Thank you for this video! I’m an apprentice and always found the carnage of pipes coming from all different directions overwhelming. This was such a clear and simple video to follow and made me feel a lot more confident going into work. Thanks for your help.
Alan I just left a job yesterday where I’d done a conversion and the boiler wouldn’t circulate I thought it was sludge in the system and last night after I got home this video popped up on My feed and it was exactly the system I’d just converted I couldn’t believe it. Went back this morning linked two pipes and booom!!! Thanks
This is the best explanation I have ever seen. I am not in plumbing business. No understanding about the work before. Was just looking for my house's heating system to get converted from regular to combi boiler. Now, even I understand what will be done in the house. Thank you for your great effort to help people understand things. Keep the good job 👍🏼
@@mrproductivity3261 I got my heating system changed after a while posting this comment. Gave the job to a local respected company. Only one guy came, worked for 2 days, removed the cold & hot tanks, re-routed the pipes through garage, cut the unnecessary pipes and put the new combi boiler. Only another guy came for an hour to do the electrical work.
Being a retired plumber I think you explain that very well well unfortunately today day the young plumbers haven't got a clue how to do a conversion like that for the simple reason is they have been brought up installing combi boilers keep up the good work cheers Gordon
Just cut 3 port and join returns simples I’m only 34 still have a few customers with old convential systems still have 2 customers with back boilers there are running sweet as a nut
@@AllenHart999 just had a check on google on the return is least resistance and more efficacy for the pump and heating you can put them on the flow side if it’s multizoned with multi pumps
Cracking vid and no doubt a massive help to any newbies,I especially like the bit at about 20:16 "there might be a drain off here" followed by a smile that epitomes the saying, "If a picture paints a thousand words" haha. Allen in all honesty your vids and others such as TomKat and the Baxi ones are a great learning tool and I'm sure many people appreciate the time you give up to help others,long may it continue.
Brilliant allen i am control engineer from day which I seen your video about boiler I really love your simple and knowledgeable and excellent explanation of this job and l like to continue and learn this business. I really appreciated for you. Thanks.
Such a useful video Alan - thank you! You make it sound so much more straightforward. It can be so daunting when you look in the airing cupboard and see all those pipes going everywhere!! Will be watching this a good few times!!
Hi Thanks for the video, it has helped me a lot and built my confidence massively. I have a house with a very old hot water only boiler. I want the space where the hot water tank is and the loft space freed up for extensions. For this I am opting for a Combi boiler. I am getting the boiler fitted professionally as I am a DIYer and not gas safe registered. The price to convert the pipework to the combi was another £1000. The boiler is remaining in the same place, so the gas pipe can stay where it is, but I now feel confident to re-route the radiator, hot tap water pipes and remove the old system myself. This will save me nearly £1000. Thank you again for this video.
Excellent video, takes years of experience to know which pipes to leave in, where to cut your new system in. No two systems are the same. Great work Allen again.👍🏻❤️👍🏻
2005 was my 1st conventional to combi conversion. Back then it all looked daunting and yes it was. I wish I had your schematics to help me when I was doing my apprenticeship. Me being over eager drained the petcock at the boiler and started going at the pipes with the cutters. Even though my mentor explained to me for a good few minutes to start upwards and move down. He'd only popped out to get some supplies. Boy was he in for a surprise when he got back. Legend at explaining this and your schematics were absolutely spot on. I'm sure trainees and newly qualified engineers have found your videos useful. I think bbu's and warm air units would be useful for the inexperienced. They used to be 2 other things I used to get very confused about. The more work I carried out on site the more I picked up. Most college's don't explain as well as you did. 👍 P.s seemed to have caused myself an Injury Friday. So had to oversee my apprentice and another level 2 nvq plumber finish it off this weekend. I'm immobile at the moment 😭. Watching some of your older material 🤘
Hi Allen, great simplified video.. I've been in the game over 25 years now, done loads of conversions and installs.. mainly doing breakdowns now, have come across lots of different scenarios... I'm new to the channel, but still impressed with how you explain things... I'll be tuning in more often... Old dog new tricks etc...
@@AllenHart999 Hmm..... yes would like to share stuff allen, but so busy at mo, just finding time, will have to start videoing and sharing when possible? The blocked condense video made me chuckle... that is so common in and around London flats at the moment.. where the only place to terminate is in to the double spigot trap under the kitchen sink.. along with the dishwasher and the washing machine... keep up the good work...
Great, clear explanation. I like to be informed as to what is involved in a job. I'm a sparks by trade but obviously need a decent heating engineer to fit a new boiler. You northerners seem to do things differently than down here in Hertfordshire. I've had several quotes and surveys and none of them has been interested in what we require from a new boiler. They've just pushed what they want to fit! It's nice to see an engineer who wants to make their customers happy. Wish you were around this area! I'll keep up the search as I'm sure I will find someone with your pride in a job - I may get lucky and find someone who's moved down from your way!
