Can a stove be connected to existing central heating system

Kashkai

Our house (bungalow about 2,850 sq ft), though insulated in the floors, walls and attic spaces is always bloody cold or at best tepid, despite the fact that we have a kerosene burner and a wood pellet boiler (both for central heating) a wood pellet stove as a room heater and an open fire. This cold spell has really brought out how cold the house is.

I was in a friends house recently (about 2,000 sq ft) and they have a cast iron stove connected up to their rads and as soon as I walked into their hallway, the heat hit you in the face. The stove in their living room was blasting out the heat and they said they can leave it going all night on a low setting with just a couple of logs so the house stays cosy. This got me really interested in the stove idea as our open fire is in our living room (26ft x 16ft) and it takes an age to heat this room up with most of the heat shooting straight up the chimney. So I could get a stove to sit here and use the existing chimney to vent the smoke (correct???). However, would it be possible to connect the stove (if I got one with a backboiler) to the central heating system by tapping into the nearest radiator for the flow and return pipes or is this too simplistic. It would mean taking up half the wooden floor, the hearth etc to run the new pipes to the radiator but I think that would be worth the hassle given the amount of heat these stoves give off compared to the open fire which is sending 90% of the heat up the chimney.

Has anyone retrofitted a stove (and/or a backboiler model) into their existing fireplace and how did you go about it, i.e. was there much disruption caused to the existing fireplace, digging up the floor etc etc.

tred

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

Our house (bungalow about 2,850 sq ft), though insulated in the floors, walls and attic spaces is always bloody cold or at best tepid, despite the fact that we have a kerosene burner and a wood pellet boiler (both for central heating) a wood pellet stove as a room heater and an open fire. This cold spell has really brought out how cold the house is.

I was in a friends house recently (about 2,000 sq ft) and they have a cast iron stove connected up to their rads and as soon as I walked into their hallway, the heat hit you in the face. The stove in their living room was blasting out the heat and they said they can leave it going all night on a low setting with just a couple of logs so the house stays cosy. This got me really interested in the stove idea as our open fire is in our living room (26ft x 16ft) and it takes an age to heat this room up with most of the heat shooting straight up the chimney. So I could get a stove to sit here and use the existing chimney to vent the smoke (correct???). However, would it be possible to connect the stove (if I got one with a backboiler) to the central heating system by tapping into the nearest radiator for the flow and return pipes or is this too simplistic. It would mean taking up half the wooden floor, the hearth etc to run the new pipes to the radiator but I think that would be worth the hassle given the amount of heat these stoves give off compared to the open fire which is sending 90% of the heat up the chimney.

Has anyone retrofitted a stove (and/or a backboiler model) into their existing fireplace and how did you go about it, i.e. was there much disruption caused to the existing fireplace, digging up the floor etc etc.

Its not as straightforward as that. Youll need to seek the advice of a plumber. you can have dual heating systems we have this at home house. Stove/plus oiled fired. There is a valve that runs between deciding which to let loose on rads..but thats ..now a simplified explanation of how it works....

peemp

yes you can retro fit a boiler stove. the first thing you need to do is talk to a plumber to assess your system because if you have a closed system (generally only in older houses to my knowledge) it will need to be converted to an open system.

Also ask the plumber for a heat load which will be in kilowatts (KW) or BTu's this will help you determine what size boiler you need in your stove.

Bugnug

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

Our house (bungalow about 2,850 sq ft), though insulated in the floors, walls and attic spaces is always bloody cold or at best tepid, despite the fact that we have a kerosene burner and a wood pellet boiler (both for central heating) a wood pellet stove as a room heater and an open fire. This cold spell has really brought out how cold the house is.

I was in a friends house recently (about 2,000 sq ft) and they have a cast iron stove connected up to their rads and as soon as I walked into their hallway, the heat hit you in the face. The stove in their living room was blasting out the heat and they said they can leave it going all night on a low setting with just a couple of logs so the house stays cosy. This got me really interested in the stove idea as our open fire is in our living room (26ft x 16ft) and it takes an age to heat this room up with most of the heat shooting straight up the chimney. So I could get a stove to sit here and use the existing chimney to vent the smoke (correct???). However, would it be possible to connect the stove (if I got one with a backboiler) to the central heating system by tapping into the nearest radiator for the flow and return pipes or is this too simplistic. It would mean taking up half the wooden floor, the hearth etc to run the new pipes to the radiator but I think that would be worth the hassle given the amount of heat these stoves give off compared to the open fire which is sending 90% of the heat up the chimney.

Has anyone retrofitted a stove (and/or a backboiler model) into their existing fireplace and how did you go about it, i.e. was there much disruption caused to the existing fireplace, digging up the floor etc etc.

Please take my advice when I tell you that installing a third heating system in your house will cost you a huge amount of money and disruption and unless you keep it burning 24/7 it will make little or no difference. There is a common misconception among Irish people that if they have a decent level of insulation it will do the job and this is not the case. It is to do with airtightness of a house. You have two heating systems and your house is retaining little or none of the heat you are generating because believe it or not your house is like a sieve. What you need to do is get a reputable BER assesor to your house and have an airtightness test done to find the leaks. You should then talk to the lads in <SNIP> about upgrading the airtightness of your house. This will make all the difference with quarter the disruption and about a trhird of the cost.

Kashkai

Doing an airtightness test in my house would be a waste of time because I have a wife who can't get her head round the fact that if you spend money heating up a room, then its a tad silly to go outside and leave the bloody door open. She gets miffed when I lose the plot and tell her to close the fcuking door after her. The kids are also notorious for leaving the fecking doors open too.

We also have a lot of windows in the house and despite them being double glazed, I can feel the cold air washing in off them.

I still think getting a stove installed would be a good idea even if its just a room heating model and if I get an oversized one, I could leave the sitting room door open and let the excess heat circulate to the rest of the living area. However, from looking at a few dozen stoves on the web, I'd either have to get a bigger hearth or dig out the existing fireplace so it would fit. No matter what way I go, it'll cause disruption I think.

Bugnug

HI Prosperous Dave,

I am directly involved in the manufacture and sale of high efficency gas boilers, heat pumps, solar thermal and heat recovery ventilation systems so take my word on this, installing another heat source will cost you a huge amount of money and you will get very little return.

Airtightness is nothing to do with leaving doors and windows open. Airtightness is a series of tapes and membranes that are used to seal all the joints and openings throughout the house and although you probably think there is none an airtightness test will shock you. I have seen your case a thousand times.

Please do yourself a huge favour and get a BER assessor in and get an airtightness test done on your house. The BER assessor or any decent person working in the industry will tell you the exact same thing. I am not allowed mention names of companies on here but there are 3 really good airtighness package manufacturers in Ireland and any of them will call out and advise you as to what you require.

I hope you take this on board as it will save you the big capital outlay and it will save you a fortune on heating bills over the years.