what heating?

[juliedaisy]

hi

i live in a stone cottage possibly about 200 years old. it is presently heated via a parkray. however, especially in this cold snap the house is still cold and the parkray is very old and i don't really like it.but my question is what to change to?

we have no gas in our village. my main thoughts have been-
1. mulitfuel stove - burn logs and solid fuel. think this will be cheaper option but worried about like the parkray always ensuring it has enough fuel on etc. finding balance between turning it down so it will keep going all night but not so closed that there is no heat in house.
2. oil fired combi or normal boiler. or
3. rayburn type cooker to do heating and water. this is my fav option but a few things put me off - first cost, to buy and run. 2nd my kitchen has no chimney so would also be costly to install and flue to outside.

anyone any suggestions, tips,ideas or thoughts - would be much appreciated

 

[bower1]

Does the parkray already run radiators, and if so, what condition are they in?

If you have radiators and they are OK, you could fit an oil boiler to feed the radiators and disconnect from the parkray, and still use the parkray for occasional heat or if there is a power cut. I've done that before with a parkray, it still requires quite a lot of new plumbing but much less than a full new system.

 

[NT]

Dont overlook solarthemal flat panel space heating, which can give a useful winter return for a cost of a few hundred. When youre using higher priced fuels than gas, the numbers are even more atractive.

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SpaceHeating/Space_Heating.htm


NT

 

[juliedaisy]

yes our radiators are fine. a boiler was our original plan but got tempted with multifuel re costs.

don't really know much about solar panels but live in the north not a lot of sun!!

 

[Tom]

Oil fuelled Rayburns are available with balanced flues, meaning they are vented through a hole in an outside wall, as opposed to a conventional flue. Hope this helps.

Jaqy

 

[juliedaisy]

thanks yes would love a rayburn and realise i can run one without chimney. but have been out off as everyone says that oil ones are very expensive to run - that and the 7-8k i would need to buy and fit one!

 

[Tom]

If you really do want a Rayburn, consider buying one at least 6 years old. The newer ones are a different build quality and have more problems than the older, better build models. Of course, these are cheaper, too It's possible to find a good second hand one with a decent service history. My 16 year old Rayburn is finally in place, after spending 4 years in the porch!! I'm just waiting for the gas supply to go live and the plumber connect it up.....can't wait, cos then I'll have my under floor heating on, too

Jaqy

 

[NT]

don't really know much about solar panels but live in the north not a lot of sun!!

we get 100s of w per square metre even in the midst of winter. Unlike hot water systems that can be captured even at below freezing temps.

news:alt.solar.thermal for expertise & detail


NT

 

[worms]

If you really do want a Rayburn, consider buying one at least 6 years old

I love my 7 year-old Rayburn, but...

Be very careful if you are buying a used Rayburn. If you do a search on here you will find a number of threads recounting stories of the boiler problems on some models where it is impossible to replace the boiler without completely dismantling the stove. It is very difficult to get all the insulation back in the right places and to rebuild to the factory spec. Since the machine needs removing for repair, it is very tempting to replace it with a new model and sell the old one after replacing the boiler. The unsuspecting second hand owner can really be buying a pig in a poke.

I would want to know a great deal about the history of any second-hand Rayburn and might be tempted to avoid the 6-12 year old ones. If you see one that looks good, drop into your local Aga-Rayburn shop and see if you can quiz any of the repair engineers about the age and model that you have seen.

I'm not saying don't buy one, just make sure you are well informed and that you have your eyes wide open!

 

[juliedaisy]

thanks everyone for all the comments. although i love rayburns i don't think they are the way to go at the moment.

has anyone any experience of multi fuel stoves for central heating? we were told clear view were excellent but not for doing heating as they do not have a thermostat and not as manageable - anyone any experience?

 

[plumbers mate]

Shame the solar page linked to above is all USA - clapboard walls etc.
Also I notice on one of the pages they give a list of angles at which panels should be for optimum sun collection.
They go from latitude 41 to 47 - sadly I live on Latitude 55 ....