Absolutely brilliant video.Maybe you can do a video about layout pipes when you install a new system .What technique you use when you run the pipes from the boiler to radiators, taps. To be honest once you see this video it feels like you want to jump straight on work because you feel you understood everything but the real struggle starts when you actually do the job cause you have that feeling that you don’t remember anything probably because you get nervous doing it for first time and the pressure is immense but I think in the end is up to us to get over it and keep going no matter what the odds Once again a brilliant video Thank you and be safe
I’m retraining to be a plumber at the moment, with covid it’s all online and a pain to learn anything. Thank you so much for your videos, without your attention to detail and way of simplifying things I’d be screwed. 👍
I had an old Glow Worm heat only open vent system for years and in 2019 I got rid of it all with an Intergas Xtreme combi. What a huge difference, no 3 way valve to go wrong, cheaper hot water on tap and a great boiler to boot. If you don't have a power shower fitted then this is the way to go.
Just make sure you have the boiler serviced and the burner seal changed if required, I have heard of a few of the Intergas boilers setting on fire and melting the case. Lots of the old boilers worked like the intergas, Vokera and Worcester along with others had them, Things have moved on a bit from them days though. Thanks.
Very detailed and complete and simple method showed by U, definitely cleared all questions in my mind , u r always helpful,seen so many videos of urs,chairs God bless u
Hi Allen, just finished your longest video 1.16 hour. Watched this one now. Those videos will help my next combi to system job which I'm going to do in few weeks time. Great man Allen 🙏🙏🙏
I did actually convert a *Heat Only Boiler* to a combi once. That is, converting the _boiler_ to a combi, not rip out a heat only and install a combi. A friend had a large oil boiler of around 60kW. He was renovating but the hot water cylinder was in the way taking up space. So I installed an external plate heat exchanger, 3-way diverter valve, flow switch on the cold mains pipe and on the hot taps a blending valve. In short, the innards of a combi were on the outside of the boiler. It worked very well giving around 25 litres/min of hot water. The large hot water cylinder was not needed at all.
My parents just had their old heating system converted to a combi. The old setup was the exact opposite of what you did and, frankly, slightly bonkers. Mind you, this was installed new in 1998 or 1999! The heart of the system was a 150 l mains pressure gas-fired hot water tank that vented into an existing chimney through the roof. To that they attached a plate heat exchanger and several pumps to run the central heating! They didn't have radiators either, just loops of 15 mm copper pipe running through the walls. The gas bill was always sky-high for a small cottage and the system took ages to heat up from cold. Now all the in-wall heating system is gone and the weird setup has been replaced with a brand-new Vaillant combi. Every heating engineer who saw the old system asked: "May I take pictures for my apprentices? I've never seen anything like this before!"
@@Ragnar8504 So a hot water cylinder with burner under, as per USA residential or commercial. This is using the hot water cylinder as a thermal store. Common in the USA. Wall heating is fine. It needs to be well insulated when on outside walls otherwise you will just be heating the outside walls. Sounds like this was the case here. Like UFH it is slow to warm up. He may not have had enough 15mm copper in the walls as well.
@@johnburns4017 They were actually using the hot water cylinder as the heat source, which is quite unusual I think. The walls are solid brick, quite thick but not much insulation, so yes, the system was partly heating the outdoors. And no, there wasn't a whole lot of pipe either, most people said it was a miracle the system worked at all.
@@Ragnar8504 Yes, the fresh water cylinder was a _thermal store._ Nothing wrong with doing that. Just unconventional. As the heat temperature will be low, approx 60C, the temp of the tap water, using UFH or low temp baseboard heating is better. Or even larger radiators. Using a brass pump into a plate heat exchange and smart pump around the heat emitters, they are fine. In the US they do this when using baseboard heating, as gas fired water cylinders are common. They are used here in commercial applications. The last domestic one I recall being sold was by Lennox (US company) or maybe Andrews. With no ferrous in the system many Americans use *fresh* water around the heat emitters, eliminating a pump and plate heat exchanger. I assume in soft water areas. Different regs to here. Although I have never read anything that forbids it in the UK. Maybe I should look harder. ACV make one - a hybrid fresh water unvented cylinder/thermal store. The burner is downward firing with the flue running through the cylinder. The Heatmaster, which has been made for about 20-15 years now. s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/downloads.acv.com/NT_664Y6800_A_HeatMaster_TC_EN.pdf ACV also have the tank in tank Smart Cylinders that have a fresh water unvented cylinder as the inner tank with the outer tank heated by an external boiler. The outer tank has tappings for the flow and return for a heat circuit. Effectively a thermal store arrangement. The inner fresh water tank can be vented. A diagram is here: s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/downloads.acv.com/NT_A1005738-661Y1700_E_Smart_SL-SLEW_EN.pdf
Alan thank for this video, helped me massively during my first conversion, never seen an air separator before and it confused the hell out of me, issue i had was the tank had teo cold water outlets so trying to work out which one i needed took a bit of time but i got there in the end, thanks again
Thank you very much Allan it has been most informative. Just a thought could you revert back to the immersion using it as a separate system to the combi.
