Biomass boiler

[Marko]

Just to be clear it isn't necessarily the physical plumbing that is anything other than simple, it is the setting up.... and that can have you demented very quickly.

 

Conventional central heating rules need to be forgotten if you want your thermal store to be anything other than 1500 ltrs of luke warm water whizzing around the system. I am sure any plumber who perseveres will get there in the end but do you really want to pay an hourly rate for his/her learning. If they have a few installs similar to what you are planning under their belt it will save a lot of expensive head scratching!

[richardwale]

You guys seem to know your stuff. Don't suppose anybody knows a good installer around the Surrey area?

[renewablejohn]

spoke to my heating engineer and he said no way he would do it. as other posts check if he has done one or two lot more to it than just plumbing it in. in the end it is a glorified steam engine.

 

I take exception to this. It is nothing like plumbing and safety controls required for a steam engine. As difflock has said so long as you use a laddomat it is a relatively easy job. I installed our Esse cooking stove to heat both DHW and thermal store with a laddomat and it was relatively straightforward which any practical person would be capable of doing.

[Longstroke]

The additive is just a corrosion inhibitor to try and limit the amount of sludge build due to the dissovled oxygen in the water, exactly the same as you put in the rest of the central heating system.

As regards antifreeze - it would be possible but you'd need an awful lot to protect 1000+ litres of water.

Solar thermal on the other hand does have antifreeze in the system as the volumes (for evacuated tubes) are fairly small, but being stuck on the roof the risk of freezing is high!

 

If you can fit underfloor heating it is a much more efficient way to make use of low grade heat - it will work with water down half the temperature of that needed for normal radiators.

 

If you're (or anyone interested in biomass) near North Devon and want to have a look PM me.

[difflock]

Interestingly I had fitted underfloor 15 year ago, I now "dump" the 50 to 35 degree water into this if it suits, though much less efficient that the 80 to 60 deg water.

 

But as Tesco says "every my little Pony helps"

 

Unfortunately, whilst I am not a time served plumber, I fear I am a trifle more intelligent than some who earn their time plumbing.

 

Based on personal observations of others work down through the years..

 

And listing to some of the tripe they recite.

 

 

I also know a couple or 3 (over 30 years mind) plumbers who are both intelligent and tidy craftsmen.

 

They are unfortunately in a minority.

PS

Why do plumbers put extra solder on already solder filled Yorkshire joints??

 

There is a reason, but not one most of them appear to appreciate.

[skyhuck]

Interestingly I had fitted underfloor 15 year ago, I now "dump" the 50 to 35 degree water into this if it suits, though much less efficient that the 80 to 60 deg water.

 

But as Tesco says "every my little Pony helps"

 

Unfortunately, whilst I am not a time served plumber, I fear I am a trifle more intelligent than some who earn their time plumbing.

 

Based on personal observations of others work down through the years..

 

And listing to some of the tripe they recite.

 

 

I also know a couple or 3 (over 30 years mind) plumbers who are both intelligent and tidy craftsmen.

 

They are unfortunately in a minority.

PS

Why do plumbers put extra solder on already solder filled Yorkshire joints??

 

There is a reason, but not one most of them appear to appreciate.

 

The main reason I do it is so I know the solder has run.

[difflock]

Bingo!

I worked this out from "first principles" having been told by various plumbers that sometimes the joints were "dry", etc etc.

When I asked why?

But they all done it.

Even if they did not know why.

My father, a grumpy tght arsed farmer, who taught himself how to wipe a lead joint, with an old parriffin blowlamp btw, never used any extra solder, allowing it to be a slovenly lazy habit.

But with my poorer eyesight I finally:lol: figgered if I touched the fitting with solder wire it would indicate when the heat was correct, as I had more difficulty in seeing the solder sweating out.

byw I did all my plumbing with a (small?) roofing torch:confused1:

I knew no different:blushing:

At 53 I may finally treat myself to a proper plumbers torch.

To add to my collection of almost unused tools, that I actually needed 25/30 year ago.

cheers

[rovers90]

I would certainly recomend having a look at ETA boilers - Austrian,expensive but superb quality. A client of mine has recently installed one and is over the moon with it.

[richardwale]

Will do, cheers. It's a big outlay so want it all done right. You get what you pay for so any help on choice of boilers, parts, storage tanks etc is very welcome

[nick channer]

Central boiler... Runs on hard/softwood billets...