Real world gasification log boiler accounts needed

[Woodworks]

1 hour ago, openspaceman said:

I've told the story before of the big country house that installed GSHP heating and used the heat for the house, offices, pool and stables (posh horses). The loop was extensive and on a cold day you could trace out the pipe in the lawn because the antifreeze mix in the pipes had cooled the ground so much it had frozen and the heave was visible. This must be over 30 years ago now.

Simply a bad/unsuitable instal. Too much heat demand for too small a ground loop.

 

 

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, Woodworks said:

Simply a bad/unsuitable instal. Too much heat demand for too small a ground loop.

 

 

Yes it was early days for the concept and the owner  just expected too much from it, he had the space to increase the ground loop but they simply gave up on it.

[Woodworks]

8 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

Yes it was early days for the concept and the owner  just expected too much from it, he had the space to increase the ground loop but they simply gave up on it.

Think some suppliers are guilty on this. For ours they suggested a 200m ground loop and I didn't know enough to argue. In hindsight I think it was all about keeping the cost down to make the sale. In reality on a self instal the few 100m of extra pipe would have cost the square route of sod all! 

[Mr. Ed]

I'm getting intimidated by the likely costs of a good GSHP installation, and by being committed to significant electricity bills. We have bulk Calor here already, and now we've stopped the leak (an unknown-of spur previously leading to the neighbour's house) which had been left with the tap open, leaking gas into the woods somewhere, the bills are likelier to be much less scary.

Is it a thing to have the log boiler system with a combi for backup? This would help with the problem of me travelling (anyone remember that?) for work, or if we had guests here while we were away who might not fancy the daily hewing. 

[Peasgood]

17 minutes ago, Mr. Ed said:

Is it a thing to have the log boiler system with a combi for backup?

It is exactly what I am currently fitting to my house apart from my oil boiler not being a combi. Oil boiler heats thermal store so no need to be a combi, I will still be on mains pressure hot water.

[Mr. Ed]

24 minutes ago, Peasgood said:

It is exactly what I am currently fitting to my house apart from my oil boiler not being a combi. Oil boiler heats thermal store so no need to be a combi, I will still be on mains pressure hot water.

Foregive my ignorance on this matter, but is that more wasteful than a combi since unused heated water just cools to waste?

Why don't I always have the hot water on a combi - which can be situated at the end of the house where all the kitchen and bathroom stuff is? The cost for heating must be much higher than for the odd bath. Quicker hot supply too - the boiler is going to be some distance - something like 70 metres I think, from there. That way we wouldn't have to run the wood boiler at all during the warmer months. 

Edited March 22, 2021 by Mr. Ed

[Peasgood]

I'm hoping not to run the oil boiler much at all. More of a back up on very cold winter mornings before the fire is lit.

A fire every 3-4 days is enough for hot water in summer, at least that is the plan. When I was on wood alone I didn't need to light it much for plenty of hot water in the summer, this is a new house and new system for me.

[TuscanPhil]

17 hours ago, Mr. Ed said:

Foregive my ignorance on this matter, but is that more wasteful than a combi since unused heated water just cools to waste?

The 'claim' for our thermal store is that it loses only a degree a day, so negligible temp losses.  It has a 4" thick hi density foam insulated jacket.  In reality, I'm sure it loses more than 1 degree but I don't think it loses that much more as we can get 7-8 days of DHW only out of it in the summer.

Edited March 23, 2021 by TuscanPhil