You are a legend Allen thank you for sharing your absolute knowledge as new plumber I’ve learnt a lot Million thanks to you and you got all my respect 👍🏼🙂♥️♥️♥️
very helpful video, you said you leave the cold capped in the airing cupboard, where do you connect the cold mains to the cold outlets that were fed from the tank? i thought this was done in the loft by just bridging where the tank was. also when you connect to your cold in the utility room, is that you giving the boiler a cold mains feed in?
This is amazing Allen. Thank you. Question about flues. What happens if you take the old boiler off and fit the combi and the flue holes don’t match up or is slightly off? How do Core when there is nothing to grip and how do you sort the walls. Once you core a flue how do you normally seal it inside and out? Do you use just premix cement? How do you seal a flue travelling through a stud wall with plasterboard? What happens if you take a flue through a roof do you get a roofer to sort this or can you do it? Do you have any videos on combi flue installations and sealing properly? Flue installation and making good seems to send the FEAR into everyone including me.
I’ve read all the regs on flue positioning and you can always refer to manufacturers instructions but the actually physically installing one I’ve never seen done from start to finish. Like cutting it to size and making sure the inner flue is sealed etc.
Great videos Allen I’ve lost count of the jobs I’ve been to over 20 years of customers having combi conversions and not told about delta temp rises. Also leaks due to the extra pressure, especially pipes in concrete floors.
Thanks Allen great video very helpful .If you was putting the new combi in the loft and bought the flow down and connected on to the flow that you have already joined and the combi return to the return that you have capped .Whats the best thing to do with the old primarys cut back and link join together ?Thanks Joe
Great video Alan what I wanted to know the big cold water tank in the loft feeds the cold water bath taps an toilet? So do u just connect them up in the loft with the cold water mains feed which was the feed for the big tank?
I’m an apprentice so I don’t know everything, and fair play to the fella I work with he tries to teach me as much as possible, I understand doing these types of conversions at work, But I don’t understand when we do back boiler conversions. Is it the same? I also don’t understand how you can have a 4 pipe and a 2 pipe back boiler. Back boiler conversions really confuse me. Is the any chance you could do a video on that? Thanks, nice and very informative video Allen!
4 pipe back boilers are just separate flow and returns for the cyl and the heating so you basically fuck the cyl ones off and use the heating ones tell you what blew my mind when I came across a 4 pipe cylinder with two pumps I was like whattttttt
Hi Derek, just watched your video explaining the various combi boiler layouts and Ibwould like to ask you to help and advice in our case. We have a Baxi Back boiler ground based behind what used to be our living room fire. The area behind the old fireplace has a roughly 5’ x 3’ space with a door opening for access to the rear of the Baxi, where physically a combi boiler would fit. In the living room we have an electric quasi fire which hangs on the wall. All the gas and water supplies as well as the sealed back boiler chimney flue exist. We had a BG guy ( sales 🙄 ) round with a view to a quote for a combi boiler. But every location, where the Baxi is, up in the loft, we suggested were met with no can’t put it there etc. Each BG proposal meant re- running pipe work, water and gas around our home. We are both 82 and my wife has a heart condition so we didn’t want ceilings and floors being disturbed to accommodate new or different pipe runs. So…. what is your advice regarding the possibility of locating the combi in the existing Baxi boiler space please ?
Thanks for this great video Alan. The last bit about the tank fed cold to the bath is interesting aswell, I was wondering about this. In this instance do you usually leave the cold mains pipe going up to the loft in the airing cupboard and then connect this to the tank fed cold in the loft? So that all the cold taps are now on mains cold water.
Hi allen, i have an old myson marathon floor standing boiler, with small bore 8mm rad flow and return pipes! If i wanted to have combi installed would i still be able to keep the 8mm small bore pipes to rads with combi or would i have to have all new 15mm pipes installed to every rad, which would be a real pain in the neck! Thank you and great video!👍
Really good video, Thanks. If you can do a video on vertical flue install, how to do it on the roof and clip it and connect back to boiler that would be amazing. Thanks
Good quality for beginners, id recommend introducing the thermostatic controls and how they work etc, otherwise a beginner is going to have a lovely new combi system that is either on or off with no automated control for the central heating
Awesome video I understand it even better now after you explained it would u please do a similar video with boiler going in airing cupboard sometimes the last tee on return confuses me so end up capping it off inceling above boiler if you have time 👍
another great informative video Allen 👍 A little tip that we found that helped us to not have callbacks to leaks on at all hour that were down to existing pipework/fitting/ Valves 😫😫 Fill the system up to around 2.2 bar then heat test, this finds 99% of problems so you can sort and explain to the customer, once that is tested set pressure to MIs
Great Video. What I would like to ask is within my house is a 3 bedroom terrace. I have a old fashion back boiler behind a fireplace in the living room downstairs. Also we have been told that within the 4 radiators downstairs may have sludge within them. The issue is these radiators do no not heat up where as the 5 radiators upstairs do heat up. My question would be is we have been quoted £800 to do the sludge flushing although that may not work or £2500 to replace the 4 radiators? Is this a fair or adequate price? Thanks in advance 👊🏼
Very helpful video. The questions I have are: if you need to move the gas meter (less than a 1m) is it a big deal to get the gas supplier to do it? when you have an old copper pipe system do they generally cope with the higher pressure or do you have to put in new pipe work? Thanks
Hi Allen, i live with my 92 year old Mum and on Saturday our conventional boiler was replaced with a combi boiler. The heating to the house and hot water to the kitchen and downstairs cloakroom is working well, but there is no water at all coming out of the hot taps in the bathroom basin/bath and shower. We previously had a pump in there to improve the pressure to the shower, but this was removed. The installer says it must be sludge in the old pipework coming from the loft to the bathroom, but now i've watched your video, i think he may be trying to avoid telling me that they have totally missed this in their pre work survey. We have had no hot water since then and its been very difficult with Mum in this terribly cold weather. Can you give us some words of wisdom please?
