Hoping somebody on here can give me a bit of advice as I’m clueless when it comes to plumbing.

I’ve just moved into a house up Harle Syke which has a conventional boiler (boiler downstairs, cylinder upstairs and water tank in the attic). The water pressure in the showers (main and en suite) is terrible and we want it sorting.

The plumber from work has advised replacing with a top of the range combi boiler and moving the boiler upstairs. He said this will sort the pressure. This will cost me at least 3 grand though. Others have said that I should get a shower pump, however, I’ve heard that these are really noisy and can use up all your water really quickly.

Any advice would be hugely appreciated!

Think your plumber has given you the best advice to be honest.

The Enclosure wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 8:41 am

Think your plumber has given you the best advice to be honest.

I was hoping somebody would say that!

Not quite sure why the boiler would have to go upstairs though?

Think the plumber at work is right, not sure why you need a top of the range combi boiler though, unless you’ve got a very large house.

The Enclosure wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 8:43 am

Not quite sure why the boiler would have to go upstairs though?

That’s something that I’m a bit confused about too. Maybe it’s something to do with it being on the same floor as the showers?

Bigvince wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 8:45 am

Think the plumber at work is right, not sure why you need a top of the range combi boiler though, unless you’ve got a very large house.

It’s just a regular sized, 3 bed house. He mentioned something about this boiler having the best warranty and being able to produce the best flow rate.

Would you suffer with drops in pressure if taps, or other washer/dishwasher to be used?

The pressure in your shower with a conventional system is dependent on the height of the header tank in the attic so it must be quite low down, you could look to increase its height which is a cheaper option, next cheapest is electric showers but by the time you've paid for shower,plumber and electrician you would be better off biting the bullet and get a combi installed. Keep the cylinder and redundant pipes and weigh them in, copper price for scrap rising according to a plumber I know.
Go for a Baxi or Worcester good warranty and reliable.

clarethomer wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 8:51 am

Would you suffer with drops in pressure if taps, or other washer/dishwasher to be used?

Yeah I believe so, but I’m used to that as I’m lived in houses with combi boilers pretty much my whole life. Would rather deal with that than the situation we have now.

Do you have to put the boiler on an external wall too?

We have a gravity fed system and a pump too. It’s not the best I must admit but I can’t justify the expense of changing it.

I upgraded from an old conventional boiler to a combi boiler and the shower pressure almost doubled. Just watch out for problems with old pipe work. The old boiler was much more tolerant of low pressure in the water pipes whereas the combi was not happy at all. It transpired that we had a lot of leaks under our concrete floor which were made worse by them being flushed out when the new boiler was installed. Ended up that an already expensive boiler upgrade became a very expensive repiping job. As I say though the shower pressures are now great.

bfcjg wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 8:52 am

The pressure in your shower with a conventional system is dependent on the height of the header tank in the attic so it must be quite low down, you could look to increase its height which is a cheaper option, next cheapest is electric showers but by the time you've paid for shower,plumber and electrician you would be better off biting the bullet and get a combi installed. Keep the cylinder and redundant pipes and weigh them in, copper price for scrap rising according to a plumber I know.
Go for a Baxi or Worcester good warranty and reliable.

Great advice, thank you. I’ll keep hold of the cylinder. The boiler he recommended is a Worcester, so that makes me feel better.

Whitgord wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 8:58 am

I upgraded from an old conventional boiler to a combi boiler and the shower pressure almost doubled. Just watch out for problems with old pipe work. The old boiler was much more tolerant of low pressure in the water pipes whereas the combi was not happy at all. It transpired that we had a lot of leaks under our concrete floor which were made worse by them being flushed out when the new boiler was installed. Ended up that an already expensive boiler upgrade became a very expensive repiping job. As I say though the shower pressures are now great.

Great to hear about the pressure doubling! Just what I was hoping to hear. I’m hoping that as our house is only 26 years old, there won’t be an issue with old piping.

clarethomer wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 8:55 am

Do you have to put the boiler on an external wall too?

