How do I know if I have a closed heating system?

CuppaCocoa

My 81 year old mother has had no cold water
for the past 5 days. She has been using the central heating but now the water supply has dried up and she turned off the heat as she was afraid the boiler would burn out. I know that if the heating system is a closed one it should be ok but how can I tell? No men around to help us! She has a gloworm boiler about 15 years old but regularly serviced.

daywalker

Closed heating systems have a seperate water tank, which keeps the levels in the heating system topped off, in my house its a smaller tank beside the main water tank in the attic.

youtheman

Tell your morher to turn the heat on immediately, it's makes no difference if its a pressurised (closed) system or no-pressurised (vented system). Even if the mains is frozen, or the supply tank in the attic empty, your heating will still work (it has its own supply).

But to answer your question:

1. look at the boiler and see if there is a pressure gauge on it. It it reads around 1 bar then its pressurised.

2. look in the hot press for an accumulator, a sphere normally around a foot in diameter. If you have this then its a closed system

CuppaCocoa

Here's a small tank beside the big one in the attic and there's a pressure gauge beside the cylinder. Not sure about sphere, will check it when i get there. Thanks for your help!

youtheman

I wouldn't get too hung up of trying to determine what type of system you have. If you have a big and small tank then its an open (vented) system.

The main thing is to turn the heat back on for your elderly mum, it doesn't matter what type of system you have.

1qTour

wondering the same thing, if its not a matter of life and death, is it possible to damage the heating system when the pipes are frozen?

We have no external water but some water in the tank ( not alot ).

CuppaCocoa

Heating on! Just worried that when the thaw eventually comes, the pipes will burst :eek: Funny thing is that all the neighbours on the terrace have water Damm these old houses!

Buford T Justice

daywalker wrote: »

Closed heating systems have a seperate water tank, which keeps the levels in the heating system topped off, in my house its a smaller tank beside the main water tank in the attic.

You are referring to a vented open system. Closed systems are pressurized with an expansion vessel

youtheman wrote: »

Tell your morher to turn the heat on immediately, it's makes no difference if its a pressurised (closed) system or no-pressurised (vented system). Even if the mains is frozen, or the supply tank in the attic empty, your heating will still work (it has its own supply).

But to answer your question:

1. look at the boiler and see if there is a pressure gauge on it. It it reads around 1 bar then its pressurised.

2. look in the hot press for an accumulator, a sphere normally around a foot in diameter. If you have this then its a closed system

Can also be in the boiler enclosure either. They are sometimes long rectangular ones in there.

1qTour wrote: »

wondering the same thing, if its not a matter of life and death, is it possible to damage the heating system when the pipes are frozen?

We have no external water but some water in the tank ( not alot ).

If the pipes are frozen, then yes there's a chance, but you'll know if there's a problem when the heat is on

lilybarlean wrote: »

Heating on! Just worried that when the thaw eventually comes, the pipes will burst :eek: Funny thing is that all the neighbours on the terrace have water Damm these old houses!

No point worrying, there's nothing you can do about it now.

CuppaCocoa

No sign of heating blowing up yet! In the hot press there is a small orange tank at the bottom like a calor gas cylinder? Still confused as to whether its an open or closed system

Buford T Justice

lilybarlean wrote: »

No sign of heating blowing up yet! In the hot press there is a small orange tank at the bottom like a calor gas cylinder? Still confused as to whether its an open or closed system

Is there just one pipe going into it? its a Closed System.

CuppaCocoa

Fingers McGee wrote: »

Is there just one pipe going into it? its a Closed System.

Yep, just one pipe. If only she had water

chardonnay

i have a pressurised heating system. recently a plumber came to install new rads. since then i have had three burst pipes (joints pulling off from the pipe) leading to huge damage in the ground floor of my house.

I'm beginning to think that its because this plumber has left on the tap attached to the pressure guage in my hot press.

I think that as a result when the heating is on for a while the pressure has become too high. He says he pressure-tested the system to four bars and it was fine. But now I think that that valve has always been turned off and is meant to be so. Yet after each burst joint- as the water flowed down through the ceiling and into my kitchen he ran upstairs to turn off that tap. Another plumber told me that it should be left off. This plumber told me it should be left on. I'm for leaving it off. What i don't get is how my plumber (the one who just installed the new rads) would not know. Maybe its not the cause of these sudden series of floods at all. Anyone out there who can help?

Many thanks
Chardonnay

Buford T Justice

A Closed system should be completely isolated from the mains supply except for the purposes of topping up.

How did the fittings manage to come away?
Anything to do with the conditions?

chardonnay

a combination of heat and pressure blew the joints away from the pipes. unbelievable but at least it hasn't happened since......since i turned off that pressure gauge tap

it wasn't at all related to the weather....

hope all good again in your abode