Combi Boiler Installation in Sevenoaks

The Challenge

The customers were planning to have their bathroom renovated by a bathroom plumber who had recommended APV Heating Services. They wanted to replace their existing heating system before the bathroom work began.

The property had an existing Alpha CD18R heat-only boiler and a separate hot water cylinder housed in the airing cupboard. The customers wanted to move away from this arrangement and have a combi boiler installed, giving them hot water on demand without the need for the existing cylinder.

The new boiler was to be positioned in the loft, which meant that the flue needed to pass vertically through the roof. This made the installation more involved than a straightforward boiler swap, as we needed suitable access to the roof and the new roof penetration had to be properly finished.

There was also an important personal consideration while we carried out the work. One of the customers was seriously unwell and needed regular periods of quiet and rest. We were conscious of this throughout the installation, keeping our radio turned down and working as quietly as reasonably possible so that we could complete the work while causing as little disturbance as possible.

The new boiler installed in the loft is a Vaillant ecoFIT pure combi boiler, as shown clearly in the photographs. Stuart worked in the loft to position and connect the new boiler, while I concentrated on removing the old equipment and modifying the pipework below.

Installing the boiler in the loft also required a new vertical flue through the roof. We arranged for a scaffold tower to be positioned at the front of the property so that the roof could be accessed safely. The photographs show the completed vertical flue installation and roof flashing from above.

A roofer was also involved in making good around the new roof flashing, completing the external part of the installation.

The completed boiler installation has neat, accessible copper pipework beneath the Vaillant boiler, with the existing airing cupboard equipment removed as part of the conversion from a heat-only system with stored hot water to a combi boiler system.