Thank you Allen best video on combi conversions I have seen. Your a star! If you wanted to add multizone heating with 2 port valves would you split the flow at the airing cupboard and keep the bypass from the y-plan?
Im confused on the hot n colds connecting to the bath/wc/basin would they not be teed going up from the supply from the boiler and connected back on to the pipes feeding in the airing cupboard?
Immersion boiler conversion to combi boiler how will my power shower work where’s the hot water coming from ? As the water came from cold water tank and hot water tank
Hi Alan I’m converting heat only to combi. Heat only boiler is with range flowmax 180l combination mains pressure hot water system. Heating flow is at top of cylinder and return is at the bottom of cylinder. Pump is on return pipe after pump 3 port valve is fitted I’m bit confused which 2 pipes to joint together and on which pipe I should put stopper.shell I join A and B (3port valve)together and put stopper on flow. It will be very kind of you if you can please put me right directions. Thank you
Top quality video its a shame a lot more people in the industry are not willing to help new people like your self.
Not just new but all as everyday is a learning day 👍👍
This man is a true legend, definitely the best plumbing TH-cam channel out there 👍🏻😎
Thank You.
My job is not as a Plumber. But you explained so precisely, that even 4 years child can understand. Thank you.
Great informative Video. I used this just to understand how my current Gravity feed system is plumbed!
Thank you for this video! I’m an apprentice and always found the carnage of pipes coming from all different directions overwhelming. This was such a clear and simple video to follow and made me feel a lot more confident going into work. Thanks for your help.
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Alan I just left a job yesterday where I’d done a conversion and the boiler wouldn’t circulate I thought it was sludge in the system and last night after I got home this video popped up on
My feed and it was exactly the system I’d just converted I couldn’t believe it.
Went back this morning linked two pipes and booom!!!
Thanks
Ha Ha amazing
This is the best explanation I have ever seen. I am not in plumbing business. No understanding about the work before. Was just looking for my house's heating system to get converted from regular to combi boiler. Now, even I understand what will be done in the house. Thank you for your great effort to help people understand things. Keep the good job 👍🏼
Glad it was helpful!
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@@adamjones9537 What do you mean? Thanks
Does anybody know how many persons is required for these kind of jobs ?
@@mrproductivity3261 I got my heating system changed after a while posting this comment. Gave the job to a local respected company. Only one guy came, worked for 2 days, removed the cold & hot tanks, re-routed the pipes through garage, cut the unnecessary pipes and put the new combi boiler. Only another guy came for an hour to do the electrical work.
Being a retired plumber I think you explain that very well well unfortunately today day the young plumbers haven't got a clue how to do a conversion like that for the simple reason is they have been brought up installing combi boilers keep up the good work cheers Gordon
Thank you so much for watching.
Just cut 3 port and join returns simples I’m only 34 still have a few customers with old convential systems still have 2 customers with back boilers there are running sweet as a nut
Paul Smith You wouldn’t normally join the return. You would cap return and join the flows. Thanks
@@AllenHart999 🤔 think they must do it different round you way all jobs I’ve converted it’s been returns haha suppose it’s the the same the other way
@@AllenHart999 just had a check on google on the return is least resistance and more efficacy for the pump and heating you can put them on the flow side if it’s multizoned with multi pumps
Cracking vid and no doubt a massive help to any newbies,I especially like the bit at about 20:16 "there might be a drain off here" followed by a smile that epitomes the saying, "If a picture paints a thousand words" haha.
Allen in all honesty your vids and others such as TomKat and the Baxi ones are a great learning tool and I'm sure many people appreciate the time you give up to help others,long may it continue.
Brilliant allen i am control engineer from day which I seen your video about boiler I really love your simple and knowledgeable and excellent explanation of this job and l like to continue and learn this business. I really appreciated for you.
Thanks.
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Such a useful video Alan - thank you! You make it sound so much more straightforward. It can be so daunting when you look in the airing cupboard and see all those pipes going everywhere!! Will be watching this a good few times!!
Hi Thanks for the video, it has helped me a lot and built my confidence massively. I have a house with a very old hot water only boiler. I want the space where the hot water tank is and the loft space freed up for extensions. For this I am opting for a Combi boiler. I am getting the boiler fitted professionally as I am a DIYer and not gas safe registered. The price to convert the pipework to the combi was another £1000. The boiler is remaining in the same place, so the gas pipe can stay where it is, but I now feel confident to re-route the radiator, hot tap water pipes and remove the old system myself.
