Solid fuel back boiler.

[Best]

Ric2013 -
The 4 tappings are used for 2 gravity primaries and 2 pumped pipes to rads. (Vent & Feed through those primaries)
Although it can also be done with 3 pipes leaving boiler, with gravity and pumped returns connected through an injector tee.
Also can be used with just 2 diagonal gravity connections to a Dunsley Neutraliser or Thermal Store.

 

[bobbychocolate]

Small cottage, no loft? No mains gas or oil, I'm assuming? Insulate and draftproof well and use electric boiler/electric heaters?

I'm not saying your idea of putting a woodburning stove with backboiler in is daft - it's exactly what I'd do in your position! I'm just saying your plan as originally described in detail was dangerous. I'd probably use some form of vented thermal store with immersion heater backup pumped to boiler and (gravity) heat leak radiator at high level. Your header tank wouldn't need to be huge. But for C's sake, at least pay someone with the knowledge to do a site visit and design your system to be safe is all I'm saying.

If you want a small stove without backboiler with a small output, have a look at the "Hobbit" model. I saw one at a friend's house and was quite impressed.

Bedtime reading: How to install a Wood Burning Stove - fit a wood burner yourself

Yeah I understand what your saying and won't be attempting anything myself now. I'll probably just use a normal wood burner and some electric oil heaters for the foreseeable future. I might just put a multi split a/c with 3 wall mounts in at least then I can cool it in the summer as well and it will probably cost less too.

 

[Dkdc71]

Looking at the picture if the stove first thing missing is a safety valve most of the boilers can use two or four pipe systems safely if done right if your just doing one circuit for rads use you rad upstairs as a heat sink rad fit a feed and expansion tank run expansion pipe from stove right up to tank and feed directly down to boiler if you only use two connections use other two for safety valve and drain off but if you do it yourself get your plumber mate to check everything to make sire its all good .don't just take a chance best of luck

 

[Ric2013]

Ric2013 -
The 4 tappings are used for 2 gravity primaries and 2 pumped pipes to rads. (Vent & Feed through those primaries)

Cheers Best, that was what I meant to say, but I got it wrong and probably confused the OP

 

[bobbychocolate]

Cheers guys. I'll just have a wood burner for now as I haven't got any roof space for tanks. I'm looking at oil filled rads for the future. Anyone used these??

 

[Ric2013]

Header tank could be near ceiling level in house if no loft. Have a look at my recent post in the Hall of Shame on this website. That was a plastic tank so not what you'd want and installed by someone with autism who didn't care what it looked like, but it gives you an idea what can be possible if you think outside the box. Is your house single story or just lacking a loft, I wonder?

Oil-filled rads: I had one in a caravan once. It was portable and felt and looked nice but...

It was a DeLongi portable one and rated at 2kW. However, while the heating element was 2kW, I suspect that the actual heat exchange from the radiator to the air was less than 2kW so the heating element used to have to cycle on and off to avoid overheating the oil, and the heat output to room was not as high as the 2kW anyone would have reasonably assumed. Which? reports have found this as well, so it's not just me. (For fast heat, this sort of thing works as well as anything: Tesco direct: 2000W Convector Heater with Turbo Boost and should kick out the full 2kW and if you can turn down the heat output to a trickle once the room is warm, it's a practical, if unelegant solution.)

Also, the thermostatic control was pants as the thermostat was mounted on the unit itself and so wasn't able to monitor the air temperature with any degree of consistency whatsoever as it got influenced by the heat coming off the radiator.

The nice thing about it is that when it went off it stayed warm for some time so you didn't get the on/off yoyo effect you can get from, say, fan heaters, or the Tesco thing mentioned above..

Quite honestly, I feel oil filled rads haven't much to offer other than the fact that they don't look and feel as cheap as cheap wound-wire convector heaters, or infra-red heaters. The efficiency of ANY electric heater (except heat pumps) is identical, so it's what suits you best, really.

You can get some very posh wall-mounted radiant heaters these days that look amazing but have quite low heat outputs so probably best for really well insulated buildings.

It's worth noting that what we perceive as warmth is only made up of 1/3 air temperature, with the rest being the mean radiant temperature (i.e. the surface temperature of the objects and surfaces around us), so that's the advantage of radiant heat. That said, I've got underfloor heating at home and I can't honestly say that it's made such a difference that I don't know how I lived without it. The associated draughtproofing and insulation, though, has made a tremendous difference.