How Much to install Gas central Heating

Completing on a new house this week (3 bed terrace in London) and the first job is to install a gas central heating system.The property currently has a back boiler with a water cylinder in a closet upstairs in the bathroom. I want these taken out and replaced with a new gas central heating system whilst re using the existing radiators but feeding them with new copper pipes. How much should I expect to pay for this type of work if I free issue the boiler.

cheers

Depends mate, I would get in a asbestos specialist before you remove anything mate.

But plumbing materials are expensive mate, get a few estimates from local plumbers pal

We paid £2500, no existing system, last year for 2 up 2 down in Manchester, which was the middle price out of 3. Went with the viessmann boiler with 10yr guarantee with 5 on the heat exchange I think it was. We got the quotes off one of the trade sites, rate my people or something like that. You explain what you want doing and then up to 3 tradesmen contact you to arrange quote, they pay something like £30+ for your details but get that back if you actually go with them

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I would seriously consider replacing the radiators M8 - new rads are much more efficient than the older ones.

I may be an old dinosaur but I preferred my old back boiler central heating/hot water system, have a combi system now and getting hot water from the taps is a pain and the noise from the system whether it is hot or cold water used is annoying. And things like removing radiators for decorating used to mean just undoing and laying down then tightening until done , loosen back up in place tighten and bleed the radiator..................now we have to faff around with the boiler and pressure levels and need someone doing the boiler and someone checking the radiator.

:goodpost:

Seconded. Combis are seriously overrated.

Yep agree. She nagged and nagged and nagged for us to get a combi and after 10 years I gave in..Even she agrees the old boiler was better. Once again I forked out 000s to prove what I knew all along

Yes they can be a pain if the wife turns the tap on downstairs while I am having a shower I either freeze my rocks off or get scolded to death. I am sure she does it on purpose.:Mad2:

I disagree regarding combi boilers, I suppose you get what you pay for.
Ours is silent and provides hot water for two showers at once with full pressure.

TT

Well, yes (or no) lol. Combi boilers have advantages and disadvantages but one problem is no-one looks at whether they are appropriate for them (and the installer never explains).

One advantage is they tend to be more efficient as they heat water 'on the fly' so there's no loss of heat due to storage - no hot water tank etc.

A disadvantage is the water temperature can fluctuate due to demand (see @miggy post).

Bleeding radiators shouldn't be a problem, open the fill-loop and, provided the pressure doesn't go into the red-zone for your boiler, leave it open until you finish bleeding then shut it off, simples

MH said:

I disagree regarding combi boilers, I suppose you get what you pay for.
Ours is silent and provides hot water for two showers at once with full pressure.
TT

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The combi boiler I have is a Worcester which is supposed to be amongst the best, but the old Baxi Bermuda back boiler I had was a lot quieter and as I say I didn't have to run my taps for ages before it turns hot.................just fortunate that I am not on metered water !!

Forgot to say this in last post, but there was a point a feww years back that when you replaced your back boiler it had to be with a combi boiler................something to do with the boilers having to be on outside walls if I remember correctly, but I see now that back boilers are starting to come back on the shelves so there must have been some sort of change in regulations again.

nara said:

:goodpost:

Seconded. Combis are seriously overrated.

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Probably depends which one you have. I fitted my own Vaillant in 1992. I've had very few problems with it, until about 3 weeks ago, when the main heat exchanger
started to drip. I fitted a new one, at a cost £137. When I got the manual out, which came with boiler, to "file" the receipt for the heat exchanger, I roughly totted up my
total repair costs at £211, after 22 years and counting. German engineering at it's peak, and it looks like the day it was fitted. A full installation manual, full service manual,
including circuit and wiring diagrams, electronics which I can understand, and genuine spares are still widely available. We've never had hot water flow problems either,
but then we manage to struggle along with less showers than bedrooms, in our archaic part of the UK.

I don't know whether this is typical. It may be part due to the lack of professional attention it's had, nor can I compare it to a conventional system, because
I've never had one. Before this, we had gas fires and an immersion heater setup, no central heating. I occasionally think about an "upgrade" but the later condensing systems
don't exactly inspire from the reliability, or long life aspects. After all, you put a lot of eggs into one basket, and even a power cut is a show stopper.

danforth said:

It may be part due to the lack of professional attention it's had...

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Aha, found the salient part lol

Him Her said:

Aha, found the salient part lol

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Thought you might!
I also conclude you've got more than one shower!:Biggrin2:

I have a valiant combi and i would like to know the best settings to have for your radiators (temp setting) and the same for the hot water..my gas bill is killing me as i need to keep the place warm or i seize up due to osteo arthritis in both my knees.
I try and experiment but i have not found middle ground yet.

danforth said:

Thought you might!
I also conclude you've got more than one shower!:Biggrin2:

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True. No combi (no gas, oil combis are quite recent). Showers are pumped

cheers for some interesting post guys. I've got 3 people coming round on Friday to give me a quote, let see what I get quoted. I am hoping it will be in the region of about £2k.

Reason I want to go for the combi is because I want instant hot water system, I don't want to be in the shower one day and the hot water runs out lol also I want a proper shower fitted not one of those electric showers that i have at the moment. Also The back boiler is about 15-20 years old but the previous vendor has said that he has been servicing it every year and it hasn't caused him any issues it. I thought it will save me a lot of hassle to do it now rather then later as the property empty at the moment. Is it good idea using the existing rads even though I have them flushed out, they look like they are in good condition.

AJT said:

I have a valiant combi and i would like to know the best settings to have for your radiators (temp setting) and the same for the hot water..my gas bill is killing me as i need to keep the place warm or i seize up due to osteo arthritis in both my knees.
I try and experiment but i have not found middle ground yet.

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Mines comparatively ancient (just like me), but I use a zoned programmer for timing, no room thermostat.

I have TRVs on all radiators, there's a pressure by pass built into the boiler. Just two boiler controls, hot water temp, and the main CH return temp set half way.

Apart from the zoning we simply adjust the TRVs of the rooms being used, as necessary. I don't know about the economy aspect, no comparison really.

In the main my attitude is, if you want to wear a short sleeved tee shirt, when it's freezing outside, expect to pay.
My wife disagrees, but then she's always been my biggest single expenditure. :Biggrin2:

tlogic said:

Is it good idea using the existing rads even though I have them flushed out, they look like they are in good condition.

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When you say flushed do you mean you took them off and squirted a hose through? Newer rads will be more efficient and I don't think you'll save a lot by not changing them - I'm assuming the old ones would have new valves and stubs fitted?

That said, if they look sound you could always change them at a later stage but bear in mind that the new sizes can make this a bit of a pain or leave you with some ugly pipework to lose the 100mm (ish) difference in length.

I've heard differing reports of power-flushing so I've never bothered with it - I just take them off and flush them out with a garden hose, refill and top up with inhibitor.