Heating options for older home on solid fuel

lordnoah

Hi all, would really appreciate some help on this issue.

My parents live in an old house with a solid fuel stove providing the heat in radiators and heating the water.

However it is absolutely not sufficient anymore. They are also using portable electric heaters to have heat in the winter. Also they are getting too old to be carrying in buckets of coal and wood from outside.

I want to sort out an efficient, simple to use, full upgrade for the house. Could anyone point me in the right direction here? I'm open to all options but don't know how to go about an overhaul of the full heating system in an old house.

dirtysoldman

I am in the same position, retired and getting too old to be humping the **** that's sold now instead of coal,keeps putting out the fire as it turns to dust and blocks any air getting into the grate to keep it going.Is there anyway of converting my stove to oil

MicktheMan

Looking at this from a slightly different angle (and not really answering your questions directly), the reason for needing a heating system is to replace heat lost from the house. Perhaps there are opportunities to make a decent impact on the heat loss side of the equation which could considerably reduce the need for heating so a simpler heating system would suffice.

Not talking about insulation upgrade here per se but the big one for most houses is heat loss by air leakage. How to know is to have a pressure test of the house perhaps as part of an overall heat loss survey. Next address the low hanging fruit based on the test results and then revisit your (lower) heating needs.

lordnoah

Yes thats a good idea MicktheMan, thanks for that. Even though the house in question, it has double glazed windows, a new roof, insulation was pumped in to the walls and solar panels. However I think an air loss and pressure test would be a great idea.

Even with the steps we tried to improve the situation, the house is still very cold and a solid fuel stove is not good enough and is also too cumbersome.

My next question is, does anyone know the best place to book this heat loss survey?

jimf

would it be possible without ripping the place asunder to tap into the pipework to the stove

what im thinking is could you perhaps then fit an outdoor oil boiler

magicbastarder

is there a possibility the rads aren't performing well and need to be flushed?

dirtysoldman

My house was able to be heated ok with the present system when I burnt proper fuel ,a bucket of petrocoke kept it lighting for 24 hours and then when it was banned by the greens I have had to try the fake fuels that are allowed, these have proved to be useless and am now using 3 times the amount for far less heat,so where is this saving the planet, I am now going to travel to our neighbours and buy a tonne of real coal and get some bang for my buck

monseiur

The best and most cost efficient solution is to install an oil boiler. Out doors, sealed ones are available so no need to build a boiler house etc. Costs from €1,750 to €2,200 - a good plumber will link up with your existing rads/ pipework. Depending on present pipe set up it may not be possible to zone the system in other words every time the oil boiler kicks in it will heat the whole house, this may not be a bad thing considering the occupants are elderly. Regarding your solid fuel stove, you have a few options - remove & fit a smaller stove without back boiler or remove and replace with an open fire not so much for heat but to give the room a focal point & a warm cosy feeling.

Needless to say check that attic insulation is correctly installed and upgrade if necessary to at least 300mm Check wall insulation and upgrade if necessary, if not already fitted, and if budget allows, fit double or preferably triple glazed uPVC windows & doors. Grants are available specifically for OAP's check SEAI website.

Do not under any circumstances consider air to water or similar heating system, retro fitting this system simply does not work ...unless you won the lotto and can afford to gut the house completely !

monseiur

On mature reflection....if you parents like the idea of having a big stove in the kitchen you could fit an oil fired Waterford Stanley Range or similar. It will heat rads similar to an oil boiler and will also heat domestic water, cook etc. similar to solid fuel stove. It can be fitted with a minimum of disruption, just a trench in floor for oil line from tank and a flexible s/s flue inside existing flue with cowl on top. These oil ranges are not cheap to buy new but keep an eye on Done Deal for good as new ones for half the price, replacement parts like burners etc. are available ''off the shelf''.