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Plumbing

Do I get rid of my Gledhill Thermal Store?

Anonymous user 09/03/2024 - 2.54 PM

I've recently moved into a new house and have inherited a system which really isn't performing the way i'd like it too. The system has a gledhill torrent thermal store which is roughly 11 years old. I've also got a Worcester Bosch Greenstar RI boiler with a magna clean fitted. Its an s plan system. When we first moved in we had a wood stove with a back boiler connected to the gledhill but had this removed. I've got two issues and one is more critical than the other. Issue 1 - A minor leak. So I've got a leak somewhere on the tank/thermal store. I don't know if its from a connection or the tank itself as its wrapped in a thick insulation jacket. All I know is that there the floor beneath the tank is damp and the leak is worse when the whole system is cold and has been powered off for a few days (had issues with the boiler which meant it had to be off for a few days which is how i found out about the leak) I'm on the British Gas plan and had a gent over to fix the initial boiler problem and he subsequently spotted the leak. British Gas quoted to repair the cylinder at £2.5k. Since I was spending that sort of money I looked at quotes for a combi system which was interesting. I had AA, boiler plan uk, helplink.co.uk, eon and BG. They all quoted the same Worcster Bosch Combi apart from Eon and British Gas's combi guy (different from the person who quoted the repair) who refused to quote on ethical grounds because said that we'd be better off repairing what we have as its a superior system and a better fit for our house. Its a 1930s house with 13 radiators and two bathrooms (electric showers). Allt he heating system is in the attic (boiler and thermal store) Issue 2 - This may or may not be related to the age of my system, the issues above or something separate completely at all but my radiators do not get hot. In my previous house a radiator on full blast would not be something I could touch without burning myself. In my new house the radiators at best get lukewarm, the heat isn't consistent through out the radiator either. There are cold spots. I've had one of the bigger radiators off the wall and completely cleaned it out so that clear water ran through it but that didn't seem to make a difference. So that's it. I'm interested in general thoughts and ideas really. Should I be ripping off the insulation to identify a leak? Would a straight swap to a combi be best overall for simplifying the system. People talk about mains pressure hot water being a big selling point for the thermal store but i'd rather live in a hot house with a trickle of hot water than what I've got at the moment. Could I have both with a simple power flush and a repair? Do local plumbers typically have the expertise of thermal stores to carry out a repair or should i be looking at some of the bigger companies? I know there are probably some key details that I've missed so feel free to let me know if i need to clarify anything.

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3 Answers

Steven Calvert Plumbing and Heating

Rating: 5 out of 5

Cardigan

Hi, A thermal store is a great system in the right house and if it's installed correctly, people often undervalue a thermal store because either they don't understand them or have not installed enough of them to appreciate there specific use. However said that, you have decommissioned the log burner/boiler and in doing that the need/use of your thermal store is greatly reduced, you could still make it effective but if you have been quoted £2,500.00 to repair it my advice would be to change it. If your going to be using only one heat input then a combi or a unvented hot water cylinder would be the way to go, again which one of these routes to go would depend on water consumption of the property also both these options will give you high hot water pressure as long as your mains is up to it. If you decide to keep the thermal store I'd suggest getting a local technician who understands the workings and uses of a thermal store. A good indicator if he/she understands a thermal store system is if he/she says they're rubbish rip it out without thoroughly looking over and testing the system then they normally don't understand them. Thanks Steven calvert

Answered8 December 2017

Martin House Plumbing Services

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

Lymington

It sounds like you have 2 separate issues here, 1, your thermal store is leaking & 2, your heating system is probably sludged up. Replacing the boiler &/or thermal store will not rectify the heating issue & so I'd address this 1st before deciding upon your hot water options. I would say that with 2 bathrooms a combi is not the best choice, & so as long as the existing boiler is working properly I see no reason to replace it. Having said that, if the system is sludged then there is a good chance that it has compromised the boiler heat exchanger. You can try using a good internal de-sludging additive first & then perhaps a power flush. If still no good then you could replace the heat exchanger & it could be a good idea to look at the latter first. Modern boilers do not like sludgy systems & so there is no point in fitting a new boiler until this issue has been properly addressed as you may be better off considering a whole new system if it is really very bad. If the heat exchanger is choked then replacing it should get the system circulating better & you would have more luck with a de-sludge additive. It is important that you do this right away if a new HE gets the system running or it will simply happen again. Then there's the leaking Gledhill. You need to find out where it's leaking. If it is a joint or something other than the main cylinder wall then there may be good mileage in seeking a repair. Otherwise then you may be better off going the un-vented HW cylinder route. If the Gledhill can be repaired relatively easily, & I think the figure of 2.5k would be for replacement, then it would be as well to see how it performs once your heating / boiler issues have been sorted. You never know, a new heat exchanger may get the system running again, then do a power flush & it could be back in business. Basically get the system sorted first, as long as the leak is not too bad. I think in all likelyhood if your boiler heat exchanger is scaled up, then this would certainly affect the performance of your heat store. Just a word of warning though. If parts of your system are really rather old & sludge has compacted, gone hard etc then you could be wasting a lot of time & money. I would have an independent expert assess the situation & also get a quote for a complete new system as it might be the most cost effective option in the end. I hope this has helped to give you a starting point, & if you do replace the boiler or indeed the system then personally I'd look at an Alpha rather than WB.

Answered16 November 2019

YELLOWSTONE SERVICES LTD

Rating: 5 out of 5

Manchester

Its down to what YOU as the homeowner want. You can have all the advice given but the end of the day it is what you are willing to put up with! Either lack of space that you need from sticking to some clunky items, or a combi boiler saving space, some of the bigger rated boilers can give 18/19 liters per minute of constant hot water at 55° also if short on water pressure you can install a salamander homeboost either at the stop tap or before the boiler(underneath). Too many options out there really, and all no doubt sound good- So again it down to your budget,preference and choice of pros and cons.

Answered1 March 2021