DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hello,

We have a gas fired back boiler which needs replacing, this provides hot water(backed up with an (immersion heater) and rads to the first floor. We live in med size 3 bed semi.

I propose to remove the back boiler to the lounge and position a new boiler which would be flued into the same chimney flue from the kitchen/dining room.

My query is, "if I fit rads to the grouund floor and connect them to the flow and return pipes serving the existing first floor rads would this work"?.

The pump sits next to the hot water cylinder in a cupboard on the first floor. There are a pair of pipes coming from the upstair radiator flow and return which come through the dinning room ceiling from the first floor, they terminate in drain valves.

Perhaps these could be utilised for a ground floor circuit?

All work would be checked and commisioned by a corgi guy on completion I just want to get a feel for what is possible. Budget is very tight.

Many thanks.

The best way to pipe the system is to have 22mm flow and return with 22mm to 15mm or 10mm reducing tee's for each radiator.

So each radiator will be fed in 15mm or 10mm pipe tee'd directly into 22mm flow and return.

Or if you're going to use 10mm pipe, using manifold's will evenly distribute the water to each radiator.

Also leaving existing pipework and radiator valves in, is not advisable as they're prone to leaks when being upgraded to a pressurised system, also check condition of radiators.

cANT YOU FIT A COMBI TO AN OUTSIDE WALL AS OPPOSED TO USING THE CHIMNEY? ARE YOUR FLOORS ON THE GROUND FLOOR SUSPENDED WOODEN FLOORS? iF USING EXISTING PIPEWORK ADVISE THAT EVERY UNION WOULD NEED TO BE INSPECTED PRIOR TO USING IN PRESSURISED SYSTEM, AS OLD SYSTEMS MAY HAVE LIMESCALE PRESSURE LEAKS, WHICH WHEN THE SYSTEM IS CLEANED PRIOR TO NEW BOILER INSTALLATION MAY LEAK :cry: AND UPSET HER INDOORS,iT IS NORMALLY BETTER TO REPLACE PIPEWORK WHICH HAS BEEN LONG TERM IN PLACE. aVOID MICROBORE 10MM AND 12MM IF FITTING A COMBI BOILER, AS LONG TERM PROBLEMS WILL RESULT, PARTICULARILY IN HARD WATER AREAS.