Items in uk.d-i-y

Subject:Re: Warm air heating
Date:Fri, 4 Jul 2003 12:20:29 +0100
From:"Laurie R" <spamtram@elessar.org.uk>
Newsgroups:uk.d-i-y
Jim Crow wrote:
> Hi
> I'm thinking of moving house soon and one of the prospective houses
> I'm interested in has warm air heating (fairly new house).
> Are there any known probs with these systems, are they reliable, are
> parts easy to obtain. etc etc
> Any thoughts or suggestions greatly appreciated
> Jim
> PS Also, do these systems provide domestic hot water as well?

The biggest problem is that prospective buyers will have doubts about it
when you come to sell, just like you do.
We replaced ours with conventional rads a while ago because we were
extending and it wasn't extendable.
You definitely want Mod AirFlow (assuming Johnson&Starley) or an equivalent
variable fan-speed system. As it's a modern house this is probably standard.
Ours had a separate gravity-fed "Janus" heater and primatic DHW cylinder,
also very 70's.
Plusses are that it's very reliable; there's nothing to rust or leak. Also
the house heats up very quickly and you don't lose wallspace to radiators.
J&S spares should be no problem - don't know about other makes.
Minuses -yes it's dry,dusty and a bit noisy. Also you'll probably find large
gaps at the top and bottom of all doors, and you have to clean the dust
filter regularly.
-- 
Laurie R