repalcement warm air versus radiators

[dippydips]

Morning all,

I have an existing johnson and starley gas warm air unit with a janus 3 gravity feed hot water system. The wau only heats downstairs with 4 registers (2 x living room, 1 x kitchen and 1 x base of stairs). The property is a large 3 bedroom terraced and the flooring is concrete.
This wau is now over 30 years old and spare parts (fan etc) are becoming increasingly hard to find and needs to be replaced.

If possible I would like advice on the following with regard to the pro's and con's of warm air versus radiators.


1/ Are the new range of j&s economaire warm air units a direct replacement for the old systems without the need for ducting realignment or metalwork.
2/ Is the hot water gravity feed integral to this or still seperate.
3/ Are the new filters as good as they claim (the old system does create a lot of dust and the wire mesh filters of old are not paricularly good)

And for radiators
4/ With a concrete floor will the pipework have to go up to the ceiling and leave a lot of unsightly pipework.

I have always been a fan of wau and would like to replace with same although must convince the boss who would like rads, although I would suspect price wise there won't be a lot in it.

Any views, advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Regards
Dips

 

[bengasman]

wau are getting increasingly rare, and therefore harder and harder to find parts, as well as engineers to fit them, hence you can expect hassle and high bills.

 

[gavinda]

the positives of warm air are:
1 less tank in loft(maybe)
rapid heating of house
more wall space


the negatives:
risk of co being blown around house if heat ex perforates
less efficient.
noisy.



you can have pipes for rad hidden but it will cost you a lot extra. the cheaper way is to have the ras done in drops and have a good chippie box the drops in. also fit double panel doube convestor rads to enable the smallest surface area rads to be used.

 

[namsag]

Wau still on the go have a look at www.johnsonandstarley.co.uk
Simond who posts on here will fill you in on the benefits if he catches this thread

 

[BigBurner]

wau are getting increasingly rare, and therefore harder and harder to find parts,

Not so. J&S still stock parts of units built in the 1960/70s.

 

[BigBurner]

Johnson & Starley have some superb replacement forced air units
with advantages:

• Electrostatic air filters,
• Modulating burners
• Modulating fans
• Very quiet.
• They also cool by moving air in summer.
• No rads.
• Even temperature around rooms
• Rapid room temperature heat up
• Room Temperatures can be set to a few degrees lower
• No water leaks
• No sludging up of radiators and boilers
• Outside air ventilation can be added
• Heat recovery from extracted air can be added.
• Heat recovery from air extractors can be incorporated.
• Humidification can be added without much hassle.

Try all that with rads.

The modern forced air units by J&S are a world away from the older units
too. They will transform a system. The reason forced air is not installed is more due to ignorance and lack of skills.

 

[BigBurner]

less efficient.

Oh no.

 

[gavinda]

oh, ill step aside, the expert has arrived

still havent stated your qualifictaaions to comment have you?



oh thats right... you dont have any.

 

[BigBurner]

oh, ill step aside, the expert has arrived

The reason forced air is not installed is more due to ignorance and lack of skills.

 

[mickyg]

Well Dr Drivel is right to some extent...
A Warm Air system, properly installed and commisioned "can" be highly effective and efficient and well controlled.
However, back in the real world, 99.99% of existing WAUs are very badly installed in 70s/80s new builds and to have a new WAU that would work better than Wet CH you would almost certainly have to rip it out and start again. Now, retrofitting a Warm Air System wouldn't be my idea of fun, and the cost of installing a completely new WAS that could compete with Wet CH on control and efficiency would be far to much to be considered economical for the average british household. So its very rare its a good choice, and Warm Air, regardless of whether its any good or not, is dying. If it wasn't J&S wouldn't have made a such a desperate attempt at a combi boiler.
As usual with a Drivel post, installation costs have not been taken into account.

 

[gavinda]

thats my point.

people dont like the noise of them and the size of them. these boilers need a full strip every year (including the fa blades) but due to the poor standard of servicing, this doesnt always happen.

 

[Softus]

the negatives:
risk of co being blown around house if heat ex perforates...

Eh?

 

[BigBurner]

Well Dr Drivel is right to some extent...

His drivel was not right.

99.99% of existing WAUs are very badly installed in 70s/80s new builds and to have a new WAU that would work better than Wet CH you would almost certainly have to rip it out and start again.

Oh No. Not again. The reason forced air is not installed is more due to ignorance and lack of skills.

 

[BigBurner]

people dont like the noise of them and the size of them. these boilers need a full strip every year (including the fa blades)

Oh No. Not again....The reason forced air is not installed is more due to ignorance and lack of skills.

 

[BigBurner]

Now, retrofitting a Warm Air System wouldn't be my idea of fun,

Oh No. Not again.

http://www.unicosystem.co.uk/
http://www.unicosystem.com/