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Discuss Solid fuel back boiler not heating radiators in the UK Plumbing Forum | Plumbing Advice area at PlumbersForums.net

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Hi

My grandmothers property has a back boiler heated by a solid fuel appliance using coal.

Yes, I know. She’s stubborn!

Unfortunately the property has been vacant for a long while, a pipe froze and burst and left damp.

It’s imperative we get the house heated and warmed up enough to dry it out to treat the damage from the damp. Installing gas central heating is a long way off for complicated reasons, the fireplace is the only recourse for now.

Every day for the last week I’ve been getting the fire going with coal; for the first few days both the radiators warmed up and the hot water cylinder got scalding hot.

Unfortunately now the radiators just refuse to warm up despite the water cylinder doing so.

The circulating pump is a Grundfos alpha 2 on setting III - I believe that should be the max output. The system is controlled by a Honeywell panel, setting it to ALL DAY or ON hasn’t made a difference. The rotary dial thermostat is set to the max, 30c.

I’m sat here now having had the fire blazing away for 5+ hours, the pump on for probably 2.5+, but the radiators are still cold to the touch.

If I put my ear to the radiators I can hear sounds indicating the system is pushing water through. There was a gurgling noise from one of them in another room a few seconds after I first started the pump today.

Does anyone have idea why after initially working for a few days, they’re now not heating up, despite the pump seeming to be operating correctly, the fireplace being very hot and the back boiler water cylinder being very hot indicating heat is transferring to the back boiler correctly? Do the radiator pipes to the Grundfos pump link up to the back boiler or do they just run nearby like a heat exchanger kind of arrangement?

Many thanks
 

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Turned 6/7 rads off and the 7th is slowly warming up. Tepid at best, not giving off any useful heat.

Is it likely one in the ‘circuit’ is knackered having suddenly started having to work again after a year off and is now interfering with the rest, and I now have to find it through trial and error, or can the back boiler system just not cope with the demand of the radiators despite all 7 warming up a few days ago when first put in use again?

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
Could be a pump problem, impeller/ports fouled with sludge after running for a few days, pump would have to be isolated and the head removed for inspection/cleaning , the cylinder should and probably is circulating by convection only. Don't think that pump displays the power in watts, W, if it does, post it.
 

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