Coal Fire Central Heating Problem

[Mjayed]

Hi

We have a Parkray Solid Fuel (using smokeless Fuel) for the central heating and hot water. We have a pump that supplies water around the house for the radiators. In the Loft is there is a hot tank and cold tank.

The sweep came the other day to clean the chimney and the fire was put out. which it has been going all summer slowly to keep hot water etc through the summer. We had the fire lit again and was ok for a few days then there is no hot water but the pipes and radiators for central heating is hot. We had family friend to check this and there was no water in the cold tank. He twiddled the ball cock and filled it with water again. He then said to light the fire again and see how it goes. it has been lit for 7 hours and no hot water but central heating is ok again.

Any ideas would be great!

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

I would seriously suggest you put the fire out and get it checked over thoroughly. Solid fuel appliances can be dangerous if there is insufficient water in the system, and from the description there may be a blockage preventing the HW side from working correctly, which could affect the safety of the entire system.

 

[Mjayed]

Hi thanks for the advise.. so it won't be a airlock like someone else has advised us? they said to put a hose on the cold and hot tap somewhere in the house and turn both hot and cold tap on at same time for no more than 20secs.

this should get rid of an airlock in the system...

how do you get rid of a blockage? thanks again!!

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Hose on cold tap might shift an air lock in the hot water supply side(the secondary circuit), but this could likely be completely separate from the boiler. If you have an indirect system, then the boiler (and radiators) use a separate circuit, avoiding constant introduction of fresh water into the system which causes corrosion of boiler and rads. By keeping the two systems separate inhibitor can be added to the boiler (Primary circuit) side to prevent corrosion. (However if it wasnt added on installation then sludge will form possibly causing a blockage....)

Solid fuel appliances rely on a gravity system to circulate the water from the boiler to the cylinder, there could possibly be an airlock but I would still advise you get it checked over. With no thermostatic control it is vital the boiler has the ability to circulate the heated water. If it cant, then the trapped water can boil with catastrophic consequences. Was the HW working ok prior to the fire being put out for the chimney to be swept?

 

[Mjayed]

Hi

Thanks for the great reply! weirdly we let the fire go out over night and checked the water today and it looks like it is working again... maybe our constant checking the water had got rid of the airlock if there was one and it is now hot!

Thanks again

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Fingers crossed it's sorted itself out. Wouldn't advise you take chances with it though, if you have any doubts get it checked. Gas/oil boilers have a stat which cuts the heat source if there's a problem, solid fuel doesnt.... They dont go quietly if there's a fault

 

[Nige F]

Hi

We have a Parkray Solid Fuel (using smokeless Fuel) for the central heating and hot water. We have a pump that supplies water around the house for the radiators. In the Loft is there is a hot tank and cold tank.



Any ideas would be great!

Only those tanks in the loft No small feed/ expansion tank . Promise me you haven`t got a primatic Pics would be good

 

[Mjayed]

sorry not sure what you mean?

today we had a few seconds of brown water from the hot water tap but now everything is fine...

does this mean anything??

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Can you confirm what tanks you have? Should be a cold storage tank, a smaller version that is the feed and expansion tank (both possibly in the loft), and a copper cylinder (might be lagged with spray on foam), for the hot water.

Brown water from the taps isnt normal unless some work has been done immediately prior that has stirred up sediment in the system......

 

[Mjayed]

Yes cold water which feeds into hot... the hot water is hot now and working its just this morning there was some brown water come out but it is now all fine... the only work that was done was the chimney was swept but the fire was out for a few days until we could get the fire lit again.

then after this post we left the fire to go out... but the next day the water was hot so it probably was just us needing to wait for the water to get hot again...

we haven't had any brown water since