quite a strange mod i want to do!!!!

[sje1985electrical]

Hi all

Im new to the forum and chartering into deep waters as im an electrician not a plumber please be gentle

I have a large 3 bed house mid renovation, the boiler is a combi chateaux brittany non vented system and has had a few problems from when i moved in. Im having a solid fuel rayburn fitted in feb with a back boiler.

Right heres the mod i want to do......

I want to use the backboiler on the rayburn to heat the radiators but if i don't want to light the rayburn i can just switch on the boiler to heat them??

Have found that i cannot just add the rayburn on to the heating loop as the rayburns heat cannot be controlled,

is it worth ripping all out and starting fresh with an vented boiler and fit a tank in the loft??

OR is there a way of passing rayburn heated water through a cylinder over a coil, and link that coil to the heating flow/return,like a heat exchanger?? that way my combi can remain where it is till it dies and i can still have hot water on demand, i know this method would still require a tank in the loft and would need to fit a few additional rads as 'dump rads' for the excess heat

I know its not ideal but looking to save on the gas bills, and i understand there may need to be a few port valves in places to ensure the safty of the system

Please note i will have a plumber connect/commission/check out the install before i use it, just figured i could save quite a bit on the labour by installing pipes and getting things in situe.

any help or advise would be great and if theres anyone in the southwest willing to take on the challenge.... the job is yours

thanks

sam

 

[Tibbot]

You'll not be able to link them directly as combi is sealed system. They can be linked through a thermal store but it's expensive.

You don't specify Rayburn output to CH or required CH load. However most have limited power compared to a gas combi. If so you could simply link the Rayburn to some bathroom rads and HW cylinder independently.

Even if you save gas this will be at the expense of the solid fuel which is still about 4 to 5p per kW.

PS. Are you having new or refurb one fitted? If you're going to the considerable expense of a new model, then I'd bin the sh**ty combi and convert the system to run on SF only.

 

[kevplumb]

http://www.dunsleyheat.co.uk/linkupsys.htm

 

[Tibbot]

http://www.dunsleyheat.co.uk/linkupsys.htm

I don't think you can link to a pressurised system through a neutralizer.

 

[kevplumb]

really

well i never

did i suggest you could

the link was for FYI of the op as to what is involved

 

[Tibbot]

really

well i never

did i suggest you could

the link was for FYI of the op as to what is involved

Fine if OP does end up changing to open vent boiler, however OP wants to link a gas combi to a Rayburn.

 

[kevplumb]

who in their right mind would want to link a chaff to anything

exept a skip

only way to do it thats worthwhile is use a decent heat only or system boiler

lose the weak link before you start

 

[Norcon]

Wots a chaff

Edit- OOh his boiler. Silly me.

 

[Tibbot]

Wots a chaff

Edit- OOh his boiler. Silly me.

Think it means the Rayburn. Although it could mean what a new gas boiler would be worth after its short life. I doubt it'll even fetch that much.

 

[Norcon]

No its his combi boiler Tibbot.
Chaffoteaux boilers!

 

[Tibbot]

No its his combi boiler Tibbot.
Chaffoteaux boilers!

Yes of course. Sorry to all.

 

[sje1985electrical]

lol thought the Chaffoteaux boiler was **** after my gas fitter shuddered when he saw it!!

looked at the link for the neutralizer but dont say if its suitable for a presured system.

really want to keep the combi boiler (I Know It will need replacement soon!!) so if i get home, wet and cold i dont have to bugger with cleaning out fire box and getting it lit before i get any heat in the house, rayburn is only gonna be lit weekends and when its real cold, just having it put in because it was real cheap and want to be bit of a flash bastard in the kitchen lol

thinking maybe just put a few extra rads in the house and keep it as two seperate systems? be good tho if the rayburn could heat the heating loop so the combi boiler wouldnt need to keep heating the loop if the rayburn is lit too

Seen this on another site...... any good???? maybe make one in 22mm through and surround with 32mm and put it in the flow or return on the heating loop??? please advise if this is a totaly ****e idea,

http://www.bio-power.co.uk/exchanger.htm

thanks for your help so far!!! wouldnt have this problem if it was all electrical lol

sam

 

[Onetap]

I'd suggest that you first check the heating capacity of the Rayburn. I suspect it will be small, compared to the gas boiler and inadequate to run the entire heating system in cold weather.

You could only link the vented solid fuel Rayburn and the sealed -system gas boiler via a heat exchanger (plate heat exchanger, tube-in-shell, or a heat store/cylinder with an internal coil). You still need unrestricted gravity flow through the Rayburn. You'd need to find a competent installer who could install such a system, but the costs probably outweigh the benefits of the small heat output from the Rayburn.

 

[kevplumb]

really want to keep the combi boiler (I Know It will need replacement soon!!) so if i get home, wet and cold i dont have to b*****r with cleaning out fire box and getting it lit before i get any heat in the house, rayburn is only gonna be lit weekends and when its real cold, just having it put in because it was real cheap and want to be bit of a flash b*****d in the kitchen lol

hence my suggestion use a decent heat only gas boiler and a cylinder

if your pulling the place to bits anyway

then you can use the dunsley set up

nothing wrong with a rayburn to look flash

mind aga is better

 

[Agile]

Wots a chaff

Edit- OOh his boiler. Silly me.

No, he said its a "Chateaux Britany" !

That sounds more like a wine than a boiler though!

Maybe he has had too much of the Christmas spirit?

Tony