Woodburner problems

[Craig Johnson]

Lastly, its possible that the plumbers have put too much horizontal pipework on the gravity feed to the tank (80% horiz / 20% vert - should be the other way round).

Thanks again - DEAN.

 

Had a few prefomance issues with my sandyford when i put it in(myself) local plumber sorted it out by removing all the 90' elbows and putting a fall on all the horizontal pipe work,

[New Forest DEAN]

That's all good info - a big help. So.....

 

It looks like we need to turn the solar heating off ( which today has produced a 250 ltr thermals store tank of 73 deg C water!) and let the tank cool. Then I will test the burner with well seasoned wood / coal to see how the system performs (even though its 20 deg C outside!) and see how long it takes to heat the thermal heat store, and if it eventually allows the temperature to build (it didn't before though...).

 

This should tell me if the gravity system is working as well?

 

Irrespective of the outcome - I think a Laddomat or load valve would be a good idea as they should help the burner achieve clean burn - we are getting tar and soot as well as low temperatures.

 

Has anyone else noticed an improvement by using a Laddomat? are they too loud? (it would be in the Lounge).

 

The system has been signed off as safe by the plumber (who is MCS registered), but I still can't understand why it doesn't need a heat dump radiator? - he tells me the tank acts as heat dump in the event that the CH pump fails, power cut etc.

 

Looks like the cool burner a common problem.

 

Cheers again - will keep you posted if anyone's interested.

 

DEAN.

[Alycidon]

Coal !!, not in a stove, it burns very dirtily and can in a low oxygen burn ( ie overnight) explode if the door is suddenly opened allowed a large amount of oxygen to enter.

 

Check your owners handbook for recommended fuels, Anthracite ( smokeless coal) and smokeless fuel in its various guises are usually recommended with of course wood.

 

A

[Alycidon]

Had a few prefomance issues with my sandyford when i put it in(myself) local plumber sorted it out by removing all the 90' elbows and putting a fall on all the horizontal pipe work,

 

No sign off as safe then no insurance if you ever have a fire unless you have ot agreed in writing by your insurer. I have known NFU to accept this but no other insurers.

 

A

[hardtop110]

Has anyone else noticed an improvement by using a Laddomat? are they too loud?

 

It used a standard CH pump, so it's no louder than that.

[New Forest DEAN]

The Clearview instructions say that coal is OK although I was only intending to mix it with the wood, which Clearview also recommend (say, for not fully seasoned wood, which I may need to do this winter as my oak / beech pile has only had about 6 months seasoning. The wood I tested the burner with was fully seasoned).

 

I will double check with the coal man though, so thanks for heads up. If it is explosive, I'll get wife to open the burner doors.....

 

Anymore experience on the Laddomat or load valves?

 

DEAN.

[New Forest DEAN]

ESSE Boiler Control:

this is an external box that will not allow cold water to flow back into the stove untill the stove ( or cooker) has reached its operating temperature, it then maintains that temperature by regulating the return ( cold )flow back into the stove.

 

Stupid question - does this not empty / part empty the boiler?

 

 

Laddomat:

It used a standard CH pump, so it's no louder than that.

 

Good - I can box that in the Lounge. I understand that it shuts off when the right temp has been reached.

 

 

This has been a great help - cheers all. I was slightly worried that I'd paid a shed load of money for a duff set-up. Looks like its fixable....

 

DEAN.

[Alycidon]

Hi All

 

Not sure if this is the right section to ask.....

 

I've just had a Clearview 650 stove with the wraparound back boiler (the biggest for that range at 40,000 BTU) serving a thermal heat store and then onto radiators - no other heat source (no gas or oil) apart from solar hot water.

 

 

 

Another thought has just occurred to me !!, if you are connecting it into a thermal energy store the heat to water from what you are saying is about 12kw, (3300 BTU to a KW approx.) That on its own will heat about 5 decent sized double rads and domestic hot water. Just wonder if you are expecting to much of it. In which case to get room heat out of it you must fir some sort of return water temp control, then its the excess heat that gets dumped into the energy store.

 

I have a wood pellet boiler here, 25kw, it just keeps up with 14 rads, some big ones included and domestic hot water.

 

A

[New Forest DEAN]

The woodburner and back boiler were selected by the plumber to suit the existing radiators etc - they were responsible for designing the whole system, which includes a Gledhill Torrent thermal heat store (250 ltr), solar hot water to match tank size and the Clearview / boiler. This was connected into the existing radiator system, which has 10 rads (its a 3 bed semi) and baths etc.

 

The Clearview is rated at 12 KW actual. The solar is working great at the moment and may help a little bit in the winter?

 

I'm not expecting any heat directly into the room from the burner, but it will obviously give it out. It primary function is to heat the thermal store (and look nice).

 

Thus I would bloomin' well hope that the plumber has got the right size stove / boiler for the needs otherwise we are in for a miserable winter.....

 

DEAN

[Alycidon]

Cant see it myself. AS you have a Clearview I would suggest that you talk to their technical people for advice.

 

ALL boiler stoves have two outputs, heat output to water and heat output to room. When added together they equal the total output. I note the 650 only shows 12kw as the total output, it is a fair sized stove so I would expect at least 2 or 3 kw of room heat from it.

 

The 650 is toward the top end of boiler outputs, Boru have a couple of bigger ones ( the biggest at 30kw is not E marked or tested, it should be for UK use) and Brosely have the massive eVolution 24. There may be others.

 

Say 10kw to the water from your 650 would be enough for 4 decent rads and DHW only, I dont know enough about your panels to know what their winter output is likely to be. My own 25kw boiler only just keeps up with 14 rads so I cant see your stove doing so + a bulk tank without some massive help.

 

A