GledHill Systemmate 2000

[whitely525]

I have Gledhill Systemate 2000 which is a 'thermal store' driven by a separate gas fired boiler. The first page of the manual boasts this system is unlike any other central heating system you have encountered before (as if that is good thing..!)

After the tenants left I found the cistern tank is empty and dry. Pressure in the system was 0.3bar. Only the radiators closest to the system worked (unless I switched them off then the other 2 worked, the last one didn't). Anyway I bled air from the radiators and re- pressurised the system and I guess it is tickety-boo.

Questions:

Will any damage have resulted from running the system with the empty cistern..? The top pipe from the system routes back to the thermal store ('open vent' and 'cold feed expansion').

How full should the cistern be..? BTW it is filled from a permanently attached tap. Also I could get hot water in the kitchen OK even with empty cistern (but you need to wait for what seems like a long time).

I also noticed a very small weeping leak when I removed the main cover from the systemmate. It is on a small stub which has a plastic screw cap: on the side it appears to read 0.1 to 0.5bar, not sure if it is for providing a setpoint or it is a gauge. Any idea what this part is..? I cannot identify it from the manual (although it can be seen in the pictures). It is on left side between two Grundfos pumps.

[Stephen Dawson]

Hi

I am a Gledhill approved service engineer. Running without water in the tank we mean poor performance and you should be able to refill with no problems.

You should fill the tank to about 2/3 full and then check it in a couple of days. I am a little unsure about the grubscrew, I think it may be a blank for a pressure guage. Send me a picture and I will be able to identify it.

If you need any more help send me an email.

Regards

Stephen Dawson

Fox Electrical Services Ltd

[Doctor Drivel]

It is a DHW only store. The Systemate is heated via coil just like any other cylinder and radiators are not run from the thermal store. The Rad pressure is separate from the store. The store is topped up from the plastic Feed & Expansion tank. Does this tank have a ballcock in it? If not, fill up the tank with hose pipe. The F&E tank must always be filled. Pour some X-100 in it.

Be more specific about the leak and where the screw is.

[Doctor Drivel]

That is marketing bumph! It is a DHW only thermal store (well a heat bank to be specific).

Missed that. Just fill it to just over half way. Make sure there is a lid on the tank. Bleed the DHW pump, which is the one on the extreme right. Pour in X-100.

Filling the F&E tank and bleeding the pump will help.

It is the auto pressure by-pass. If it is leaking replace it. It is a standard item. This is the same unit:

Check.

[Doctor Drivel]

Better piccie:

[Doctor Drivel]

Well the microprocessor pcb is quite clever indeed which sets it apart from other DHW only heat banks (thermal stores). It is self adaptive in that it learns the speed in which the boiler re-heats the cylinder and times the boiler to come in to re-heat when necessary. This saves fuel and reduces boiler cycling. It holds off the CH pump when re-heating the cylinder to give priority for DHW production (well it holds the CH pump off until the stored water is over 60C). It also learn the maximum temperature the boiler can give too setting its own thermals store cylinder set point temperature. If the boiler can only heat to 78C it set it at that. It works from 76C to

82C. So, it works well with condensing boilers.

The boiler heats the rads directly like most other CH systems. I fitted a modulating boiler to one of these and boiler cycling was to a minimum.

[whitely525]

Well spotted, that looks exactly like the part.

Does the system need draining to replace it..? It is only a teardrop leak, seems to be from the plastic cap part which rotates freely (I assume as it should).

[Doctor Drivel]

Well spotted, that looks exactly like the part.

Does the system need draining to replace it..? It is only a teardrop leak, seems to be from the plastic cap part which rotates freely (I assume as it should).

[whitely525]

Thanks to all who contributed valuable advise...