Multi Fuel Stove and Central Heating

PMurphy

Hi,

My wife and I have just moved house to a place with a multi Fuel Stove. When we looked around the previous owners had the radiators thumping out heat, but since we've been here i cant get them above tepid. Initially I thought it was because i couldn't get the fire hot enough, but the hot water which is also heated off it while the stove is on is scorching hot. Ive had a bit of a look around. Found the heating panel, looked at the programme and readjusted the times, but still nothing. I then removed the back panel of that cupboard, found the heating pump. The pipes either end of the pump were cold. But the pipe 1cm above it (the one i assume going to the water tank) was boiling hot. I've looked at the pump, it's on setting 3. The heating panel is in working order and everything has been set. But i cannot get the heating to work. I've contacted the previous owner to ask if there's a tap, switch etc i need to press/have on aside from the obvious. A few times I've turned the power off completely to install some new electrics, and wondered if i had reset anything, but, nothing else seems to be affected.

We've already said we should probably get a plumber out to look at it, but i thought I'd ask on here first for any suggestions. Charnwood 45slx - Installed in 2005, recently serviced. Serving not more than 8 rads, all bar 2 with Danfoss thermostatic valves.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

Davesnave

There is often a heat sensor (thermocouple???) connected to the pump which detects when the c.h. water has reached a certain temperature and switches it on.

Mine was just clamped to a pipe, and it could be fully adjusted, so on the top setting maybe the pump wouldn't have kicked-in at all. I don't know, and can't I test, because I've scrapped that system now.

Are you saying there is no sensor like this to control the pump? If there is, it might just need adjusting.

PMurphy

There are 2 Salus CT100 Cylinder Pipe Thermostats for the hot water cylinder, but as far as I can see there is no sensor as such for the boiler. Unless there is one in the Grundfos Water pump? There is, as I say a electric programmable Digital Room thermostat which is wired in under there (which in future I would like to move), I've set all the times, and gone through all the rigmarole of setting individual days, but still no heat.

I did think the pump was broken, but surely the one side of the pump would be warm, but it just isn't.

Very frustrating.

Fortunately, I've installed a ceramic radiator in my sons room so his room is toasty, even if the rest of up stairs is rather chilled!



After this I turned the wheel to 5 and the flames burst in to life!

Alex1983

I don't know about wood burners but a heating system the pump is controlled by the timer or in your case the programmable stat. Is the stat wireless or or wired. Can you feel or hear the pump running. The rad that is hot, someone will correct if I'm wrong but I think you will find is a heat leak for the cyclinder and will be hot when ever the hot water is work to stop it getting to hot.

PMurphy

No, I've rarely heard the pump running, and although that radiator has come on, it doesn't come on often.

Again, I thought it wasn't generating enough heat, but the hot water itself comes out at 80! So something must be doing the business and I haven't turned the immersion on since moving in.

Which leads me to believe either something isn't connected correctly, or I've reset something.

P.S. The stat is wired in, it's to the left of the photo, in a cupboard.

Le_Kirk

The thermostat is in a cupboard??? How will it detect heat requirement and heat satisfied in there? Does it work, if you turn it up and down slowly can you hear a click?

Alex1983

The stat shouldn't be in the cupboard. does the symbol of a flame show on the stat

PMurphy

Le_Kirk wrote: »

The thermostat is in a cupboard??? How will it detect heat requirement and heat satisfied in there? Does it work, if you turn it up and down slowly can you hear a click?

Thinking about it, the controls are in the cupboard, I've seen no option in there to turn the temperature up. Which leads me to think that isn't the thermostat, purely the control. However I was under the impression that the Danfoss Thermostatic valves were equipped with their own thermo sensor which comes on, if the temp goes too low.

Asking another question off the back of this, how would the radiators know what temperature to be at without a thermostat? Unless the radiators have individual thermostats... Hmmm.

Alex1983

is the pump in the same cupboard. If it's just a timer then the rads will get to the temperature that the wood burner gets to and you'll be able to control them via the individual trv rad vavles.

PMurphy

Yes, the pump is in the same cupboard.

I've had a look at the TRV's, they are all working with moving pins (apart from our bedroom where it's been locked off and the pin has snapped). I've looked at bleeding all the radiators, all fine as well. The thing is, when we moved in, the cupboard was freaking BOILING, but now it just isn't. I still don't understand what I could have done to make the pump stop pushing the water around, as we have the stove on quite a lot, and like it quite hot.

Alex1983

Where does the cable from the pump go. Does it goto the timer or somewhere else