Thermal Store Question

Jimmycooker

Hi,

I have /or want the following setup:

2 Separate buildings with upstairs / downstairs heating zones.
1 Separate boiler house in between where i want to relocate gas boiler and install new hot water tank.
I want a tank to supply both houses
The tank will be heated by solar and Gas Boiler.

See picture of setup attached.

What is the best type of tank to buy, combi vented thermal store direct or indirect?

Thanks,
James.

Stove Fan

Jimmycooker wrote: »

Hi,

I have /or want the following setup:

2 Separate buildings with upstairs / downstairs heating zones.
1 Separate boiler house in between where i want to relocate gas boiler and install new hot water tank.
I want a tank to supply both houses
The tank will be heated by solar and Gas Boiler.

See picture of setup attached.

What is the best type of tank to buy, combi vented thermal store direct or indirect?

Thanks,
James.

Hi, personally if it was me I wouldnt use a thermal store especially if your never going to fit a solid fuel boiler stove.

If it was me designing the system I would just have a seperate wall hung combi boiler in the granny house, so totally seperate with their own heating controls. Nice and simple especially if the water pressure is good:)

I think having the boiler and pipes being buried underground and in a unheated boiler room would decrease the efficiency due to heat loss of pipes and thermal store.

If a boiler stove wasn't ever being fitted I would just have a hotpress in the main house, wall hung gas system boiler and twin coil hot water cylinder. One coil for boiler and one for solar.

I'm sure others with more experiance than me will reply:)

Stove Fan:)

Jimmycooker

Hi Stove fan,

I want all pumps, fans, flames and other noise making appliances out of the living area.

I also want the benefit of the solar panels in both buildings. This means locating the hot water tank in the boiler house. The boiler house is fully insulated like the rest of the house and the pipes are a well insulated and a meter underground.

I also like the idea of the thermal store being a buffer for the central heating loops so that the temperatures are more stable and there is less cycling of the boiler. The pipes in my house are copper and make noise as the boiling water from the boiler evaporates in the pipes and also contracts and expands the copper.

studdlymurphy

Is it possible to put the solar panels on the boiler house closer to the thermal store, it might be more efficient.

Red Alert

Jimmycooker wrote: »

I also like the idea of the thermal store being a buffer for the central heating loops so that the temperatures are more stable and there is less cycling of the boiler. The pipes in my house are copper and make noise as the boiling water from the boiler evaporates in the pipes and also contracts and expands the copper.

Pretty much all modern boilers modulate their output so they run continuously at reduced output instead of cycling on and off - they'll only cycle in warmer weather, assuming that they've been sized correctly.

If you boiler is "boiling" the water in the pipes you've got more serious problems: either a faulty thermostat or more likely pump vibration.

You are also showing radiators and underfloor being driven from the same system in the granny flat. You'll need a mixing valve to make this work correctly.

I think you're overestimating the footprint of and nuisance from the plant quite a lot. You'd be surprised the space you can get a modern boiler into, and they're very quiet.

Jimmycooker

Studly,

The boiler house is not well placed for exposure to the sun and ive already run solar piping down from the attic, through the cavity and under ground into the boiler house. Its well insulated everywhere...

I'd say the noise boiling noise is probably coming from the boiler insides just before it shuts off or cavitation in the pump. Either way the only place to locate it other than the boiler house is where it is directly below one of the main bedrooms which is always going to result in some noise, relocating everything to the boiler house eliminates all noises.

The underfloor heating will have a manifold with a mixing valve and its own pump yes, thought i put that in the description sorry.