Replacing old back boiler with a stove - 3 pipes.

[GaryMcGowan]

Hi all

I've recently bought an old cottage and in one of the rooms there is an open fire that has a back boiler. I'd like to replace this with a woodburning stove with a back boiler.

I have removed the fireplace and exposed the pipes around the back boiler. I got a plumber to then come out and disconnect the pipes and close them off. The plumber I used has little experience of stoves and back boilers so I thought I would ask your good selves my query....

The back boiler removed had 3 pipes - 2 in the top (one at each side) and one at the bottom. The boiler had a fourth pipe option but there was no pipe (it was capped off).

Can anyone shed some light on what these 3 pipes are for? It looks as if the back boiler was used to heat the water and also the rads (there is a pump and thermostat nearby).

I've looked online and can see diagrams for 2 pipe and 4 pipe back boiler solutions, but not sure about 3!

Any help / advice would be greatly appreciated!

Gary

 

[45yearsagasman]

Two of them would go to the cylinder as flow and return primaries and the other may be a cold feed or vent pipe. Follow the pipes to the cylinder and the expansion tank to ID which is which.

 

[gasbanni]

Two pipes as already stated are for gravity hot water and the third will be pumped for the heatig probably teed in to the gravity return to get back to the stove.

In other words the two top pipes carring hot water from the stove the one at the bottom carrying cooled (used ) water back to the stove for reheating.

 

[GaryMcGowan]

That's great thanks!

We've been looking at boiler stoves and the ones we've seen only have 2 boiler outlets on the back. Is this normal and would it still be ok to use in my situation?