Solid fuel stove hot water problems

[nickbeach]

Hi
​
I have a wood burning stove with a back boiler that heats hot water and three rads. The hot water tank is a combi boiler with a coil connected to the stove and a top mounted 27 inch electric element. When the stove is running full time (in winter) we have plenty of hot water. However if the stove goes out the electric doesn't kick in because the safety cut out has always tripped on the electric element (the tiny black thing you push back in with a thumbnail). In spring we have the fire lit sometimes and not others, so we are frequently left without hot water. This used not to be a problem until I replaced the electric element - I have been told that the safety cut outs are now made to be more sensitive due to new legislation - is this true? And is there anything I can do to make sure we get hot water even when the fire goes out? (or do I have to just remember to reset the safety cut out all the time?). I have tried different settings for the temperature on the electric element but it doesn't make any difference. Thanks for your help!

Nick

 

[AWheating]

does the solid fuel supply to the cylinder have any thermostatic control? If not you could get a normally open zone valve fitted run via a cylinder stat which could help control the hot water temps avoiding the immersion element tripping but this would probably also mean bringing the install up to current standards which dependant on your system could be expensive.

all immersion's now have the manual resetting stats by law after people have died from overheated water due to a faulty heater stats.

 

[snowhead]

You need a stat without over temp cut out, bottom of page in link;

Immersion Heater Thermostats

 

[AWheating]

You need a stat without over temp cut out, bottom of page in link;

Immersion Heater Thermostats

dangerous advise to fit a non cut out stat, especially when little kids have died because of there use. The cut out is there/required for a reason.

 

[snowhead]

dangerous advise to fit a non cut out stat, especially when little kids have died because of there use. The cut out is there/required for a reason.

The overtemp stat trips out when the solid fuel is in use, the water must be well over the over temp stat temperature.
Whether it's a manual reset type or not is irrelevant.

Basic Solid fuel boilers use the hot water cylinder as a heat soak.

And the people that died did so as a result of high temperature water distorting poorly supported storage tanks causing them to split and drop hot water from above the ceiling.

More children will have died from drowning in an unattended low temperature bath than have died from being scalded in a hot bath.

 

[SimonG]

With AW on this, system wants sorting properly to prevent the stat from tripping.

 

[AWheating]

The overtemp stat trips out when the solid fuel is in use, the water must be well over the over temp stat temperature.
Whether it's a manual reset type or not is irrelevant.

Basic Solid fuel boilers use the hot water cylinder as a heat soak.

And the people that died did so as a result of high temperature water distorting poorly supported storage tanks causing them to split and drop hot water from above the ceiling.

More children will have died from drowning in an unattended low temperature bath than have died from being scalded in a hot bath.

its is relevant, its a safety device for the immersion heater. it got nothing to do with the solid fuel over heating. It will be used alone in the summer so needs a secondary safety feature.

counting numbers in child deaths and suggesting its unlikely to happen is wrong, one death is too many imo. As a professional i try to avoid giving advise that is wrong or unsafe.

the best advise we could really give the OP is get the system brought up to current regualtions and with proper control of the hot water temps with temp relief valve, tmv, zone valve and stat etc.....

sometimes the right advise is not the advise people want to hear but its the right advise.

 

[ecowarm]

:iagree: with AW

 

[snowhead]

. As a professional i try to avoid giving advise that is wrong or unsafe.

Scaremongering using potential child deaths as an example is not very professional.

.

 

[ecowarm]

Scaremongering using potential child deaths as an example is not very professional.

.

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[AWheating]

Scaremongering using potential child deaths as an example is not very professional.

.

LOL, thanks for the intelligent reply.

 

[ecowarm]

People like this advising the public

 

[SimonG]

Scaremongering using potential child deaths as an example is not very professional.

.

and advising somebody to install an item without a safety device is?

 

[Gray0689]

You need a stat without over temp cut out, bottom of page in link;

Immersion Heater Thermostats

You been sniffing the snow I think

 

[snowhead]

Thanks for the Intelligent replies;

Ecowarm
Awheating
SimonG
Gray0689

I take it you all walk to work and not drive vehicles.

 

[ecowarm]

No problem mate, now you know who's intelligent you may take advise and learn.

Maybe

 

[snowhead]

No problem mate, now you know who's intelligent you may take advise and learn.

Maybe

Irony.

 

[ecowarm]

Ah, got it.

You're intelligent

 

[Gray0689]

Seems where all intelligent enough to NOT listen to your advise

 

[AWheating]

Thanks for the Intelligent replies;

Ecowarm
Awheating
SimonG
Gray0689

I take it you all walk to work and not drive vehicles.

i suppose your advise would be to drive with the brakes disconnected while drunk and on the phone??

sorry im scaremongering again! im so un professional

 

[nickbeach]

Sorry to have kicked of such a disagreement - although it's very helpful to know that I have got the actual issue right. Although probably low risk I'm not keen on fitting a thermostat without a safety cut out - but bringing the whole thing up to current standards seems a bit daunting. I am wondering if we might change the system so that the hot water is heated solely by electricity with the back boiler just running radiators - we would like to move the hot water tank anyway so that might be better. One other thing - do the safety cut outs get more sensitive with repeated tripping? The current one trips even when the woodburner is not lit and with the thermostat set to fairly moderate temperatures.

But guess I'll have to go on remembering to reset it for the time being!

 

[Howsie]

Safety cutouts have no feedback loop or logic so should trip at the same point every time.

 

[Pipes Plumbing]

They can however be out of tolerance, and trip way to easilly / early due to being at fault. Had this on a couple of cheap immersions last year where the safety would cut out before the main stat and the water was <65deg...
My money in the first instance would be on checking the temp that the cut out activated at. At least then you know whether it's at fault or if the system needs upgrading.

You may find it's possible to simply change the stat in your immersion if it's faulty without removing it from the cylinder.
The stat will be wied in the live side before the element terminal and may well just push into a dry pocket built into the heater body.
You'll need to take the cover off to see any of this, and before that happens make 100000000% sure the power is off as there will be live parts open to touch.

P.S I wouldn't advise a non safety immersion.

 

[lisayling]

thanks, this topic is good, i can accept
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like shopping when i have a good time

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