We have a gravity fed system and a pump too. It’s not the best I must admit but I can’t justify the expense of changing it.

No you dont however it has to be flued externally either via the roof or through an external wall a heating engineer will know the regs regarding windows etc. Always get a Magnaflow installed as they protect your boiler and in most cases increases warranty period. Good advice by Whigord as well re pipes.

Lots of schemes about for free boilers if cost is an issue.

I endorse the comment about improving the shower pressure significantly with a new combi boiler - ours is in the garage..

I'm in my late 60's and always been used to the gravity/header tank system. I was very resistant to changing
it in favour of a combi boiler.

However I was left with no alternative when my old system gave up the ghost. I must confess that my fear
of the change was ill founded. I love the combination boiler set up. As already said, the water pressure for the
shower almost doubled and you only heat the water that you use ( no storage of hot water that's not used and goes
cold, only to be reheated again)

I opted for a Baxi with a 7 year guarantee and had no problems in the 5 years since installation. As regards
old piping, my heating engineer tested the pipework under pressure prior to installation. Mine is located in
the garage. Provided you keep an eye on the pressure in the system you should be fine.

Added bonus, there's a Baxi/boiler shop/outlet in Padiham just down the road.

Happy hunting for a solution.

JoeAM89 wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 9:02 am

Great advice, thank you. I’ll keep hold of the cylinder. The boiler he recommended is a Worcester, so that makes me feel better.

Stay clear of Worcesters, plastic internal parts break all the time, go with a Baxi or Valliant.

I think Baxi are the most reliable from my experience.

we have just had the the traditional boiler, with the cylinder upstairs and water tank in the attic, (exactly as you described) replaced with a combi boiler. Never looked back. More energy efficient, quieter, and easier to maintain. We had the boiler moved upstairs into the airing cupboard where the cylinder had been. Basically just to provide more space downstairs.
We have previously used shower pumps, but they were noisy and we ended up having to replace them every couple of years. £300 each time!

The quote you have been given does seem a little high though. We used NWR Properties in Padiham and were very pleased with them.

1968claret wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 10:57 am

we have just had the the traditional boiler, with the cylinder upstairs and water tank in the attic, (exactly as you described) replaced with a combi boiler. Never looked back. More energy efficient, quieter, and easier to maintain. We had the boiler moved upstairs into the airing cupboard where the cylinder had been. Basically just to provide more space downstairs.
We have previously used shower pumps, but they were noisy and we ended up having to replace them every couple of years. £300 each time!

The quote you have been given does seem a little high though. We used NWR Properties in Padiham and were very pleased with them.

I will second the shout for NWR Properties too. They fitted our new combi a year or two ago and they were first class.
Also, when we had ours done, the council had a scheme where they gave us 250 quid towards the cost of a new boiler, eiligible for any 2 or 3 bed house. Not sure if they still offer that but worth ringing the council to find out, or asking whichever plumber you go with.

JoeAM89 wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 8:49 am

It’s just a regular sized, 3 bed house. He mentioned something about this boiler having the best warranty and being able to produce the best flow rate.

There’s no point paying for a top flow rate, if your water pressure isn’t brilliant, if you’ve got good water pressure then you would benefit from a boiler that has a high flow rate.
We have a Baxi combi boiler and it’s excellent

DanH90 wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 11:31 am

I will second the shout for NWR Properties too. They fitted our new combi a year or two ago and they were first class.
Also, when we had ours done, the council had a scheme where they gave us 250 quid towards the cost of a new boiler, eiligible for any 2 or 3 bed house. Not sure if they still offer that but worth ringing the council to find out, or asking whichever plumber you go with.

I’ve asked for an application fo for this 3 times from Burnley council. Yet to receive it though. I will be chasing again next week. Think it’s £300 now.

The thing I would be wary about is that with climate change and the move to renewable energy sources the days of gas may be numbered. Obviously it would take a monumental effort to eliminate all gas items but if you don't have to do anything immediately it's something to consider. There may be more in the way of grants and the like to encourage this transition.

