Primatic Heating

[Bahco]

I viewed a job and noticed that the feed to the boiler was a hopper on the wall which was filled manually, it not having a expansion pipe from the boiler. The system was a fully pumped primatic and not having worked on this before I turned the job down.
Can somebody tell me how this system works and why no expansion pipe fitted as I thought this would be dangerous.

 

[ChrisR]

Hi . Supplying cheap tools yet?

It's probably a Servowarm system. Horrid. But if it was a primatic you wouldn't have the "grecian urn" on the wall - the ch would get filled from the DCW cistern.
Grecian's were a combined feed and vent in effect but you're right, dangerous, though there might be an old blow off valve somewhere, all seized up and leaking.
They need major surgery now.
Watch out for funny looking pipe - a sort of shiny pale yellow, on old servowarm systems. Iron , plated pipe was used when there was a copper shortage. Sometimes all that's holding it together now is the plating. I have changed a boiler where it was well supplied with inhibitor over the years.
Often had no 3 port valve, just a gate valve on the CH for summer !

You're wise to avoid weird jobs when you're starting. Money isn't everything.

 

[Bahco]

Thanks Chris R
you have confirmed my fears!
I will stick to combi boilers.
Sorry no cheap tools