Bizarre Central Heating!!

[Rotorhead]

Hi,

Grateful for any advice!!

I have just bought an old house 1800-ish that has some rather annoying CH snags. Apparently the CH was installed in 1984. Grateful for any advice as to use the vernacular...its doing my noggin in!

I have a Grant Multipass Boilerhouse oil boiler that fires up fine, the pump is working and thermostat seems ok. It has been serviced regularly. I also have an Aga with a back boiler that was on until recently producing plenty of HW. I decided to shut down the Aga and use the boiler for hot water only. However, no hot water is reaching the HW tank and the expansion tank in the loft is filling with HW. Also a random few (upstairs and downstairs) radiators came on. They were shut down but still no HW. I have also bled all radiators but was unable to get heat into all with "Heating" selected. Having left them on I noticed they came on when HW was selected.

Apparently the elderly lady before us used to run the Aga all year and got the next door neighbor to set the timing up (both CH and HW) in the Autumn. So what? I suspect the HW she was getting was from the Aga for some time.

There are no changeover/motorised valves that I can find (certainly none near HW tank) tracing from the boiler through every possible cupboard.

When HW is set to run the boiler pump runs up when up to temp and the water flows hot through external pipes in Boot Room then into the main house at first floor level. Without ripping up floor boards, this is the last that is seen of it apsrt from pipe in bedroom going up to expansion tank!

Questions?

1. What is the likelihood that the boiler only feeds the radiators and that hot water provision is only from the Aga/immersion heater? If so why would the modern digital control panel be wired for both HW and Heating?

2. Would such an arrangement (Aga and Bolier) have a changeover valve ...somewhere?

3. Any ideas what is going on?

Many thanks

Matt

 

[Boilerman2]

It is most likely that the Grant MP boiler is not connected to supply HW, it sounds like you use either the AGA or an Immersion Heater to heat the HW. the AGA will have been connected to the HW cylinder using a Gravity Circuit which should also include a heat loss radiator (usually in a Bathroom)

Further examination for the actual layout would be required to make any further comment

 

[Rotorhead]

Boilerman 2,

Thanks for your reply. I have just run the "Heating" side of the timer and all the upstairs radiators have come on plus only the one in the Boot Room down stairs.

I have just started the "Water" side of the timer - is it possible that this side does only the downstairs in a sort of crude zoning system? How though as surely it woud need separate pipework?

Many thanks

Matt

 

[richardrich79]

If it's definitely an aga then you'll find that as they only provide hot water the usual set up is the hot water tank supplemented by an immersion heater for the summer months.
Any central heating is usually on a separate system.