Multi fuel stove with back boiler issues

Lovecraft · 11 Feb 2020

Hi all,

Looking for some advice please.

I have just recently moved into a cottage with an old back boiler system and an Esse muti fuel stove, and I seem to be getting nothing but problems with it.

The main thing is getting the radiators to come on and stay on. Most of the time I can have a blazing fire on and the radiators will come on for 5 mins or so then go back off again. They will then take another 45 minutes or so before coming back on, staying on again for 5 mins, then going off again. This is without putting more coal on the fire. It takes longer between coming on if it is cold outside, or if I have been away for a day.

The other thing is, most of the radiators will only get hot at the top and not at the bottom. They aren't exactly cold at the bottom, just slightly warm. I have bled all the rads and there was no air.

Cheers

Lovecraft · 11 Feb 2020

Just to add that the hot water is always very hot. Even if left overnight with the fire on low.

anotherfinemess · 11 Feb 2020

You’re probably trying to run too many radiators off it. Sounds as if the boiler is too small to heat them all to a reasonable temperature. Is there another gas boiler on the system too or is it just this one?

Lovecraft · 11 Feb 2020

anotherfinemess said:
You’re probably trying to run too many radiators off it. Sounds as if the boiler is too small to heat them all to a reasonable temperature. Is there another gas boiler on the system too or is it just this one?

Thanks for the reply

Only the stove back boiler.

There are 3 4 foot rads, a small 2 foot one in the kitchen and a towel rail in the bathroom.

anotherfinemess · 11 Feb 2020

Not sure on your exact boiler model but some of these only have a small back boiler that is enough to heat a hot water storage cylinder and maybe one or two small radiators. Try shutting some of the radiators off and see if the heating is improved on the others. I suspect it will be.

Lovecraft · 11 Feb 2020

anotherfinemess said:
Not sure on your exact boiler model but some of these only have a small back boiler that is enough to heat a hot water storage cylinder and maybe one or two small radiators. Try shutting some of the radiators off and see if the heating is improved on the others. I suspect it will be.

Thanks.

Will give it a go.

Would sludge in the rads stop the water flowing? And would it drop the temp down more than "normal" circulation?

anotherfinemess · 11 Feb 2020

I’d be surprised if it’s a sludge problem but you never know. You would tend to get the boiler kettling if water was struggling to circulate though. You would definitely hear this happening.

lostinthelight · 11 Feb 2020

It sounds like a very small space to heat or the system was put in for background heat.
Can you post a picture of the stove front and and rear. can you tell if just a baffle boiler or wrap around?

Lovecraft · 11 Feb 2020

lostinthelight said:
It sounds like a very small space to heat or the system was put in for background heat.
Can you post a picture of the stove front and and rear. can you tell if just a baffle boiler or wrap around?

Its an inset stove.

My understanding is that it has a back boiler that heats the water tank. That has a coil in it that then heats the CH water.

I was planning on maybe taking off one of the rads to flush it, but I can't understand if the CH is in a closed circuit. If it is, would that mean I would need to put water back in the rad before putting it back on, or would it pull the water from elsewhere?

JohnD · 11 Feb 2020

can you see any sign of a pump?

Lovecraft · 11 Feb 2020

JohnD said:
can you see any sign of a pump?

There is a pump. The tank and pump are all in the loft. I'm guessing just above where the stove is downstairs.

You can hear the pump moving the water through the radiators when it's working.

I think its stat related. Either the stat is broken/faulty. Or that or the pump is old and needing replaced and not pumping around quick enough. That's why I was wondering if the sludge would prevent the pump from working properly.

Does/could any of the sludge make it up to the pump?

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Multi fuel stove with back boiler issues

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