Solid Fuel Central Heating System

[Fishan]

Anticipating a new Gas Central heating system to be installed, I had the chimney taken down and I removed the chimney breast from the kitchen. I now want to get rid of the old solid fuel boiler, whilst awaiting the new system so I can make good the wall and then dry line. The solid fuel system has been condemned so is unusuable. All I want to do is remove the so called range, but still use the immersion heater for hot water.

The current system runs off a header and feeder tank in the loft, with an additional immersion heater fitted below. The hot water system can run independent of either the solid fuel boiler or the immersion, but the central heating did run off the boiler only via a pump in the airing cupboard, which had to be manually switched.

The two tanks in the loft space have isolation ball values, so if I turn these feeds off, will this then allow me to drain the central heating system, so I can cut and seal the 28mm boiler feed pipes in the kitchen loft space?

I have removed the radiators on the first floor and only have four on the ground!

 

[holty]

is your cylinder direct or indirect (eg with a coil inside)

 

[fitz1]

isolate small header tank and drain system.make sure cylinder is indirect and not direct.

 

[Fishan]

Sorry lads not sure - .

Its a Heat Plus 4756 36x18 fitted with a Backer 3KW on the top. It does have IND written on the top in felt-tip pen - but that could just be a red herring. The immersion does heat water independent of the boiler with a flick of a switch, so I would guess its Indirect.

There is one pipe going in/out on the top back towards the loft, one going in/out on the bottom right from the loft and there are two pipes going in/out on the left - one at the bottom and one half way up/down, which also go back up towards the loft and the other part of the t joint down towards the boiler. So does this mean its a vented system? I can't see a pressure vessel.

The previous owners didn't leave any information, so I'm flying blind as to whats been installed and how, as there's so many pipes in the airing cupboard.

Davy

 

[TicklyT]

If there are two tanks in the loft (one small and one large) it sounds like it should be indirect.

To be sure, isolate the supply to the small F&E tank only, check there are no other taps in use, start to drain down the boiler and check there is no water running into the main CWS tank. If water starts to run into the CWS as you drain the boiler, then it sounds like a direct system or the coil in the cylinder has failed.

As the primary circuit drains , put a few bricks in the bottom of the F&E tank, then take them out when the water stops running out. That should then leave the water level well below the tank outlet, so it doesn't continue to drip slowly on you as you work.

If it is Indirect it should be possible to dismantle the primary circuit right up to the connections on the side of the hot water cylinder if you so desire.(the two connections on the side of the cylinder are usually connected by a coil of pipe inside which transfers the heat between the primary circulation and the stored hot water), leaving the hot water system undisturbed and the immersion heater working.

Have a bucket and some old towels handy when you start dismantling , as any residual water left in the primary circuit could be hot and could well be laden with black sludge.

Dismantle screwed fittings first to be sure pipes are indeed 'dead' before cutting anything. It's hard work getting all those little bits of copper from a hacksaw blade back into the pipe in the right order in the face of a torrent of water coming the other way.

 

[Fishan]

Thanks very much for the information.

Off to get some 28mm stops and then I'll get down with it.

 

[oilman]

Anticipating a new Gas Central heating system to be installed, I had the chimney taken down and I removed the chimney breast from the kitchen. I now want to get rid of the old solid fuel boiler, ..........

You obviously missed last week's Panorama. You would probably thinking about building a chimney so you can fit solid fuel