This will save me nearly £1000. Thank you again for this video.
Hi Dean. How did you get on? Thanks.
I'd love to have 25% of you're plumbing knowledge Allan, great video as usual. The detail and effort you go in to is fantastic. Thank you👍👌
Wow, thanks!
Excellent video, takes years of experience to know which pipes to leave in, where to cut your new system in. No two systems are the same. Great work Allen again.👍🏻❤️👍🏻
Paul Kelly Thank you. When we getting our CDI Video 😂
When I get time mate😅
2005 was my 1st conventional to combi conversion. Back then it all looked daunting and yes it was. I wish I had your schematics to help me when I was doing my apprenticeship. Me being over eager drained the petcock at the boiler and started going at the pipes with the cutters. Even though my mentor explained to me for a good few minutes to start upwards and move down. He'd only popped out to get some supplies. Boy was he in for a surprise when he got back. Legend at explaining this and your schematics were absolutely spot on.
I'm sure trainees and newly qualified engineers have found your videos useful. I think bbu's and warm air units would be useful for the inexperienced. They used to be 2 other things I used to get very confused about. The more work I carried out on site the more I picked up. Most college's don't explain as well as you did. 👍
P.s seemed to have caused myself an Injury Friday. So had to oversee my apprentice and another level 2 nvq plumber finish it off this weekend. I'm immobile at the moment 😭. Watching some of your older material 🤘
I would welcome your knowledge on this channel. If you ever want to help out please get in touch. Thanks so much.
Hi Allen, great simplified video.. I've been in the game over 25 years now, done loads of conversions and installs.. mainly doing breakdowns now, have come across lots of different scenarios... I'm new to the channel, but still impressed with how you explain things...
I'll be tuning in more often... Old dog new tricks etc...
Thank you so much for the feedback, Everyone is welcome on here as well, If you ever want to share anything just send them in. Thanks.
@@AllenHart999 Hmm..... yes would like to share stuff allen, but so busy at mo, just finding time, will have to start videoing and sharing when possible? The blocked condense video made me chuckle... that is so common in and around London flats at the moment.. where the only place to terminate is in to the double spigot trap under the kitchen sink.. along with the dishwasher and the washing machine... keep up the good work...
@@megregs7 Thank you so much, I will look forward to the Videos.
Great, clear explanation.
I like to be informed as to what is involved in a job. I'm a sparks by trade but obviously need a decent heating engineer to fit a new boiler.
You northerners seem to do things differently than down here in Hertfordshire. I've had several quotes and surveys and none of them has been interested in what we require from a new boiler. They've just pushed what they want to fit!
It's nice to see an engineer who wants to make their customers happy. Wish you were around this area! I'll keep up the search as I'm sure I will find someone with your pride in a job - I may get lucky and find someone who's moved down from your way!
Absolutely brilliant video.Maybe you can do a video about layout pipes when you install a new system .What technique you use when you run the pipes from the boiler to radiators, taps.
To be honest once you see this video it feels like you want to jump straight on work because you feel you understood everything but the real struggle starts when you actually do the job cause you have that feeling that you don’t remember anything probably because you get nervous doing it for first time and the pressure is immense but I think in the end is up to us to get over it and keep going no matter what the odds
Once again a brilliant video
Thank you and be safe
Thanks for watching.
I’m retraining to be a plumber at the moment, with covid it’s all online and a pain to learn anything. Thank you so much for your videos, without your attention to detail and way of simplifying things I’d be screwed. 👍
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YÖÚ HAVE TAUGHT ME MORE FROM THIS VIDEO THAN A SO CALLED TEACHER. THANKYOU
TOP MAN
I had an old Glow Worm heat only open vent system for years and in 2019 I got rid of it all with an Intergas Xtreme combi. What a huge difference, no 3 way valve to go wrong, cheaper hot water on tap and a great boiler to boot. If you don't have a power shower fitted then this is the way to go.
Just make sure you have the boiler serviced and the burner seal changed if required, I have heard of a few of the Intergas boilers setting on fire and melting the case. Lots of the old boilers worked like the intergas, Vokera and Worcester along with others had them, Things have moved on a bit from them days though. Thanks.
Alan am a gas engineer from birmingham ive been in the trade for 14 yes i love your video your are a great guy
Thank You.
Very detailed and complete and simple method showed by U, definitely cleared all questions in my mind , u r always helpful,seen so many videos of urs,chairs God bless u
It's my pleasure
Hi Allen, just finished your longest video 1.16 hour. Watched this one now. Those videos will help my next combi to system job which I'm going to do in few weeks time. Great man Allen 🙏🙏🙏
Don’t forget to add a thumbs up and share. Thanks so much for the comment. If need any other videos just ask. Thanks.
Thanks great man. First thing I do is thumb up and then start play bottom. Will start sharing from now 👍👍
Jewel Ahmed Thank you so much.
