anyone in locostland (west london area)a central heating fitter?
i need a system ,i can nail the rads to the walls and bend a few pipes to fit,just need connecting to boiler and info on rad sizes where to run pipes etc

A good place to start is a company called Mr Central heating. I think they have a shop in Fulham.
They will be able to give you a sizeing calculator and some advice.
Basically you dial in some measurements from your room plus the number of outside walls and windows and that will give you a figure to select your rads.
You will need to decide on single or double rads depending on wall space.
Mr Central heating will be able to help you size the boiler etc.
As a rough guide you want 22mm pipe for your main pipe runs and gas pipe to your boiler.
Your rads can tee off in 15mm.
You can do all of the work yourself, except connecting the gas and balancing the boiler (corgi or accops only).
Also you will need a lift getting the boiler on the wall!

There are lots of choices to make concerning your hot water options (stored or instant) plus different boiler types (condensing, Combi, etc). Also thermostatic rad valves.
I personally would go for thermo rad valves and hot water storage cylinder setup (if you have the space).
A combi gives instant hot water with no storage but is a pain if someone else turns on a tap, flushes the loo or turns on the washing machine and you are in the shower.
You will either freeze, burn or get no water at all!


[Edited on 25/3/2008 by nitram38]

If you can bend and solder pipes, use the internet to find some radiator size calculators, read instructions for a boiler and connect some wires you can do it all except the gas connection and mains wiring to the boiler. Its MUCH easier than building a locost!

Caber

You might also want to consider a heat store system for your hot water. Can be DIY'd into a normal system easily, and works amazingly well.

cheers peeps,a hunting i will go