Over the last few months I have pestered this newsgroup with questions about central heating systems/woodburners etc. So I though today, rather than asking questions I would share a success.
In April this year our combi boiler (a Gainsborough "prehistoric") suffered a major stroke. I did some emergency repairs, but it was clear that it was terminal.We got a local plumber in to quote for a replacement but the new regulations requiring condensing boilers required a relocation of the boiler made the price rather large so we looked at other options.
We decided to go for a stove in the dining room that had a small boiler to provide hot water and electric heating elsewhere.
As our boiler was limping on I rapidly installed a hot water cylinder, header tank and immersion and we had a reliable source of hot water (on tap). We got a local plumber in to disconnect the gas to the old boiler, no turning back now!
A new electric ring was installed (and we took the opportunity to revamp the other consumer units and try to reduce the nuisance trips we were having with the whole house RCD- which seems to have worked!)
So, decisions, decisions. Which manufacturer, wood burner or multifuel. As a fried of mine puts it, opinions are like ars@holes - everyone's got one! (and they are all different!)
We ended up with a pure wood burner, a multifuel is more versatile, but it compromises the woodburning capability and as we planned to mainly burn wood, a multi fuel was too much of a compromise.
The existing wet system was drained down the old boiler removed and preparations made to remove the rads.
Then specification creep (gallop!) took over. We decided to go for a full boiler and heat the rads. We had to remove a number to reduce the load, but as the wood burner was downstairs and would easily heat two rooms there were some quick wins. I also then had to replumb the heating system as the wood burner was in quite a different location to the old boiler. In fact the pipes that were feed and return at the (old) boiler were coupled using a heated towel rail.
We bought our boiler from a company in Shepton Mallet and had it installed (the flue side of it) by an approved "HETAS" engineer. This left me needing to provide some additional ventilation, extending the hearth and plumbing it in!
By last Sunday I had finished removing the redundant rads (capping off the pipes) and plumbing in the boiler to the hot water cylinder and central heating. On Sunday afternoon we were ready to fill the system. There were a few leaks and one flood (I had forgotten to shut a system drain in the downstairs cloakroom!) It took me the whole of Sunday afternoon and most of the evening to get it water tight (I was using soldered fittings so it was a drain down every time and the leaks are never easy to get at!) Note - with the drain down I had put the drain c*ck at the lowest point, but also plumbed it directly outside - just open the valve and it drains away externally. Neat! (but a shame I hadn't done that in the cloakroom!)
Monday evening was electrics. A new timer, two thermostats on the feed pipe of the gravity hot water system (one set at 40 degC and one set at
90 deg C) and connections to the pump. I also bled the system.Tuesday evening I extended the hearth and bled the system again. We then lit it for the first time, the fire stayed lit, the gravity system got hot, at over 40 deg C the CH pump ran and all the radiators got warm! Success.
We also played with the various air controls and dampers on the fire to start learning how to control the heat.
So, we are now ready for winter. It was a lot of hassle, probably (in the end) no cheaper than a combi, but it is a system that I can maintain and there's something about a wood fire, the sight, the heat (and the smell!)
The electric heating will be kept (in the bedrooms) as we will need it first thing in the morning when the fire still has to be rejuvenated! However the rest of the day should be on the woodburner and central heating.
Thanks for all the advice, it was much appreciated.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....
Cheers
Peter