Awesome pal, very good video, I've said it before, you're a credit to the industry 👍🏼
Thanks 👍
Great Video Alan, absolute credit to the industry.
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So helpful, was worried about doing my first conversion. Not any more. Thanks Allan
I did actually convert a *Heat Only Boiler* to a combi once. That is, converting the _boiler_ to a combi, not rip out a heat only and install a combi. A friend had a large oil boiler of around 60kW. He was renovating but the hot water cylinder was in the way taking up space. So I installed an external plate heat exchanger, 3-way diverter valve, flow switch on the cold mains pipe and on the hot taps a blending valve. In short, the innards of a combi were on the outside of the boiler.
It worked very well giving around 25 litres/min of hot water. The large hot water cylinder was not needed at all.
Thanks.
My parents just had their old heating system converted to a combi. The old setup was the exact opposite of what you did and, frankly, slightly bonkers. Mind you, this was installed new in 1998 or 1999! The heart of the system was a 150 l mains pressure gas-fired hot water tank that vented into an existing chimney through the roof. To that they attached a plate heat exchanger and several pumps to run the central heating! They didn't have radiators either, just loops of 15 mm copper pipe running through the walls. The gas bill was always sky-high for a small cottage and the system took ages to heat up from cold. Now all the in-wall heating system is gone and the weird setup has been replaced with a brand-new Vaillant combi.
Every heating engineer who saw the old system asked: "May I take pictures for my apprentices? I've never seen anything like this before!"
@@Ragnar8504
So a hot water cylinder with burner under, as per USA residential or commercial. This is using the hot water cylinder as a thermal store. Common in the USA.
Wall heating is fine. It needs to be well insulated when on outside walls otherwise you will just be heating the outside walls. Sounds like this was the case here. Like UFH it is slow to warm up. He may not have had enough 15mm copper in the walls as well.
@@johnburns4017 They were actually using the hot water cylinder as the heat source, which is quite unusual I think.
The walls are solid brick, quite thick but not much insulation, so yes, the system was partly heating the outdoors. And no, there wasn't a whole lot of pipe either, most people said it was a miracle the system worked at all.
@@Ragnar8504
Yes, the fresh water cylinder was a _thermal store._ Nothing wrong with doing that. Just unconventional. As the heat temperature will be low, approx 60C, the temp of the tap water, using UFH or low temp baseboard heating is better. Or even larger radiators.
Using a brass pump into a plate heat exchange and smart pump around the heat emitters, they are fine.
In the US they do this when using baseboard heating, as gas fired water cylinders are common. They are used here in commercial applications. The last domestic one I recall being sold was by Lennox (US company) or maybe Andrews. With no ferrous in the system many Americans use *fresh* water around the heat emitters, eliminating a pump and plate heat exchanger. I assume in soft water areas. Different regs to here. Although I have never read anything that forbids it in the UK. Maybe I should look harder.
ACV make one - a hybrid fresh water unvented cylinder/thermal store. The burner is downward firing with the flue running through the cylinder. The Heatmaster, which has been made for about 20-15 years now.
s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/downloads.acv.com/NT_664Y6800_A_HeatMaster_TC_EN.pdf
ACV also have the tank in tank Smart Cylinders that have a fresh water unvented cylinder as the inner tank with the outer tank heated by an external boiler. The outer tank has tappings for the flow and return for a heat circuit. Effectively a thermal store arrangement. The inner fresh water tank can be vented. A diagram is here:
s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/downloads.acv.com/NT_A1005738-661Y1700_E_Smart_SL-SLEW_EN.pdf
Alan thank for this video, helped me massively during my first conversion, never seen an air separator before and it confused the hell out of me, issue i had was the tank had teo cold water outlets so trying to work out which one i needed took a bit of time but i got there in the end, thanks again
Great video Alan I was try to explain how to do it to my apprentice but you did this so much better nothing to add you deserve a big 🍺 many thanks
Thanks for your support
Brilliant video Allen, you are the reason I want to be a gas engineer, so inspiring thank you mate
Good luck.
The man. The myth. The legend. Alan Hart.
Thank You
Thanks Alan , really helped me out this video, i've done lots of combi swaps but only a few conversions , thanks for simplifying it for me, great help
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Awesome video, definitely makes a lot more sense now. Will save this video for when I have to do a full conversion.
Would you like any other videos? Thanks so much for the comment and watching my channel.
Well done Allen. Btw Watch out for existing corroded flexible tap connectors. They don't like the the extra pressure!! 🙈
Superbly explained Alan. It answered so many of my questions. Thanks
Thank you very much Allan it has been most informative. Just a thought could you revert back to the immersion using it as a separate system to the combi.
Great video would love the extra video of putting boiler in airing cupboard 👍 top work once again!
Great suggestion!
Wow - so helpful , I’m on it next week - saved me a fortune.🙋🏼♂️👍🏻🏴
I like the sound effects of your heating coming on and of during your video, had to keep checking mine to see if it was on .lol👍
Ha Ha Cold today. Thanks so much.
