all of it is older than that. GB systems will also be fairly sludged up & will destroy a restrictive nature of modern gas boiler heat exchangers. You can powerflush them but be warned. It might be the sludge that is holding it together! Saying that I have powerflushed GB with good success. It just depends on the parameters of the system.

Stay away from microbore. It is far too restrictive with it's very high resistance nature.

Copper or better still multilayer is best. The latter being expensive.
 
Zoning the existing system would be very advantageous. It would also mean you could avail of SEAI grant assistance. If the heating contractor is registered you can also avail of the carbon credit scheme. This gives you an additional upto €367 grant in addition to the SEAI grant. So €400 + €160 + €50 + €367 = €977. That goes a long way towards having an excellently controlled system.
 
Wow Shane,didn't know there were all those grants available.Was just thinking SEAI.Will be using only registered trades because the house is an old one and at the stage where a mile of stuff needs doing.Heating/plumbing,some rewiring and external insulation.As you pointed out the condenser needs a feed away and that will necessitate the cobble lock being lifted etc etc.Headaches on the way ! Thanks again.
 
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