Like the OP I had an old system with boiler downstairs, cylinder upstairs and water tank in the attic. It was years old and a friend of mine who had worked as a gas fitter and plumber advised me to get a completely new system which, in my case, was the right thing to do given the age of it all.

Now have a Baxi combi on 7 year guarantee (installed Sep 2018) with the boiler now in the loft. I've had no issues with it at all, and he even installed a pressure gauge for me downstairs so I don't need to go up to check things. It's been excellent and my gas bills have reduced enormously.

bfcjg wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 9:34 am

No you dont however it has to be flued externally either via the roof or through an external wall a heating engineer will know the regs regarding windows etc. Always get a Magnaflow installed as they protect your boiler and in most cases increases warranty period. Good advice by Whigord as well re pipes.

Are you a plumber by any chance?

bfcjg wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 9:34 am

No you dont however it has to be flued externally either via the roof or through an external wall a heating engineer will know the regs regarding windows etc. Always get a Magnaflow installed as they protect your boiler and in most cases increases warranty period. Good advice by Whigord as well re pipes.

Flues have to be a minimum of 30 cm's from a window or door, all new boilers have to have a filter fitted.

claretandy wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 10:19 am

Stay clear of Worcesters, plastic internal parts break all the time

Just to show the other side of the coin, we had a Worcester Bosch combi installed 17 years ago and it's never missed a beat.
Have it serviced once a year. Would unreservedly recommend based on our experience.

alf_resco wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 5:11 pm

Just to show the other side of the coin, we had a Worcester Bosch combi installed 17 years ago and it's never missed a beat.
Have it serviced once a year. Would unreservedly recommend based on our experience.

17 years ago we had a Worcester Bosch, my experience was like yours, installed a Baxi 2 years since after being warned off Worcester, due to a steep decline in the quality of their product.

clarethomer wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 2:49 pm

Are you a plumber by any chance?

No, but I have always been in construction and M&E services. Sadly I can only dream about a plumbers bank balance

alf_resco wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 5:11 pm

Just to show the other side of the coin, we had a Worcester Bosch combi installed 17 years ago and it's never missed a beat.
Have it serviced once a year. Would unreservedly recommend based on our experience.

17 years ago is a long time, it's the more recent Worcesters that are poorly made.

This link will help you choose a model of boiler. See if it’s the same as your plumber recommends. If not maybe call Worcester to discuss it. Some plumbers like to recommend boilers that they are familiar with rather than what’s the most appropriate. Anyway it’s worth looking

https://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/produ ... =homeowner

Had a Vaillant combi installed last June and it has been excellent up to press. I originally asked for a Worcester Bosch but the heating engineer talked me out of it and said that the parts inside them had been "downgraded" with less stainless steel being used. Recognised installers can also get you a ten year guarantee on th Vaillant range by going through an additional registration process. My shower was hardly strong enough to shower a mouse, but it's great now with no need for any additional "assistance". My mother in law had an Alpha boiler installed about the same time and that also seems to be performing well.

£3k is excessive. You’ll be able to get one for less than £3k. We got a Viesmann for a 4 bed house last year for £2k. Found via online search engine. Yorkshire Boilers fitted it. Well worth a look

Cant remember why now but my plumber recommended a Baxi over a Worcester Bosch and, as others have said, it has a 7 year warranty. I've had no problems at all in the two years subsequently.

alf_resco wrote: ↑

Sat May 01, 2021 5:11 pm

Just to show the other side of the coin, we had a Worcester Bosch combi installed 17 years ago and it's never missed a beat.
Have it serviced once a year. Would unreservedly recommend based on our experience.

My Worcester boiler fitted in 2002 and still working

Marney&Mee wrote: ↑

Sun May 02, 2021 12:12 pm

£3k is excessive. You’ll be able to get one for less than £3k. We got a Viesmann for a 4 bed house last year for £2k. Found via online search engine. Yorkshire Boilers fitted it. Well worth a look

Same here, got a viessmann fitted for 2.2k with a 10 year parts and labour warranty.