How many zones for a 3 bed dormer bungalow?

murphaph

Hi folks, thinking about tackling a complete replacement of the heating system in my rented out 3 bed semi-d with 1 bathroom (shower+bath) dormer bungalow in Dublin. The house currently has 6 rads (3 beds, bath, lounge, kitchen cum dining room), but I'd want to add one to the hall downstairs which never had any.

The current system is a higgledy piggledy mix n match at this stage (was originally solid fuel back boiler, then converted to gas with pipe runs all over the shop tbh). It's an open vented system with tank in loft space and hot water cylinder + immersion.

I want to strip the whole lot out and replace with a combi boiler and simplify the whole system in the process, removing air lock prone spots that are currently there due to pipework going up and down around joists etc.

I have a question though:
From my reading, the latest UK regs (presume ours are similar) require at least 2 heating zones, typically upstairs and downstairs, but this doesn't really make sense in a dormer where downstairs != "no bedrooms". It would be silly to me to apply a 2 zone template to a house where there are bedrooms on both floors!

I think I need finer control than this (more zones!) to ensure comfort and energy efficiency into the future. I think I should zone each room tbh. (obviously requires more control gear and motorised valves). What do you guys think? Total overkill or sensible forward planning?

How would you sensibly plan a brand new heating system (I'd be replacing everything as some of the rads are getting on as well) in a house with hall, 2 beds, lounge and kitchen cum dining room downstairs and landing, master bed and bathroom upstairs?

JohnnieK

You could use a manifold controlled by actuators and room thermostats if you where going to control each room. You obviously cant get a programmer with that many zones on it but you could group them, say living and bedrooms controlled by a 2 zone clock or you could have a single channel clock controlling all the room stats at once.

You could also use programmable room stats to control each room but I think this would be over kill.

The bathroom could also present a problem doing it this way as steam could affect the room stat and I also dont think they are electrically rated for bathroom.

murphaph

As regards the combi, I've read that in Dublin they are not supposed to be connected directly to the mains. What's the story there? Is this a load of nonsense? In the UK they are connected directly to the mains.

EDIT: The bathroom can be tackled with one of these. You just install the thermostat outside the bathroom by the light switch and feed the remote temperature probe to it from the other side, all low voltage in the bathroom itself.

JohnnieK

Most local authorities go by that rule. Its an old bylaw but still inplace. The only thing taken from your incoming main is a drinking water point, usually kitchen sink and a storage tank. Not even wc's or dishwashers. It's pre historic if you ask me because there is less water usage if working a combi.

murphaph

JohnnieK wrote: »

Most local authorities go by that rule. Its an old bylaw but still inplace. The only thing taken from your incoming main is a drinking water point, usually kitchen sink and a storage tank. Not even wc's or dishwashers. It's pre historic if you ask me because there is less water usage if working a combi.

So do people ignore the rule for combis or take a feed from a tank and pump it up to mains pressure and feed the combi with this?

What happens in 1 bed flats? Do they all really have tanks?

Another one: what firms are making manifold systems for rads? (loads for UFH, but don't want that)

JohnnieK

Most combi installations are off the mains some are fed from a booster pump in the loft fed from the storage tank.

I'm going to be doing the later myself for my house in the new year.

I used the pipe from said company and there manifolds so there was no drama with the install. They use the same system for underfloor as with normal installations.