Open fire back boiler

[pianorealm]

Hi.
Hope someone can help me with a couple of questions? We live in a victorian terrcaced house and the large original built in Yorkshire cast iron range is still here. I've used it for years as just an open fire. I've now got a free unlimited supply of hardwood to burn.

I'd like to use this now to supplement the hot water (seems a shame to get nowt from it if it's free)!!

I was considering installing a 'box type' back boiler. The supply will be the domestic hot water system (which is currently heated indirectly by the gas boiler on a vented system). This would then gravity feed the H/W tank directly with heated water from the back boiler(vented to expansion header tank). I'd also be installing a rad or towel rails or something to get rid of any excess uncontolled heat in the system. OK...here's the questions:

1. Is the direct system I've described OK, as opposed to installing an indirect two coil hot water tank?
2. The height from range to H/W tank is approx 18ft, with the header tank approx 8 ft above this. Would the gravity feed system be OK without a pump over this height?
3. It looks like the ORIGINAL back boiler sat on a shelf some 12" above the fire grate. This seems rather high to me?

Can any of the 'older end' who remembers what I'm talking about advise me on siting? (as far as I understand, the boiler is in direct contact with the flames and is not behind biscuit type fire bricks?
4. Finally....I know it's a lengthy post..this is just to supplement the H/W system. I realise it might not be very efficient...but it's free! Please.... any other comments, ideas, criticism or whatever else would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers, Howard

 

[Bernie2]

It sounds like the original way they installed these grates or ranges as they really are. Some had square back boilers and some saddle boilers (They looked like a saddle).

The idea being that the face of th boiler would be exposed to the fire all the time, but it also had a flue going under and up the back of the boiler controlled by a damper where the back flue finished just below the gatherings usually.

The damper then dangled down to get pulled to open or pushed up to close. The idea being that the fire would then (draw) under the back boiler and up the back as well as the front on three of its sides and be controlled by the damper.

Some ranges even had a system of plates instead of dampers or supplementary flues for heating ovens and the like.

A towel rail taken off the Primaries was usual as well.

Doesn't seem anything wrong with what you propose, but check it out with Dunsley site or solid fuel association to just give you a bit more info. The higher the Primaries the better they are supposed to work.

 

[pianorealm]

Thanks bernie2 for that info.
Yes, the range we have also has two flues going either side which rejoin the main chimney flue further up. There are various damper plates for the oven which slide in and out and vents which can be removed etc. The only person who really knew how it all worked....was my Gran!!!!!!

 

[daza]

Hi could some 1 help iv just moved in to my new place and i have an open coal fire with a back boiler but there is a problem i have two 22mm pipes coming out of the right hand side of the wall the lower 22mm pipe goes to a pump in the loft and the othere pipe goes to all the radiators then back on its self to the pump. But on the left hand side of the fire there is a 28mm pipe coming out of the wall and returns back into the same wall and they goto the hot water tank and then 1 goes to the small tank at the bottom and the othere 1 goes over the small tank like a over flow pipe. But iv looked again on the left hand side of the fire and the 28mm pipe should go into the side of the fire as you can see where the pipes did go so all the 28mm pipes are doing are going from the tank in the loft down into the boiler then into the wall then back on its self then up into the loft and hangs over the header tank. And all the right hand pipes are doing are going round in a circle thro the radiators into the back of the fire and then to the pump. Is there 2 tanks in the back of the fire and could i connect the header tank to the 2 pipes that are coming out of the right hand side of the fire so i could get the heating working via the back boiler.

 

[Gray0689]

Pictures might help

 

[Gray0689]

Sounds like 4 pipe tapping your 2 28mm pipes will do your domestic hot water on a gravity circuit and the 2 22mm pipes will be doing the rad circuit witch will be pumped should only be one back boiler

 

[daza]

hi thanks for that. iv had a look and the 28mm pipes should go into the fire as iv uncovered were they used to go so could i just join the header tank to the rad pipes so i could heat the rads only as there is no water getting into the rad pipes as it looks like the 28mm pipe looks like it should go into the side of the fire place and make a circit so water can get to the rads

 

[tamz]

Your hearer tank is already joined to the rads. It feeds down the HW return and through the back boiler. Like this.



If you have no water in the rads the system has been drained. Do not light your fire.
Get a plumber to check it out.

If the rads have water in them there will be a pump switch (fused spur) near the fireplace which will turn the pump on.
Ask a neighbour or someone older who has had one to show you how it works.

 

[daza]

hi yes it should run like how your saying but the 2 28mm pipes that are ment to goto the back boiler have been joined so no longer going into the side of the fire. so as your pic shows all my system is doing is going from the header tank through the copper tank then goes as if its ment to go through the side of the fire but its not its been connected to the header tank over flow. and your pic if u look the 2 22mm pipes coming out of the right hand side of the boiler going to the rads. then the 2 28mm pipes going in the right hand of the boiler have just been cut and joined