Hello Everybody,
We have recently moved into a house in the middle of Snowdonia in Wales
which isn't supplied with mains gas. So we have a big Stanley range
(like an Aga) in the kitchen which, as well as doing the cooking,
supplies hot water to a cylinder upstairs and heats water for the
central heating system direct from its internal boiler. Its fired by
oil from a tank outside in the garden. I recently bled the radiators
and 3 of the upstairs ones had a far bit if air in them. When I did
this before in our previous modern, condenser boilered house you would
then need to top up the heating system by letting more water in it via
a valve on the boiler to about 1.5 BAR as indicated by a guage on the
boiler. I presume I need to do this on our current system but cannot
see how to do it. There is no inlet or pressure dial on the range, I
have found the heating pump and room stat, nothing there either. Theres
a water tank in the loft but nothing else. Trouble is there are pipes
running everywhere as there are open fires in all of the downstairs
rooms and 2 of them look to have had back boilers (no longer used)
judging by the pipes coming from behind them. Does anybody know if
these type of systems are self filling or something or if not how I top
up the system and how I know when the pressure in the system is about
right?? The heating system is working fine and all of the rads are
getting hot but I just want to know if I need to keep it pressured as
in a more modern system.
Thanks in advance for any guidance,
Steve.

Hi

almost certainly topped up from a header tank(in the attic?)

Allan

"Allan Mac" wrote in message
ps.com...
Hi

almost certainly topped up from a header tank(in the attic?)


Yes, nothing to do with it being oil fired, just an older system! The ball
valve in the header tank is likely connected to the incoming cold water main. It
is prudent to periodically check that valve is working and the header tank has
water in it.


--

Michael Chare

"Michael Chare" wrote in message
...
"Allan Mac" wrote in message
ps.com...
Hi

almost certainly topped up from a header tank(in the attic?)


Yes, nothing to do with it being oil fired, just an older system! The
ball
valve in the header tank is likely connected to the incoming cold water
main. It
is prudent to periodically check that valve is working and the header tank
has
water in it.


Exactly the same set up as we have, header tank in the loft , gravity fed
for the hot water tank and a pump for the CH very simple system!! as long as
the header tank has the correct amount of water in it, the system works,

Des

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "steve573"
saying something like:

Theres
a water tank in the loft but nothing else.

Only the one? If there's not a small header tank then you will have a
direct system, which takes its supply from the main cold storage tank.
If that's the case I'd recommend you change it by adding a separate
header tank, but that would involve changing the hot cylinder to an
indirect type.

If it's working well, you could leave it alone and keep your fingers
crossed that you have a fairly chalk-free water supply.
--

Dave

steve573 wrote:

Hello Everybody,
We have recently moved into a house in the middle of Snowdonia in Wales
which isn't supplied with mains gas. So we have a big Stanley range
(like an Aga) in the kitchen which, as well as doing the cooking,
supplies hot water to a cylinder upstairs and heats water for the
central heating system direct from its internal boiler. Its fired by
oil from a tank outside in the garden. I recently bled the radiators
and 3 of the upstairs ones had a far bit if air in them. When I did
this before in our previous modern, condenser boilered house you would
then need to top up the heating system by letting more water in it via
a valve on the boiler to about 1.5 BAR as indicated by a guage on the
boiler. I presume I need to do this on our current system but cannot
see how to do it. There is no inlet or pressure dial on the range, I
have found the heating pump and room stat, nothing there either. Theres
a water tank in the loft but nothing else. Trouble is there are pipes
running everywhere as there are open fires in all of the downstairs
rooms and 2 of them look to have had back boilers (no longer used)
judging by the pipes coming from behind them. Does anybody know if
these type of systems are self filling or something or if not how I top
up the system and how I know when the pressure in the system is about
right?? The heating system is working fine and all of the rads are
getting hot but I just want to know if I need to keep it pressured as
in a more modern system.
Thanks in advance for any guidance,
Steve.

This wont be a pressurised system. Either it has its own small header
tank, in which case adding inhibitor would prevent further corrosion
and gas formation, or else it doesnt have its own header. If it doesnt,
the CH will be fed from the hw supply, and you cant put inhibitor in
it. Googling primatic cylinder should explain that option.

Oh, all thats needed is that there is some water in the header tank, if
it has one.


NT