Guinness
|
| posted on 27/3/08 at 05:49 PM |
|
|
Plumbers Please!
I'm planning on converting my loft into a master bedroom and en-suite this summer.
At the moment my hot water header tank and central heating header tank are above the bathroom ceiling on the floor below.
The hot water cylinder is in the bathroom too.
I'm guessing the first thing to do would be to run a cold water supply up to the attic in 15mm poly to see if we have sufficient pressure to get
water up there?
Then the plan is to have a WC (cold water feed), an electric shower (cold water feed) and a whb (hot and cold required). Rather than completely
re-work my hot water system, I'd rather just use an instantaneous hot water heater under the whb. Would that be acceptable?
I'm also guessing that I won't be able to extend my existing Central Heating into the loft without major open wallet surgery!
So I need to strike a balance between the cost of re-jigging the entire CH system against the cost of installing some electric underfloor heating and
the relative running costs. Anyone got any experience with either?!
Cheers
Mike
|
|
|
|
|
r1_pete
|
| posted on 27/3/08 at 06:14 PM |
|
|
Doing all that extra you'd be well on the way to the cost of a a combi boiler, which does away with both tanks in the loft, the tank in the
bathroom, feeds hot water at rising mains pressure, and will run you a mixer shower.
Just my opinion, and exactly what I did in my daughters house last year.
[Edited on 27/3/08 by r1_pete]
|
|
|
mark chandler
|
| posted on 27/3/08 at 06:35 PM |
|
|
Negative head pump?
somethinglikethis
This goes down by the boiler on the hot outlet and pressurises the hot system on demand. You also need to spin a cold supply as well.
No need for am electric power shower now as you will have forced water all over the house.
|
|
|
Ferg
|
| posted on 27/3/08 at 07:19 PM |
|
|
I would put a small unvented electric water heater up there to serve both basin and shower. You'll need a safety valve, but it can discharge
into a soilpipe these days rather than running itto the outside world at ground level!!!!
As far as the heating goes it wouldn't be a particularly expensive (or difficult) job to seal the system. Essentially cap off the heating vent
and attach a pressure vessel to the cold feed. The vessel will be available with a kit with a filling loop and a safety valve the outlet of which
should be run to an outside wall and terminated pointing down and towards the wall slightly.
HOWEVER... you can only seal the system if the boiler has a manual reset high limit stat, most modern gas boilers and virtually all oil boilers have,
but check that first. There is also a minimal risk that the system might not take the potential 3 Bar pressure at which the safety blows.
|
|
|
RickRick
|
| posted on 27/3/08 at 09:37 PM |
|
|
am i missing something or do you already have cold water up to the attic? the header tanks should be feed cold via a ball cock i'd be getting
up there and pushing the ball down, or draining off a load of water and seeing how good the flow is to refill rather than running a pipe just to check
water pressure
|
|
|
Guinness
|
| posted on 27/3/08 at 09:43 PM |
|
|
Cheers lads.
I have checked the boiler and it has a "Overheat 'stat reset button" so it may be possible to pressure up the system. But given the
number of leaks I've had recently I'm non to confident! (We've now replaced every radiator in the house after the one in
Ben's room sprung a leak at 8pm on Easter Saturday!).
Rick, the header tanks are above the bathroom ceiling, which is about 4' below floor level in the attic. Then I've got another 12'
of useable space in the attic, where the headers might relocate to. The front of the house is on 3 floors, and the back is on two? if that makes
sense.
_--
_--
--
Cheers
Mike
|
|
|
DarrenW
|
| posted on 28/3/08 at 10:33 AM |
|
|
Is it possible to pump the cold feed to attic if pressure isnt high enough and fit a small combi or electric water heater? If anyone else in the
street has done the conversion they may be able to say what they would do better 2nd time around. Just wondering if the instantaneous heaters flow
enough for a good shower. Negative head pump sounds interesting idea for the hot water feed.
I have a mate who had a kitchen extension built and put electric under floor heating under the ceramic tiles - very toasty. Quite a succesful mod
(they didnt want radiators in there).
It sounds like a very nice house you have there.
Did you get a garage in the end? Just curious after your post about storage facilities.
|
|
|