Come on Alan, he’s our man, if he can’t do it, now one can
You are a legend Allen thank you for sharing your absolute knowledge as new plumber I’ve learnt a lot
Million thanks to you and you got all my respect 👍🏼🙂♥️♥️♥️
Wonderful video mate brilliant very informative and interesting you made a 30 minute video feel like 5 well done Allen 👍🏽
Nature Whynn Thank You so much.
Absolutely brilliant video 👍👍 nothing wrong with your drawing too😀
Thank You.
Thank you Alan. This is very helpful for me, as is always been my weakest point for me.
Great video.😀
Let me know what else will help you. Thanks.
You are the man, thank you very much for your insightful knowledge
Thank You
Thanks to people like you which helps a lot.
very helpful video, you said you leave the cold capped in the airing cupboard, where do you connect the cold mains to the cold outlets that were fed from the tank? i thought this was done in the loft by just bridging where the tank was. also when you connect to your cold in the utility room, is that you giving the boiler a cold mains feed in?
Very good explanation. Where does the main cold enters the new combi boiler?
Depends on the boiler manufacture really. Thanks.
Absolute top class bloke
Thank You.
This is amazing Allen. Thank you.
Question about flues.
What happens if you take the old boiler off and fit the combi and the flue holes don’t match up or is slightly off? How do Core when there is nothing to grip and how do you sort the walls.
Once you core a flue how do you normally seal it inside and out? Do you use just premix cement?
How do you seal a flue travelling through a stud wall with plasterboard?
What happens if you take a flue through a roof do you get a roofer to sort this or can you do it?
Do you have any videos on combi flue installations and sealing properly?
Flue installation and making good seems to send the FEAR into everyone including me.
I’ve read all the regs on flue positioning and you can always refer to manufacturers instructions but the actually physically installing one I’ve never seen done from start to finish.
Like cutting it to size and making sure the inner flue is sealed etc.
Great videos Allen
I’ve lost count of the jobs I’ve been to over 20 years of customers having combi conversions and not told about delta temp rises. Also leaks due to the extra pressure, especially pipes in concrete floors.
I might do a video on that. Thanks.
@@AllenHart999 24kw combi fitted in the summer. 40° hot water in the winter if they’re lucky. Usually have large spigot taps to top it off 🤷🏼♂️
I’m astonished, that someone actually paid for that shower pump installation!
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Thanks Allen great video very helpful .If you was putting the new combi in the loft and bought the flow down and connected on to the flow that you have already joined and the combi return to the return that you have capped .Whats the best thing to do with the old primarys cut back and link join together ?Thanks Joe
Always cut back where possible. Thanks.
Very clear drawing and explanation.
Great video Alan what I wanted to know the big cold water tank in the loft feeds the cold water bath taps an toilet? So do u just connect them up in the loft with the cold water mains feed which was the feed for the big tank?
Great video as always Allen mate 👍
Thank you
Great video - i have exactly same vented system - is it better to replace it with a combi or a unvented cylinder ?
Another brilliant video Allen. If someone cannot follow that, they probably need to be doing something else 👍🏾
Hi Stephen. Happy New Year and Thanks.
I’m an apprentice so I don’t know everything, and fair play to the fella I work with he tries to teach me as much as possible, I understand doing these types of conversions at work, But I don’t understand when we do back boiler conversions. Is it the same?
I also don’t understand how you can have a 4 pipe and a 2 pipe back boiler.
Back boiler conversions really confuse me. Is the any chance you could do a video on that?
Thanks, nice and very informative video Allen!
I will do one soon. Thanks.
4 pipe back boilers are just separate flow and returns for the cyl and the heating so you basically fuck the cyl ones off and use the heating ones tell you what blew my mind when I came across a 4 pipe cylinder with two pumps I was like whattttttt
Brilliant video Alan you should be a teacher . You are a credit👍👍👍
Hi Derek, just watched your video explaining the various combi boiler layouts and Ibwould like to ask you to help and advice in our case.
We have a Baxi Back boiler ground based behind what used to be our living room fire. The area behind the old fireplace has a roughly 5’ x 3’ space with a door opening for access to the rear of the Baxi, where physically a combi boiler would fit. In the living room we have an electric quasi fire which hangs on the wall.
All the gas and water supplies as well as the sealed back boiler chimney flue exist. We had a BG guy ( sales 🙄 ) round with a view to a quote for a combi boiler. But every location, where the Baxi is, up in the loft, we suggested were met with no can’t put it there etc. Each BG proposal meant re- running pipe work, water and gas around our home.
We are both 82 and my wife has a heart condition so we didn’t want ceilings and floors being disturbed to accommodate new or different pipe runs.
So…. what is your advice regarding the possibility of locating the combi in the existing Baxi boiler space please ?
Who’s derek 😂
Thank you for this video. Really well explained
Great video, lots of detail and lots of advice Thankyou
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Thanks for this great video Alan. The last bit about the tank fed cold to the bath is interesting aswell, I was wondering about this. In this instance do you usually leave the cold mains pipe going up to the loft in the airing cupboard and then connect this to the tank fed cold in the loft? So that all the cold taps are now on mains cold water.
