Do you have cold water storage

macafee2 · 28th June 2018, 09:02

Have you a cold water storage tank in your home?

Been without mains water for 24 hours and while inconvenient we have cold water storage.

I'm sure a lot of new properties are built without storage. Not sure if this is a council rule or water board rule that allows a new property without storage.

Whilst ultra rare for us to be without water the cold water storage is like insurance, have it and hope not to use it but when you do, thank goodness

macafee2

Lancpudn · 28th June 2018, 09:41

No not anymore, we had the cold water tank in the attic removed along with the old back boiler we used for hot water & heating, worst decision I ever made to replace it with those condensing boilers, we're on our 4th in 15 years.

KWIL · 28th June 2018, 09:58

Lancpudn,
Is your water hard? I have not had problems with a condensing boiler but then I still have a vented system with a tank in the loft!

Darcydog · 28th June 2018, 11:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lancpudn

No not anymore, we had the cold water tank in the attic removed along with the old back boiler we used for hot water & heating, worst decision I ever made to replace it with those condensing boilers, we're on our 4th in 15 years.

When we had the solar panels fitted the “efficiency” guy put some pressure on us to change our boiler as well but we said no as our boiler service chap had told us NOT to go for a condensing boiler as we live in a hard water area.

“Makes no difference!” The assessor said rather in a huff. “Are you a qualified heating engineer?” I asked.

No answer.......

MSS · 28th June 2018, 12:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by macafee2

Have you a cold water storage tank in your home?

..............

Yes.

Lancpudn · 28th June 2018, 13:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by KWIL

Lancpudn,
Is your water hard? I have not had problems with a condensing boiler but then I still have a vented system with a tank in the loft!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darcydog

When we had the solar panels fitted the “efficiency” guy put some pressure on us to change our boiler as well but we said no as our boiler service chap had told us NOT to go for a condensing boiler as we live in a hard water area.

“Makes no difference!” The assessor said rather in a huff. “Are you a qualified heating engineer?” I asked.

No answer.......

No we are in a soft water area, It was mostly electrical/PCB failures with everyone of them. another one burst a seal internally & sprayed the electrics blowing the house fuses.
Ideal boilers maintenance guys were sick of the sight of this model (isar) and kept replacing them until I said that's it I've had enough I'll sort another manufacturer out.

They were forever shutting down and there guys said they're classed as 'white goods' nowadays and have the same sort of lifespan

This Potterton model seems to be behaving itself....touch wood.

Darcydog · 28th June 2018, 13:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lancpudn

No we are in a soft water area, It was mostly electrical/PCB failures with everyone of them. another one burst a seal internally & sprayed the electrics blowing the house fuses.
Ideal boilers maintenance guys were sick of the sight of this model (isar) and kept replacing them until I said that's it I've had enough I'll sort another manufacturer out.

They were forever shutting down and there guys said they're classed as 'white goods' nowadays and have the same sort of lifespan

This Potterton model seems to be behaving itself....touch wood.

The Potterton boiler we have is decades old and our engineer tells us to keep it as long as possible as “they don’t make them like that anymore”.

It’s a Potterton Flamingo. And forgive the repetition but the Assessor chap kept putting in “Flaming” when trying to find it for its efficiency details. Because the “o” has fallen off.

It’s a “Flaminggo”

No response

In the end I tried to be helpful by saying “Flamin Go”

And the Assessor chap got the hump and walked off!

Not the sharpest knife in the tool box obviously ......

MSS · 28th June 2018, 14:36

We had a Potterton Flamingo in my late father's house. It lasted just over 30 years and we replaced it just three years ago.

In our home we have a 120k BTU Swedish CTC boiler with a manufacturing date of 1978. The service engineer always advises us not to replace it until we have to. The measured efficiency is 83% which is excellent given it's age.

RobSun · 28th June 2018, 14:40

I worked in the management of a group of heating companies and I have a cold water storage system. To be precise a condensing system boiler rather than a condensing combination boiler. If you have a larger property or a large family, so using more hot water, then it is recommended that you have this system. It costs less to heat the water, its still a condensing boiler but doesn't heat the water instantly, but in the same way as the older systems, heating water in a storage tank.

They also have the advantage of being more reliable than a combination boiler but none of the new condensing boilers will be as reliable as an old boiler of have anything like the lifespan. To obtain the efficiency required the heat exchangers have very small diameter holes for the water to pass through and so enable them to heat up the water quickly. These get blocked up especially if the system is not maintained correctly or not effectively cleaned when installed. The heat exchangers simply wear out quicker. They also have a lot more electronics and sensors all with a life span and a tendency to fail. Combination boilers more so hence the lower reliability. Some makes are a lot better than others but in our experiences some of the cheaper but known brands had fewer warrantee call outs than the big boys. Overall repair call outs again varied and I would find it hard to call one against another, but on some brands again the cheaper ones, although they didn't last as long, did work out cheaper on lots of occasions for customers than the major brands, so being on a tight budget worked out.

