Central Heating - to the Rads

[William Martin]

I just bought an almost new narrowboat boat which has a diesel drip feed stove that is supposed to also heat the radiators. The stove runs fine but I am getting no heat in the radiators - I get heat to the pipes emerging from the back of the stove and the rads have the valves open at both ends and there is water in the system header tank - should there be a circulation pump somewhere on the system to move the water about or does it rely on convection?

 

I have looked everywhere and cant find a pump but before I start pulling the boat apart, advice on wether there is one at all would be welcome!

[DHutch]

It varys from boat to boat, some have pumps, some rely on convection, depending on how the systems been layed out.

- Convection is basicaly better, if you can get it to work, and carfully lay and conseal the pipes where they need to go (ie, rising all the way from the stove to the rads, then falling though the rad from top to bottom, and runing back close to floor leval.

- A pump makes instalation easyer, as you can basicaly run the pipes where you like. But your then stuck with the noise, and electrical drain of running the pump all the time.

 

 

Daniel

[William Martin]

Thanks for the speedy reply - I have a switch on my fuseboard (trip switch board?) marked Central Heating - might that suggest that there is an electric pump? - or does the stove itself also use some electricity?

Edited August 1, 2006 by William Martin

[DHutch]

Quite a number (most?) of deisal heaters/stoves do seam to need electrity to run. Although im not really very familur with deisal stoves/heaters.

- We have no diesal onboard, and all our heating is from a solid fuel burning squiral stove.

 

Do you have the name/make/model of your stove?

 

 

Daniel

[Cafnod]

If the switch is on and the fuse is NOT blown it is fairly likely that it runs the stove, if the switch is off then it probably runs a pump, why not try it and see?

[William Martin]

thanks for the feedback folks - I managed to get hold of the builder this evening - there is a circulation pump under a cover beside the stove (as I suspected) - he suggests that since the pump is most likely running ok, the problem is an airlock at the highest point in the system which is the exit point on the back of the stove, which conveniently has a bleed valve fitted there for just that purpose.

 

I am not on the boat right now so cant yet confirm.

[Cafnod]

I would have thought you would hear the circulation pump running (if it is) do check your pump is switched on before trying to bleed the system.

[William Martin]

I guess I would have heard the pump ok - but it is right beside the fridge - so I probably thought it was the fridge compressor. These things can be such puzzles without the right help.

 

Thanks for all your help

[Cafnod]

We all learn new things all the time and if you are not familiar with what you are hearing or looking for it is best to ask, especially if you are on steep learning curve with a lot of new information to assimilate about your new boat.

Reason I said look for the pump is I always try to use Occams razor of not multiplying entities beyond necessity, in this case if it is not working is it switched on? Rather than if it is not working is there a problem that requires diagnoses and repair.

Its just I have seen things stripped down or large amounts of work done unecessarily because the 'no one switched it on at the wall' scenario occured.