Outstanding, keep up the great work Allen👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks 👍
Great video clearly explained Everything clearly
fantastic video really helped me with this
Hi allen, i have an old myson marathon floor standing boiler, with small bore 8mm rad flow and return pipes! If i wanted to have combi installed would i still be able to keep the 8mm small bore pipes to rads with combi or would i have to have all new 15mm pipes installed to every rad, which would be a real pain in the neck! Thank you and great video!👍
Really good video, Thanks. If you can do a video on vertical flue install, how to do it on the roof and clip it and connect back to boiler that would be amazing. Thanks
Ok will do
Good quality for beginners, id recommend introducing the thermostatic controls and how they work etc, otherwise a beginner is going to have a lovely new combi system that is either on or off with no automated control for the central heating
Brilliant video Allen, superbly explained. Top dollar 👊🔥🌟
Thank You.
This helped me massively.
Happy to help.
Thank you Allen for the indepth video. Cheers.
Perfect I always watch your videos which are brilliant 👏
Thank you 🙏 are you going to installer show this year
Awesome video I understand it even better now after you explained it would u please do a similar video with boiler going in airing cupboard sometimes the last tee on return confuses me so end up capping it off inceling above boiler if you have time 👍
I will try. Thanks
Nice vid Alan, did one of these conversions the other week. Thanks
Thanks.
Thank you Alan
you are very helpful and God bless you
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I’m a spark and loved this great video matey
Thank You
Awesome video Allen, very helpful. Thanks.
Thanks.
Moving combi boiler from front small bedroom to attached garage. Loft room also has a radiator
thank you Allen, very informative video
Thank You.
another great informative video Allen 👍 A little tip that we found that helped us to not have callbacks to leaks on at all hour that were down to existing pipework/fitting/ Valves 😫😫 Fill the system up to around 2.2 bar then heat test, this finds 99% of problems so you can sort and explain to the customer, once that is tested set pressure to MIs
Thanks for the info!
Top marks very detailed and patient
Great Video. What I would like to ask is within my house is a 3 bedroom terrace. I have a old fashion back boiler behind a fireplace in the living room downstairs. Also we have been told that within the 4 radiators downstairs may have sludge within them. The issue is these radiators do no not heat up where as the 5 radiators upstairs do heat up. My question would be is we have been quoted £800 to do the sludge flushing although that may not work or £2500 to replace the 4 radiators? Is this a fair or adequate price? Thanks in advance 👊🏼
Nice one alan. Very well explained. Thank you
Thank You
Great video Allen, very helpful
Glad it was helpful!
Great video, and wish more like this are made. Thanks
What would you like? Have you subscribed? Thanks
Very helpful video. The questions I have are: if you need to move the gas meter (less than a 1m) is it a big deal to get the gas supplier to do it? when you have an old copper pipe system do they generally cope with the higher pressure or do you have to put in new pipe work? Thanks
Yes its a big issue, Gas Board will need to move it
Thanks
@@AllenHart999
well done Allen very well explained
Thank You.
Hi Allen, i live with my 92 year old Mum and on Saturday our conventional boiler was replaced with a combi boiler. The heating to the house and hot water to the kitchen and downstairs cloakroom is working well, but there is no water at all coming out of the hot taps in the bathroom basin/bath and shower. We previously had a pump in there to improve the pressure to the shower, but this was removed. The installer says it must be sludge in the old pipework coming from the loft to the bathroom, but now i've watched your video, i think he may be trying to avoid telling me that they have totally missed this in their pre work survey. We have had no hot water since then and its been very difficult with Mum in this terribly cold weather. Can you give us some words of wisdom please?
Very helpful thank you very much
Thank you Allen best video on combi conversions I have seen. Your a star! If you wanted to add multizone heating with 2 port valves would you split the flow at the airing cupboard and keep the bypass from the y-plan?
I would update to an splan plus. Thanks.
How would you put the pipe connecting to the bath or the shower back into the system? Would you connect the pipe back to the mains?
Thanks for sharing this video Excellent. How much could cos if you do that my boiler? please
Im confused on the hot n colds connecting to the bath/wc/basin would they not be teed going up from the supply from the boiler and connected back on to the pipes feeding in the airing cupboard?
hey bro! can you do a Convert from Back boiler to Combi boiler please!!!! your videos really helpful !!!!! keep up the job!!!! Thanks!!!!
Hi GamesTS Thank you for the question. Next one I see I will.
Immersion boiler conversion to combi boiler how will my power shower work where’s the hot water coming from ? As the water came from cold water tank and hot water tank
Excellent stuff 👍👍👍👍👏
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Thanks for sharing this video Excellent. How much could cost if you do that to my boiler? please
Nice allen
Hi Alan
I’m converting heat only to combi. Heat only boiler is with range flowmax 180l combination mains pressure hot water system. Heating flow is at top of cylinder and return is at the bottom of cylinder. Pump is on return pipe after pump 3 port valve is fitted I’m bit confused which 2 pipes to joint together and on which pipe I should put stopper.shell I join A and B (3port valve)together and put stopper on flow. It will be very kind of you if you can please put me right directions.
Thank you