looking for an engineer

[Patrick Johnson]

Really struggling help would be massively appreciated

my house central heating system is run by a gas powered back boiler with an ugly gas fireplace in front this replaced the houses original coal fired system around the 70s-80s im looking to go back to coal .. have the gas fire taken out and a coal fire put back in to run the heating but cant find anyone around west yorkshire online that advertises they do this work anyone point me to the right person / company .. the gas powered heating system hasnt worked in the 4 years iv lived here and i want to go back to a coal powered back boiler than have a gas boiler installed which i have no room for and dont want

 

[tamz]

Nothing hard about it but you'll probably need to look for someone older as most younger ones don't know what coal is and we are all dying off from silicosis.

 

[Simon F]

have you seached the HETAS webpage?

HETAS Find Installer Solid Fuel Biomass Registered InstallationsHETAS

 

[Patrick Johnson]

Yes have tried the HETAS webpage just keeps coming up with errors on me

 

[REDSAW]

leeds back to back eh?

 

[Sparkgap]

Did some police houses many years ago with Parkray solid fuel back boilers. The main issue is you need a roaring fire to get the best from the back boiler and the flow from the pump screwed right down to get the water temperature up. As a result you end up with the living room going into meltdown and the rads elsewhere only warm-ish. Also had gravity primaries to the upstairs cylinder with an injector tee for the pump to draw it round when running. Ah, nostalgia!!!
Wouldn't bother with solid fuel back boilers unless you are happy with it being a bit chilly in the rest of the house. Could just put in an open fireplace or multifuel stove and stick in a gas wall boiler for the heating, less hassle with shifting ash, sweeping chimneys etc.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

Did some police houses many years ago with Parkray solid fuel back boilers. The main issue is you need a roaring fire to get the best from the back boiler and the flow from the pump screwed right down to get the water temperature up. As a result you end up with the living room going into meltdown and the rads elsewhere only warm-ish. Also had gravity primaries to the upstairs cylinder with an injector tee for the pump to draw it round when running. Ah, nostalgia!!!
Wouldn't bother with solid fuel back boilers unless you are happy with it being a bit chilly in the rest of the house. Could just put in an open fireplace or multifuel stove and stick in a gas wall boiler for the heating, less hassle with shifting ash, sweeping chimneys etc.

my grandad has a parkray in his 3 bed semi running 9 radiators and just slumbering it heats the house perfectly always been a warm house i remember when we were young the house has always been hot which is why i want to go back to coal .. mine is a 2 bed bungalow with 5 radiators but as stated the gas powered back boiler hasnt worked in the 4 years iv lived in it so there is no heating at all theres no where in my house to mount a gas boiler on the wall but i just dont like gas anyway so would be easier and cheaper for me on my limited wage to have the gas back boiler removed and have a coal one put in

 

[Patrick Johnson]

but just can seem to find anywhere that does the work its all either gas boilers or dry install wood stoves no one seems to do solid fuel heating installations just stand alone wood burners basically

 

[Patrick Johnson]

it seems the model i have is called a bermuda C5

 

[Best]

Not a lot of difference between a built in solid fuel boiler and a free standing multi fuel stove.
Just a lot of fill in materials to do with a Parkray type fire.
The free standing boilers have a lot of advantages and one of them is obviously they let a lot of heat into the room (often too much!) from their bare casing and flue.

 

[tamz]

but just can seem to find anywhere that does the work its all either gas boilers or dry install wood stoves no one seems to do solid fuel heating installations just stand alone wood burners basically

When most of the pits shut after the strike, coal heating died a death (no miners, no coal allowance). The guys fitting it moved onto gas.
Early 80's i was fitting 5 a week raking in the cash and killing myself swallowing soot.

Most of the Hetas registered guys have probably never seen a roomheater in their lives never mind know how to fit one and have mainly qualified to jump on the wood burner/stove bandwagon hence why i said look for someone older if they are still doing it.

There are still some villages without gas where there may still be a few getting fitted. Ask a coal merchant. They may know someone.

 

[Best]

I used to do coal fires - mainly loads of Parkrays 99s and wrap around open fire back boilers. A lot of link ups of oil to solid fuel also.
I personally think they are more suited ideally to a small house, not a bungalow. And you need to keep the coal to a minimum, but blazing to get best value for your money.
Coal isn't cheap and won't heat the whole house in a small stove. Controllable fuels like gas or oil will save you money as the weather improves because you can flick a switch for an hours heat.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

to give a rough clue of value my grandads 3 bed semi he uses £60 a month in coal making his heating 180 a quarter .. his mother my great grandmother who passed away recently heating a smaller house than mine was over 400 a quarter in gas .. no way is gas ever going to be cheaper than coal i work in the mining industry and my dad for the energy sector gas is only going to keep going up in cost .. the long and short of it is i dont want gas you can tell me that its cheaper than coal till your blue in the face but the reality is it isnt and i have nowhere to put a combi boiler even if i wanted one .. 400 a quarter for a 1 bed bungalow or 180 a quarter for a 3 bedroom semi detached house that right from me being a child has always been warm to the point of being unbearable some times .. and in the warm weather one would simply not have the fire in seeing that the hot water tank has a heating element

 

[Best]

That is very cheap at £15 per week and with solid fuel you are getting the room the fire is in constantly warm and constant hot water, both of which are a big advantage and cost saving for anyone needing either.
For the right person, in a smallish well insulated house, solid fuel might well be best. But there is a lot of constant work with fires.
Oil heating at today's prices for a similar property would be approx £250 - £500 for an entire year, depending on how you use it.
There is a potential saving in milder weather with gas or oil heating which you can simply use the boiler for an hour or two, or to heat water. Solid fuel fires will still eat coal in milder weather and therefore cost too much to run. Running a electric immersion is quite expensive and adds to your yearly heating cost.

 

[jtsplumbing]

What's the cost of 1cwt of coal these days ? + having to clean them out all the time/getting chimney swept etc. Cant you get the excising boiler repaired ?

 

[tamz]

If he works in mining obviously coal will be cheaper.
Every job has its perks.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

maybe but i dont want to use gas

 

[Chalked]

maybe but i dont want to use gas

Just ring around local heating installers, see if they are interested. It's fairly simple, but a dirty job. I'm not too far from you, but can't do it.
The problem now lies with being HETAS registered. Most plumbers don't do soild fuel, so don't register and those that are registered work on chimneys, flues and stand alone fires. They generally know very little about heating!
As you work in the mining industry, coal works best for you. So stick with it. But like for like ( including summer hot water, gas will be cheaper to run, less cleaning an more controllable.

We can't convince you it's cheaper, because you have an overriding desire for coal, based on one persons gas bills. But every installer on here with no bias to any heat source, will agree gas is the cheaper option. Don't forget to factor in using a 3kw electric imirsion heater during summer!
All the best with your search.

 

[Worcester]

Costs: Fuel Prices

Can't argue the basic fuel cost is cheap at 2.8p/kWh
However that is only the fuel, not the instalaltion, storage, cleaning, maintenance, convenience costs etc.

Our calculations | Energy Saving Trust

 

[REDSAW]

used to have a parkray, cant beat it especially when we used to get free coal!
one of my chores was to get it lit with the gas poker..............