Jump to content


Photo

Any Plumbing Experts On Here? Solid Fuel Stove Help...


  • Please log in to reply
7 replies to this topic

#1 cradley-heathen

cradley-heathen

    Metro-Man

  • Traders
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 2,481 posts
  • Location: have a guess?
  • Local Club: spearmint rhino

Posted 27 August 2012 - 07:19 PM

we have a huge (21kw) solid fuel stove in our lounge, which as yet isnt plumbed into our central heating system. it wont be doing our domestic hot water though going to our taps, so just the heating.

we have been told by a friend that we need to run 28mm copper pipe from it, going up to the loft where we will be having our header tank.

we have an existing, but now defunct central heating system which we want to hook the wood burner up to. the old system used to be powered by our very old, very dead, gas boiler.

in the loft there is our old copper tank, and plastic header tank. we didnt want to use these if possible.

so the question is, does anyone on here have a good idea of what the system should look like (as a diagram) so we know what to conect to what?

#2 blacktulip

blacktulip

    Crazy About Mini's

  • TMF+ Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 6,224 posts
  • Location: Braintree

Posted 27 August 2012 - 08:56 PM

i'm not too sure about what you have there at the moment but check to see if you are allowed to rig up the old unit as if you are changing the heating system you are meant to put a high efficency condensing boiler in.

#3 Dan

Dan

    On Sabbatical

  • TMF+ Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 21,354 posts

Posted 27 August 2012 - 09:54 PM

You must use this stove in an open vented system, so you must have a header tank. You cannot use a solid fuel stove or other uncontrollable heat source like that in any kind of closed heating system. I seem to remember a plastic header tank will be out of the question too, as the water can easily get very hot in this kind of system and header tanks are not made to cope with much heat. You should have at least one heat bleed rad that cannot be shut off by a thermostatic valve. Not sure if pumping it directly would be acceptable or not, but 28mm riser pipes would be for a gravity system. If it is OK to pump it and you fit zone valves they must be setup so that if they fail the primary always ends up with the feed and vent system open to the header tank.

#4 mini-luke

mini-luke

    Postman Pat

  • Traders
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 2,362 posts
  • Location: Hereford

Posted 27 August 2012 - 10:04 PM

Dan is correct about the header tank, you need a fiberglass or metal one. There have been cases of injury and death when plastic ones have failed after being overheated, usually due to an immersion heater getting stuck on but no reason why it could not occur with a wood burner. There are HETAS approved thermoplastic tanks available, but I wouldn't trust a ropey old one that's been up there for 30 years.

You cannot use a solid fuel stove or other uncontrollable heat source like that in any kind of closed heating system.


There are now (albeit rather expensive) wood burners available that can be ran on a pressurised system using normally open zone valves and heat leak rad(s) with a cold feed to the woodburner as a fail safe if the heat leaks can't keep up. We have plumbed one recently for someone with more money than sense.

Edited by mini-luke, 27 August 2012 - 10:07 PM.


#5 vtec_miniestate

vtec_miniestate

    Speeding Along Now

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 356 posts
  • Local Club: Torbay Mini Club

Posted 27 August 2012 - 10:12 PM

Dont forget you'll also need a copper ball on your ball valve, you can get a plastic header tank but it has to be solid fuel specific one (usually has metal supports). We recently did a similar system and all in all it cost the customer an arm and a leg and also was an awful lot of hassle. Is there any reason you didn't want to just replace the gas boiler?

#6 mini-luke

mini-luke

    Postman Pat

  • Traders
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 2,362 posts
  • Location: Hereford

Posted 27 August 2012 - 10:31 PM

Dont forget you'll also need a copper ball on your ball valve, you can get a plastic header tank but it has to be solid fuel specific one (usually has metal supports). We recently did a similar system and all in all it cost the customer an arm and a leg and also was an awful lot of hassle. Is there any reason you didn't want to just replace the gas boiler?


Fair point seeing as you can get a quality gas boiler with a decent warranty with change from £500 and fitting for perhaps £200-250. When spending time/money on a solid fuel setup ask your self how much gas you could buy with it, you may be supprised.

#7 Beej123

Beej123

    One Carb Or Two?

  • Banned
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 1,184 posts
  • Location: Stourbridge
  • Local Club: Splinters Mini Club

Posted 27 August 2012 - 11:10 PM

Fitted a couple but it's a huge amount of hassle. My one piece of advice is to fit a flow sensor which will tell you if the pump fails or a blockage occurs, normally a boiler has one built in so it's worth adding on. Basically as far as the diagram, you take the boiler out and fill the gap with the burner.

#8 cradley-heathen

cradley-heathen

    Metro-Man

  • Traders
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 2,481 posts
  • Location: have a guess?
  • Local Club: spearmint rhino

Posted 28 August 2012 - 08:47 PM

the reason we got the wood burner is because we didnt want to pay for gas ever again basically lol

we can get an unlimited supply of free wood so it means through the winter we just let it rip!

i am aware that we need an open vent system and also the hazards of using a plastic header tank on the system too. i was kinda hoping there may be someone on here who could pop over and take a look (thought that was asking a bit much though lol)

i was actually a heating engineer a fwe years back, but we only did industrial, and it was mainly just ambi-rads and powermatic type stuff. we did service boilers too, but i never got involved in the layouts etc.




1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users