What size of Electric boiler?

[mike194]

Hi, I have never fitted an electric boiler for a central heating system before so I am unsure on what power boiler I need. The plumber says there will be 8 radiators at a total of 16000btu.
What kW will be required and also any suggestions on brand reliability?

Much appreciated, thanks.:book:

 

[telectrix]

forst of all, don;t believe what a plumber tells you. they are all pathalogical liars.

 

[ImpededLoop]

Catch 22 this one. If the rads are undersized and the building too cold, the plumber will blame the electric boiler and the electrician who supplied it.

I would ask him for his heat load in writing before choosing a boiler. You also need to ensure the electrical supply is sufficient.

 

[ruston]

There are calculations required for sizing radiators to take into account wall construction, room size etc. If you do not have this done properly as ImpeedLoop has said you could drop a major clanger.

 

[mike194]

The plumber is a friend and it is for his own home so I have trust in his heat load predidction/ his own fault if its wrong.

 

[ruston]

The plumber is a friend and it is for his own home so I have trust in his heat load predidction/ his own fault if its wrong.

Ah, well you didn't say that in your OP.

A word with the boiler manufacturer might be prudent here , then based on their info, as IP has said -can the electrical installation cope.

 

[ImpededLoop]

The plumber is a friend and it is for his own home so I have trust in his heat load predidction/ his own fault if its wrong.

You can convert BTU to kW. There's no doubt an online calculator for this.

I can't help with brands though as it's about 15 years since I last installed one.

 

[HandySparks]

Hi, I have never fitted an electric boiler for a central heating system before so I am unsure on what power boiler I need. The plumber says there will be 8 radiators at a total of 16000btu.
What kW will be required and also any suggestions on brand reliability?

Much appreciated, thanks.:book:

16000 btu/h seems to about 4.7kW. Doesn't sound enough to me, unless it's a tiny place. I should ask the plumber to check his figures.

 

[ruston]

Edit- didn't see your post , so deleted conversion.

 

[davesparks]

You can convert BTU to kW. There's no doubt an online calculator for this.

I can't help with brands though as it's about 15 years since I last installed one.

Not directly you can't, BTU is a unit of energy wheras KW is a unit of power.

 

[mike194]

16000btu = 4700W according to an online calculator. So, a 6kW boiler should be sufficient for the rads? It is only for the central heating and not for the water.

 

[ImpededLoop]

Not directly you can't, BTU is a unit of energy wheras KW is a unit of power.

True, just needs an "h" adding then!

 

[ferg]

The way I've worked is that the plumber sizes and supplies the boiler and I do the electrics.

Heatrae sadia amptec boilers are pretty much the only ones I've worked with.

And the clients have been happy with them.

 

[Leesparkykent]

[PDF]INSTALLATION & TECHNICAL MANUAL - Electric Heating Company
www.electric-heatingcompany.co.uk/.../SlimJim-Installation-User-Manual-7...
The central heating installation in which the 'Slim Jim' boiler is being installed .... size radiator of 600mm x 600mm single convector or equal to. 2500 Btu to be ...

Central Heating Effectiveness
Central Heating Effectiveness
3 Oct 1998 - When I moved into my new house in February 1997, it wasn't long before I ... How much heat is required? ... So, work out the number of BTU's you need to heat your room properly, and ... For high ceiling - 3 metres, Add 20% ...


This will give you a rough Idea calculate how many BTU's you need using second link then compare this with the tables in the 1st link to see what KW boiler you will need.

 

[chris murphy]

16000 btu/h seems to about 4.7kW. Doesn't sound enough to me, unless it's a tiny place. I should ask the plumber to check his figures.

"Hello HandySparks",

I agree with You - the Home would have to be very small - but it could be a small Flat with small rooms - requiring perhaps something like approximately:

5000 BTU`s Living Room - 4000 BTU`s Bedroom - 3000 BTU`s Kitchen - 2000 BTU`s Bathroom and 2000 BTU`s Hallway.

There are 3412 BTU`s in a Kilowatt of Heat.


As a `comparison` my Home`s Living Room has 4 Radiators outputting approximately 14000 BTU`s if the TRV`s were all fully open - but I calculated the Radiators to be able to produce a temperature of at least 25 degrees centigrade in that room IF We want it.

Although this may seem to go against the `Normal Design parameters` I want the Central Heating system in my Home to Heat the House to temperatures that are high enough that We don`t have to be fully dressed to be `Warm` in a Cold Winter`s day.

I don`t have a great big House - my Living Room is just a decent sized `Through Lounge`.

I have NOT researched this at all - but only a few Years ago the highest output Electric Central Heating Boiler for the Domestic market was a 12000 BTU Boiler -

I assumed at that time that this was to enable the appliance to fall within the expected maximum `Power Draw` [with all of the other Power demand of the Home] on a `Normal` Main Fuse [60 or 100 AMP ?]


Regards,

Chris