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
cock 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

"puffernutter" wrote in message
oups.com...
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
cock 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

Very interesting,but do you have a source of cheap wood??Regards E

On Wed, 26 Oct 2005 13:05:53 +0100, "Leveled" wrote:


| Very interesting,but do you have a source of cheap wood??Regards E

My Son in Law lives in Salford. hardly a country area, and has a wood
burning stove. He can get wood just for the asking. See someone cutting
down trees, and say can I have the wood? They deliver it free, because
taking wood to the tip costs them money because of the landfill tax. His
main problem is storing the wood, in a dryish place, cutting it up etc.
--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk
The London suicide bombers killed innocent commuters.
Animal rights terrorists and activists kill innocent patients.

On Wed, 26 Oct 2005 13:54:48 +0100, Dave Fawthrop
wrote:

On Wed, 26 Oct 2005 13:05:53 +0100, "Leveled" wrote:


| Very interesting,but do you have a source of cheap wood??Regards E

My Son in Law lives in Salford. hardly a country area, and has a wood
burning stove. He can get wood just for the asking. See someone cutting
down trees, and say can I have the wood? They deliver it free, because
taking wood to the tip costs them money because of the landfill tax. His
main problem is storing the wood, in a dryish place, cutting it up etc.

Cousin has a woodburner and he lives in the middle of a city. He has a
couple of 'pet' factories near him (One makes kitchens, another
furniture) that allow him to take as much offcut wood as he needs.

sponix

On Wed, 26 Oct 2005 13:06:26 GMT, (s p o n i x)
wrote:

On Wed, 26 Oct 2005 13:54:48 +0100, Dave Fawthrop
wrote:

On Wed, 26 Oct 2005 13:05:53 +0100, "Leveled" wrote:


| Very interesting,but do you have a source of cheap wood??Regards E

My Son in Law lives in Salford. hardly a country area, and has a wood
burning stove. He can get wood just for the asking. See someone cutting
down trees, and say can I have the wood? They deliver it free, because
taking wood to the tip costs them money because of the landfill tax. His
main problem is storing the wood, in a dryish place, cutting it up etc.

Cousin has a woodburner and he lives in the middle of a city. He has a
couple of 'pet' factories near him (One makes kitchens, another
furniture) that allow him to take as much offcut wood as he needs.

sponix


So can you burn any wood in one, ie. not just logs but general wood?

See loads of "old" wood around here that people waste by putting it in
their skips. :-)

Mark S.

Mark S. wrote:
On Wed, 26 Oct 2005 13:06:26 GMT, (s p o n i x)
wrote:

On Wed, 26 Oct 2005 13:54:48 +0100, Dave Fawthrop
wrote:

On Wed, 26 Oct 2005 13:05:53 +0100, "Leveled" wrote:


| Very interesting,but do you have a source of cheap wood??Regards E

My Son in Law lives in Salford. hardly a country area, and has a wood
burning stove. He can get wood just for the asking. See someone cutting
down trees, and say can I have the wood? They deliver it free, because
taking wood to the tip costs them money because of the landfill tax. His
main problem is storing the wood, in a dryish place, cutting it up etc.

Cousin has a woodburner and he lives in the middle of a city. He has a
couple of 'pet' factories near him (One makes kitchens, another
furniture) that allow him to take as much offcut wood as he needs.

sponix


So can you burn any wood in one, ie. not just logs but general wood?

See loads of "old" wood around here that people waste by putting it in
their skips. :-)

Has to be dry. MDF and chipboard burn really well also but there are
mutterings about acidic smoke but I don't believe it particularly. We
burn all sorts of rubbish and have zero heating bills - if you don't
count the collecting, storage, cutting etc.

Jacob