stove pipework

fruitloops

hi everyone. several years ago i had a small stove fitted heating 1 large rad & 1 large cyl which it does very well.recently i had a prob with the flue and when a diff plumber came to repair it he said it was a death trap as the 1" flow pipe leaving the stove drops down into the cement floor runs about 4mtr into airing cubard on the same level. at this point the vent pipe rises into the attic (bungalow) & onto header tank.the system is pumped and has worked fine.
how safe/unsafe is this set up. iv never heard it boiling n loads of hot water n heat

Dtp1979

fruitloops wrote: »

hi everyone. several years ago i had a small stove fitted heating 1 large rad & 1 large cyl which it does very well.recently i had a prob with the flue and when a diff plumber came to repair it he said it was a death trap as the 1" flow pipe leaving the stove drops down into the cement floor runs about 4mtr into airing cubard on the same level. at this point the vent pipe rises into the attic (bungalow) & onto header tank.the system is pumped and has worked fine.
how safe/unsafe is this set up. iv never heard it boiling n loads of hot water n heat

Your plumber is 100% correct. Do not use the stove again until rectified.

Tom44

Totally unsafe without a gravity circuit.

1" coppor pipe RISING up through the attic, down through cylinder and back underground to stove, independent of pump to rads.
The only safety gravity circuit system if power is off to pump. Or electricty been shut down.

fruitloops

thanks for that.when the pipework leaves the floor in airing cubard it goes trough cylinder then 22mm vent pipe from top pipe too header tank and pump is teeded off these pipes. so i,ll have too change all this or can i just bring just a vent pipe from back of stove too header tank & leave the rest the same

Dtp1979

fruitloops wrote: »

thanks for that.when the pipework leaves the floor in airing cubard it goes trough cylinder then 22mm vent pipe from top pipe too header tank and pump is teeded off these pipes. so i,ll have too change all this or can i just bring just a vent pipe from back of stove too header tank & leave the rest the same

No you can't. It's also not a diy job.

BarryD

OP, have you had a power cut with the stove lit since system installed? What happened? It is dangerous in that if the electrically powered pump does not function, the water could/ would overheat in the boiler in the stove. So as I understand it, the primary circuit should rise to the cylinder and then fall back to the stove, with an expansion pipe to the attic header tank in the loop, on the return on our system, if I recall correctly. You can also fit a pressure release valve on the flow. This is an additional safety, in that if the water/ pressure in primary circuit overheats, this will release. At minimum, fitting one of these to your present system, if suitable located, would provide some protection. Though as above, you'd be better to reconfigure a proper gravity circulation.

As to whether it's a DIY job, that depends on your skills & intelligence. I'm not a professional builder or a plumber and I fitted my own system. But takes time, work and a bit of effort to learn. Working with copper solder & compression joints takes a little practice but it's not rocket science.

Dtp1979

BarryD wrote: »

As to whether it's a DIY job, that depends on your skills & intelligence. I'm not a professional builder or a plumber and I fitted my own system. But takes time, work and a bit of effort to learn. Working with copper solder & compression joints takes a little practice but it's not rocket science.

It's not a diy job. End of.

And you're correct, it's not rocket science, but give it a go diy'ers like yourself are what keep me busy all year round. So I can't really compain I guess.
For every one of you who (maybe) get it right, there's another 50 that don't

BarryD

Dtp1979 wrote: »

It's not a diy job. End of.

And you're correct, it's not rocket science, but give it a go diy'ers like yourself are what keep me busy all year round. So I can't really compain I guess.
For every one of you who (maybe) get it right, there's another 50 that don't

No argument there - you meet the people who have problems and sort them out. But then you wouldn't hear from people who figure things out themselves System here, I installed 15 years ago, works and never an issue with power cuts etc.

Dtp1979

BarryD wrote: »

No argument there - you meet the people who have problems and sort them out. But then you wouldn't hear from people who figure things out themselves System here, I installed 15 years ago, works and never an issue with power cuts etc.

I've seen systems work 30 years. The sludge and pinholes appear because the pump was placed in the wrong position and was drawing in minute amounts of air for years. In fact I see that a lot. Hopefully yours isn't one!

fruitloops

i didnt intend to do the work myself just wanted some info to see how much pipework would have to be changed. one plumber just wanted to bring a vent pipe into attic and leave the rest the same.i presume that would be safer but would that work. yes power was off once but apart from some kettling there was no problem. its quite a small stove

Dtp1979

fruitloops wrote: »

i didnt intend to do the work myself just wanted some info to see how much pipework would have to be changed. one plumber just wanted to bring a vent pipe into attic and leave the rest the same.i presume that would be safer but would that work. yes power was off once but apart from some kettling there was no problem. its quite a small stove

No that still wouldn't be safe. That plumber dosent understand solid fuel piping.