These new boilers do save gas but personally I believe that the cost of power flushing every three years as recommended, and the life span of 10 to 15yrs with some making 20 yrs now counteracts the savings. I would and did stick to my old boiler till its beyond repair or parts are not available. The main reasons for these boilers is global warming and lowering the UKs CO2 levels, not your pockets.

Darcydog · 28th June 2018, 15:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by mss

We had a Potterton Flamingo in my late father's house. It lasted just over 30 years and we replaced it just three years ago.

In our home we have a 120k BTU Swedish CTC boiler with a manufacturing date of 1978. The service engineer always advises us not to replace it until we have to. The measured efficiency is 83% which is excellent given it's age.

Ours must be over 35 years old now. Tho to be fair it is now like “Trigger’s broom” in that not much is original now apart from the casing!

28th June 2018, 09:02	#1
macafee2 This is my second home Rover 75 Saloon & Tourer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Lincoln Posts: 14,928 Thanks: 1,630 Thanked 3,032 Times in 2,181 Posts	Do you have cold water storage Have you a cold water storage tank in your home? Been without mains water for 24 hours and while inconvenient we have cold water storage. I'm sure a lot of new properties are built without storage. Not sure if this is a council rule or water board rule that allows a new property without storage. Whilst ultra rare for us to be without water the cold water storage is like insurance, have it and hope not to use it but when you do, thank goodness macafee2

28th June 2018, 09:41	#2
Lancpudn This is my second home MG ZS EV Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Lancashire Posts: 15,586 Thanks: 4,591 Thanked 3,427 Times in 2,565 Posts	No not anymore, we had the cold water tank in the attic removed along with the old back boiler we used for hot water & heating, worst decision I ever made to replace it with those condensing boilers, we're on our 4th in 15 years. __________________ Blessed are the tea makers. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3b...auto-2000_auto

View Poll Results: have you cold water storae in your home
Yes	10	43.48%
No	13	56.52%
Voters: 23. You may not vote on this poll

28th June 2018, 09:58	#3
KWIL Precise Rover 75 Tourer 2.5KV6 Connoisseur SE Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Fleet Posts: 2,954 Thanks: 630 Thanked 617 Times in 480 Posts	Lancpudn, Is your water hard? I have not had problems with a condensing boiler but then I still have a vented system with a tank in the loft!

28th June 2018, 14:36	#8
MSS This is my second home Rover 75CDT, Jaguar XF-S 3.0V6, V'xhall Omega V6 Estate, Twintop 1.8VVT, Astra Estate and Corsa 1.2 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Suffolk Posts: 7,085 Thanks: 283 Thanked 624 Times in 440 Posts	We had a Potterton Flamingo in my late father's house. It lasted just over 30 years and we replaced it just three years ago. In our home we have a 120k BTU Swedish CTC boiler with a manufacturing date of 1978. The service engineer always advises us not to replace it until we have to. The measured efficiency is 83% which is excellent given it's age.

28th June 2018, 14:40	#9
RobSun Gets stuck in MGZTT Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Bradford Posts: 529 Thanks: 148 Thanked 256 Times in 138 Posts	I worked in the management of a group of heating companies and I have a cold water storage system. To be precise a condensing system boiler rather than a condensing combination boiler. If you have a larger property or a large family, so using more hot water, then it is recommended that you have this system. It costs less to heat the water, its still a condensing boiler but doesn't heat the water instantly, but in the same way as the older systems, heating water in a storage tank. They also have the advantage of being more reliable than a combination boiler but none of the new condensing boilers will be as reliable as an old boiler of have anything like the lifespan. To obtain the efficiency required the heat exchangers have very small diameter holes for the water to pass through and so enable them to heat up the water quickly. These get blocked up especially if the system is not maintained correctly or not effectively cleaned when installed. The heat exchangers simply wear out quicker. They also have a lot more electronics and sensors all with a life span and a tendency to fail. Combination boilers more so hence the lower reliability. Some makes are a lot better than others but in our experiences some of the cheaper but known brands had fewer warrantee call outs than the big boys. Overall repair call outs again varied and I would find it hard to call one against another, but on some brands again the cheaper ones, although they didn't last as long, did work out cheaper on lots of occasions for customers than the major brands, so being on a tight budget worked out. These new boilers do save gas but personally I believe that the cost of power flushing every three years as recommended, and the life span of 10 to 15yrs with some making 20 yrs now counteracts the savings. I would and did stick to my old boiler till its beyond repair or parts are not available. The main reasons for these boilers is global warming and lowering the UKs CO2 levels, not your pockets.