Fortic F3 gravity fed coil - wrong?

[Soluna]

Hi

We are tenants and have been having terrible problems with an oil stove heating/hot water system. The landlord has had engineers in to try to cure the problems but some still persist.

The latest is that the oil-fired stove with back-boiler is overheating (kettling) a lot, but oddly enough the hot water is not getting sufficiently hot to provide a decent bath full. It's a big stove, easily capable of putting out enough heat for both water and CH. The kettling is due mainly to a defective high-limit thermostat on the water outlet pipe of the stove, but could poor circulation/recovery in the hot water circuit be a factor?

The hot water circuit is gravity fed (with no motorised valves) and the central heating is pumped. I read on the data sheet on the side of the Fortic F3 hot water cylinder "the coil must be pumped". Is that likely to be the cause of the problem with the hot water? There is approximately 5 or 6 metres of pipework between the living room stove and the cylinder (in the attic) which is about 2.5 m higher than the stove.

The whole installation looks like a real bodge job.

Sol

 

[gas4you]

One can only go by the instructions you have read on the cylinder. I think you know the answer already

 

[Soluna]

One can only go by the instructions you have read on the cylinder. I think you know the answer already

Fair enough

I'm wondering just how much of a problem it is not to have it pumped? How incompetent was the installer - is it a major error? Could it actually be bad for the cylinder? If so, I have a better argument for getting the landlord to do something about it.

 

[gas4you]

If it is meant for fully pumped only the coil pipes will be too small and probably fitted in such a way as to impede the gravity circulation.

More of a problem for the boiler than the cylinder I would think.

 

[Terrywookfit]

THe "kettling" is unlikely to be caused by a high limit stat!!

You do not say which stove you have, Details would be helpfull!!

 

[keego]

I've fitted loads of F3's on a gravity set up & not had a problem with any of them.
Main questions are
Has this system ever worked properly?
If yes, have you had any work or alterations done to the system?
Do you know what has been done already the try & solve the problem?

 

[Soluna]

Terrywookfit: The stove is an Efel Harmony 2 with a 10 inch pot. It runs on normal heating oil. I said the kettling is caused by the high limit stat because if I turn down the threshold temp then the kettling stops. But every few days I seem to have to turn it down further - it's on 55 degrees now!!

Keego: We've only lived here a few months and have not tried using it before for hot water - we used the immersion heater over the summer. The previous resident has passed away, so I've no idea if the system has worked properly before.

The system has not been altered recently, apart from the addition of one radiator, before we moved in. The only other thing that has been done is some alterations to the setting of the stats on the outlet and return pipes. It seems very odd to me that the stove can be kettling but the hot water is not hot enough - surely there must be a circulation problem in the hot water circuit?

 

[keego]

Does it kettle when it's on CH or is it just when it's on DHW only?

 

[Soluna]

Does it kettle when it's on CH or is it just when it's on DHW only?

We have the timer unit set to both DHW and CH. The stove kettles when the CH pump is off, either because the timer is off or the room thermostat is turned down/satisfied. The high limit stat is supposed to override all the other controls and make the pump kick in but it hasn't been doing that reliably.

 

[gasandoilman]

what stove is it ??

Is it presure jet or wicks

is it a cooker as well e.g. rayburn alpha ect
or just heating boiler

 

[Soluna]

Gasandoilman:

The stove is an Efel Harmony 2 with a 10 inch pot. It runs on normal heating oil.

Neither pressure jet nor wick but vapourising with a metal catalyer. A Toby valve controls the oil inlet, via a Flexitemp control. Not a cooker, just a heating stove. Looks a bit like a free standing wood burner.