Trying to get the heating working correctly

[deg]

Anyone figure out what the yellow pump is for? Bronze pump for sec return maybe? Hard to tell from pics

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Anyone figure out what the yellow pump is for? Bronze pump for sec return maybe? Hard to tell from pics

yes its a stratification pump

 

[thompa25]

That stratification pump, as you call it, this must be used to circulate the hot water around the DHW system. If this pump isnt running I only get cold water out the taps, as soon as its running the hot water is fine. I was going to install a flow switch to operate the pump, so when a tap is run the pump kicks in. As appose the way it works now, the pump only runs when the hot water system is calling for heat (Hot water on). Is a flow switch a standard setup for this?

 

[king of pipes]

just wire it into a timer to run it when your need for hot water is at its most demand few hours am and pm

 

[thompa25]

I know what your saying, but then surely if I want a shower or something outside these hours, then I will have to switch on the pump, almost in the same situation as I am now. My girlfriend has spoken to her friend whos partner is a heating engineer. She tried to pass on what he said, as i haven't spoken to him directly. So what she has passed on is, for the current setup we would need to install a 2 port zone valve between the mid position and the cylinder, install a tundish to the drain on the PSV on the cylinder, then he said about putting in a PSV on the heating side. He also said we could rip it out and install an S plan system, but would be more expensive. He didnt mention any prices, but I really hope it isnt going to cost too much.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

I would do an S plan over a y+

 

[thompa25]

Ill get in contact with the bloke and get him round, hopefully it wont be a ball ache to change it out, how many hours labour do you think to convert that to an S plan?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Ill get in contact with the bloke and get him round, hopefully it wont be a ball ache to change it out, how many hours labour do you think to convert that to an S plan?

Tbh about an hour more plus rewire

 

[thompa25]

I'll be doing all the wiring so just the plumbing side, thanks for your help

 

[thompa25]

Just one more question while trying to get my head around the system. So i have my main water inlet through the combination valve, and teed off to the expansion tank, then into the inlet of the cylinder. What is feeding the secondary pump? and why don't I get hot water unless this is running.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Just one more question while trying to get my head around the system. So i have my main water inlet through the combination valve, and teed off to the expansion tank, then into the inlet of the cylinder. What is feeding the secondary pump? and why don't I get hot water unless this is running.

You should still get hot water might take 60 seconds but you should still get hot water

 

[thompa25]

I sometimes get warm water but only briefly, and sometimes luke warm, as soon as the pump is running, instant hot water, I'm just confused as to what is feeding the secondary pump if you have your cold water main coming in via the combination valve. My thinking is if i get my head around the system prior to the bloke coming round, we will spend less time messing about trying to explain things to me.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

I sometimes get warm water but only briefly, and sometimes luke warm, as soon as the pump is running, instant hot water, I'm just confused as to what is feeding the secondary pump if you have your cold water main coming in via the combination valve. My thinking is if i get my head around the system prior to the bloke coming round, we will spend less time messing about trying to explain things to me.

All the pump does is draw hot water from the tank (out the hot) to the furthest outlet and back again to the cold inlet

 

[thompa25]

Cheers shaun, but my knowledge is limited, so is the hot water setup like a ring main flowing out the cylinder, into some sort of manifold, which all the outlets are connected, then back to the hot water tank, via the pump, all the pum is doing is just circulating this hot water round the system, getting it to the taps quicker than if there was no pump? im guessing this is then the case so the pump isnt pumping against a closed system, over-pressurising the tank. Thanks for your help

 

[deg]

It looks as if the bronze pump is fed by the cold mains not the hot??

 

[ShaunCorbs]

It looks as if the bronze pump is fed by the cold mains not the hot??

pumping into the cold feed to the cylinder (cylinder doesn't have a secondary port/ tapping)