Recent content by Onetap

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    Gas Boiler backup for Biomass Boiler

    Ta, that's interesting. I don't think that is exorbitant, if it does what you need, but I must admit that I'm not up-to-date on the costs of the available controllers. I'd be surprised if you can find the control functions needed for less.
  2. O

    Gas Boiler backup for Biomass Boiler

    Predictable, I suppose. What sort of cost is their control system>
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    Gas Boiler backup for Biomass Boiler

    I'd suggest both boilers to be fitted with a secondary pump and piped off a low loss header (LLH, a bit of pipe of large bore so that there's negligible head/pressure  loss between each end) or the buffer. The primary circulation pump runs whenever there is a heating demand, regardless of which...
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    Can anyone advise on plate heat exchangers?

    Primary/Secondary circulation with closely spaced tees, or a low loss header. The accumulator serves as the lead boiler when it is hot enough. You need to find a controller capable of opearting this installation, which will probably be harder than designing the installation itself...
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    Electrolysis

    Yes, a solid fuel boiler is more likely to boil over and discharge steam or boiling water into the F&E tank, because there's no over-heat thermostat that can cut off the fuel supply. The BS plastic F&E tanks will take boiling water if installed correctly, the few water storage tanks that...
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    Electrolysis

    PS   Forgot to say. The dielectric union things are used on water heaters, water supply systems, to which you obviously cannot add inhibitors. In the UK steel or stainless water heaters used to have sacrificial anodes fitted that preserved the tank. these were (I beieve) banned by the Water...
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    Electrolysis

    Ignore all that. There are insulating unions available, they seem to be popular in the US ("dielectric unions"), but SFAIK the earth bonding will by-pass the insulators and make them ineffective. You usually cannot avoid a mix of metals in a heating system, the steel tank is no different...
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    Gas Leak in Murder Plot

    It sounds a tad technically implausible. Natural gas has odourizers put into it to make it smell and the volume of gas needed to make a detectable smell is a tiny proportion of the lower explosive limit (LEL). Young people can usually smell very small concentrations of gas. The gas also tends to...
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    gas from water tap!

    tomplum wrote: have you managed to light the cold water tap yet :^O ? Three years old, but still hilarious. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LBjSXWQRV8&feature=fvwp&NR=1 http://youtu.be/U01EK76Sy4A Natural gas (methane) leaks underground.
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    Asbestos in boilers

    ISTR they stopped using it and/or it was banned in about 1992. I phoned a few valve manufacturers about that time and they were still using asbestos-fibre in gland packings. None of the synthetic replacements were anywhere nearly as good. Much later I got involved in an asbestos survey...
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    Using TPI controller with zone valves - advice from smart plumbers please :-)

    What boiler is it? I just had a read about the TPI controller and wasn't impressed. It seems to control the flow temperaure (good) by switching the boiler on & off (not good). If you have a boiler with a modulating burner, it would be more sensible to control the flow temperaure (good) by...
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    Carbon Monoxide? A quick question

    I'd be very wary of it, and  it seems that you are also. I'd be most concerned about the fire risk, blowing hot air, from a naked flame, into an inflammable  canvas/plastic enclosure which may have unidentifiable waterproofing componds or spillages on it. You  have the makings of blast...
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    Moving hot water tank to loft ??

    You'd need to raise the cold water storage tank above the vented cylinder and it would probably still suck air in down the open vent when you drew off hot water. I wouldn't do it.
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    Pressure Sensor in water system

    The glycol reacts with oxygen when heated and turns acidic, causing rapid corrosion.Under normal conditions, it should last several yaers, but if there has been air getting in and the system has been overheating, I'd suggest the OP tests it with litmus paper.   I'd have thought the blockages...
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