When an 18th century residential farmhouse’s existing heating system could no longer accommodate the high hot water demand required, TPS Heating specified Alpha’s FlowSmart with Climatic RF controller.
After the previous boiler had broken down, the historic farmhouse, located in Maidstone, needed a system that could heat 23 radiators and provide enough hot water for the two bathrooms in the property.
Tom Davies of TPS Heating, the installer for this project, commented, “I chose the FlowSmart as I needed a product that would improve the longevity of the heating system, after the original system had to be replaced. This is the first FlowSmart I have installed and it won’t be the last. It was simple to install and effective; although the system has only been in-situ for a few weeks, the homeowner is highly impressed with its performance.
“Alpha also provided excellent customer support throughout, enabling me to confidently complete the job to a high standard for my customer.”
Ideal for larger households, the Alpha FlowSmart offers the best of both worlds by providing the energy efficiency expected from a combination boiler, with the ability to deliver large volumes of hot water to a number of outlets simultaneously.
Combining the Alpha InTec 40GS combi boiler with a built in GasSaver and thermal store technology, the FlowSmart pre-heats mains cold water within the GasSaver, by reclaimed boiler flue gases. It then passes through the thermal store’s stainless-steel coil heat exchanger, where it is heated further by surrounding hot water from the central heating system. From this, the water will then pass through a blending valve, where it is controlled to an optimum 30ºC before entering the boiler. In effect, the mains water is pre-heated and the boiler’s workload is significantly reduced. This allows the system to perform efficiently and reduce fuel use, while successfully improving the hot water flow rate.
Matt Matthewman, the owner of the farmhouse, said: “The original part of the house is actually from the 16th century, and has had various extensions and incorporations of outbuildings over time. Due to the age of the property, the plumbing has proved to be very complicated, but the FlowSmart provided us with a simple and hassle-free installation.
“FlowSmart has provided the high performance and energy efficiency rates I required, whilst meeting the hot water demands of the house and our family of four. I could easily see how it could lower energy costs, whilst increasing the eco-credentials of the building.”
The Alpha Climatic RF controller was installed alongside the FlowSmart, to maximise the system efficiency. Available in wired and wireless versions, it is a multi-channel time and temperature programmer with integrated thermostat and BUS system to transfer data between the boiler and the controller. The Alpha Climatic RF controls are also classed as an Enhanced Load Compensator, enabling this install to be completely Boiler Plus compliant.