Grade II listed building condensing boiler using chimney
Today we are in a house in a beautiful part of the Garden of England, in other words, Kent. The house is in a small village reminiscent of the one filmed many years ago for a Hovis advert, with cobbled streets and high pavements. Our customer had bought a house with an old Potterton Osprey light commercial in the cellar, and British Gas had said that many parts were no longer available. Other contractors had suggested the only options involved siting a new boiler on an external wall; this would have resulted in lots of unwanted visible pipework but also […]
Improving water supply and Acorn heating pipework issues
Our customer lives in a remote rural location near Warlingham, in Surrey, UK. They asked us to provide a proposal to update their old Grant boiler. Interestingly, it had rotted through a few years previously, and their heating technician had located a comparatively healthy heat secondhand heat exchanger in Cornwall, which he had successfully fitted. The ladder type steel radiators suffered from perpetual air and some had stopped working, others had lost the upper sections and were partially cold, something which venting could not cure. I was intrigued because although the system was fitted with a header tank, there was […]
Smart Meters
As part of a (mercifully) occasional series on this blog, where I comment about things that might not be all they seem in our industry, I thought I should say a few words about ‘Smart meters’. You will probably have heard, or seen, advertisements encouraging homeowners to have them installed. Smart meters are being promoted as helping you, the customer, understand where your energy consumption originates from, and manage it better to reduce costs. They are also being sold as being a key part in the process of you being facilitated to change suppliers easily, to obtain the best prices […]
Ideal Istor finally gets the heave ho
Our customers in today’s case study bought a ‘new build’ around 8 years ago, in the Redhill area of Surrey. Inside, these properties are very spacious, and the rear elevations have got multiple Velux windows, L shaped lounges, very light and open. Unfortunately, the developers chose to ruin their good work by fitting an Ideal iStor boiler. Our customer had fortunately taken out a British Gas Homecare contract on theirs, but after years of visits including a protracted one from the manufacturer themselves, and having replaced every part, some more than once, plus a powerflush etc, they decided it was […]
New Lennox warm air heater in Bromley
Warm air, or Hot Air heating, is where heated air is recirculated from the house, through a heating bank, and then back into the house again. It uses a network of ducts, usually in a ‘tree and branch’ formation in a domestic property. The heat bank could be heated directly by Gas, LPG, Electricity or Oil (indeed, there are a few other options as well). Installed correctly, using the latest equipment, warm air has the ability to be arguably the most efficient way to heat a space. This is because there is only one transfer of energy, from the original […]
Worcester-Bosch 1 Keston 0
For this case study, we find ourselves in Oxted, Surrey. We like Oxted, because it is a lovely, virtually unspoilt town (if you exclude Morrisons) full of coffee shops and yummy mummies. I suppose it is similar to Sevenoaks with all the good bits squeezed into a smaller area. It is also very close to Hot Water & Central Heating Ltd HQ, so we get a lot of projects there. A larger house, this had a Keston C55 boiler and a significant number of radiators. The Keston boiler had been unreliable (no surprises there) so we suggested a Worcester-Bosch alternative. […]
Anne of Cleves’ house gets an upgrade
Readers of this blog will know that we regularly get commissions from owners of listed properties for their heating upgrades. Today, we are in a Grade 1 listed country house in Ditchling, Sussex, UK, dating back to the 16th century, or possibly earlier. Henry VIII was believed to have bought this house for Anne of Cleves; later residents included William Pitt*. *William Pitt will also appear as a case study for our professional services shortly! In more recent times the house was owned by a radio and TV personality; our customer has recently moved in and we were engaged to provide […]
Commercial boiler Design and Installation at premier Surrey Golf Club
Tandridge Golf Club was designed by the renowned Harry Colt in 1924, and today is judged as one of the top 100 golf courses in the UK. Situated in a rural location near Oxted, in Surrey (UK), it has a thriving membership and is a beautiful course; the main club buildings date from 1928 and have been carefully retained to the present day (unfortunately the first clubhouse burnt down in 1927, exacerbated by the thatched roof). It is popular every day, with golfers seemingly happy to battle in all weathers at all times of the year, perhaps encouraged by the excellent dining […]
Anthracite boiler replaced Worcester Oil Boiler and Evohome
For today’s update we are in a remote part of Kent, not far from the famous Biggin Hill aerodrome. Our customer has lived for many years in this rural idyll, in a semi detached cottage. Up until now, he has used a Trianco boiler running on solid fuel, in this case anthracite. The solid fuel boiler, located in the kitchen, is a relatively modern unit that greenies would now describe excitedly as a Biomass boiler. It is relatively modern in so far as it has a fan assisted combustion system and the collection of ash is partially automated. Our customer […]
Welcome to the Hot Water & Central Heating Ltd gallery
A selection of solutions to heating and water issues which might be relevant to your home
