Dual zone heating with back boiler

alo1587

Hi all, I'm thinking of availing of the SEAI grant for the heating controls upgrade (400 euro) for the house.I was looking for dual zone heating (upstairs/downstairs and also hot water).Also looking to get trv's installed too.My father was talking to the plumber but he said you couldnt install a dual zone heating system as we have a back boiler? I also have oil heating.He pretty much said you cant install it and anyone that says otherwise doesnt know their stuff.Anyone able to shed light on this? Many thanks

RubyGirl

I was told you can, I have a back boiler and wanted to put in a fire door. He told me I could zone it off upstairs/down hot water and underfloor heating. Told here since not to do underfloor as it damage's the manifold's.

Prob best to get a second opinion.

JohnnieK

RubyGirl wrote: »

I was told you can, I have a back boiler and wanted to put in a fire door. He told me I could zone it off upstairs/down hot water and underfloor heating. Told here since not to do underfloor as it damage's the manifold's.

Prob best to get a second opinion.

Your upstairs/downstairs and hot water zones are closed because they are satisfied, where is the heat and energy in your back boiler going to go when that happens?

The safest way to do it is through a heat exchanger but this would invole a re-pipeing of the system.

ccsolar

alo1587 wrote: »

Hi all, I'm thinking of availing of the SEAI grant for the heating controls upgrade (400 euro) for the house.I was looking for dual zone heating (upstairs/downstairs and also hot water).Also looking to get trv's installed too.My father was talking to the plumber but he said you couldnt install a dual zone heating system as we have a back boiler? I also have oil heating.He pretty much said you cant install it and anyone that says otherwise doesnt know their stuff.Anyone able to shed light on this? Many thanks

Hi alo1587
Yes it can be done but needs to be planned very carefully
You cannot put trv's on all the rads as you need open zones for circulation, but that will not affect your grant.
Fit a high temperature stat onto your tank ( also known as an anti-boil stat) which is connected to a circulating pump not a motorised valve (replace motorised valves with circulating pumps, you get better circulation and are more reliable) this will open your zones overriding your standard time/zone clock
Make sure you have a 3G safety system in place with the solid fuel and also you don't need a heat exchanger fitted, you already have 1 within the tank
Pm also sent with further info
Cc

Dtp1979

ccsolar wrote: »

Hi alo1587
Yes it can be done but needs to be planned very carefully
You cannot put trv's on all the rads as you need open zones for circulation, but that will not affect your grant.
Fit a high temperature stat onto your tank ( also known as an anti-boil stat) which is connected to a circulating pump not a motorised valve (replace motorised valves with circulating pumps, you get better circulation and are more reliable) this will open your zones overriding your standard time/zone clock
Make sure you have a 3G safety system in place with the solid fuel and also you don't need a heat exchanger fitted, you already have 1 within the tank
Pm also sent with further info
Cc

Cc I'd love to see a diagram of this

cocomax

Hi
I replied to you some time ago and i have seen some replies to you. be carefull when you plan out this system as some of the advise is of the mark

regards cocomax

Dtp1979

cocomax wrote: »

Hi
I replied to you some time ago and i have seen some replies to you. be carefull when you plan out this system as some of the advise is of the mark

regards cocomax

Like which advise?

cocomax

Hi, if the job is done correctly you can have hot water zone along with upstairs and downstairs and your stove ese zones and it doesnt matter if they are closed because it would be plumbed correctly to combat these zones being closed

shane0007

cocomax wrote: »

Hi, if the job is done correctly you can have hot water zone along with upstairs and downstairs and your stove ese zones and it doesnt matter if they are closed because it would be plumbed correctly to combat these zones being closed

I would agree. Have done many SEAI zoned systems with solid fuel thrown into the mix. Most of which never used a links. It just needs to be zoned from the tees of the boiler side & must have a twin coil cylinder.

Saying that, the best one I have done was with the new Firebird link, the rads were pressurised & the stove was open vented.

cocomax

shane 0007

you know what you are doing for sure. we are doing exactly the system you are talking about at the moment works a treat

shane0007

cocomax wrote: »

shane 0007

you know what you are doing for sure. we are doing exactly the system you are talking about at the moment works a treat

Just be concious of the non-return valve locations & numbers required. I got caught on our first install with them but an additional valve sorted it.
Actually spoke to one of the clients that we installed it about 6 months ago & they have never had the system work so well. It sorted all their previous heating system issues. And a lot cheaper than the System Links.

cocomax

ya it is important to keep all the nrv's on the same lines a system link would be much dearer

Dtp1979

shane0007 wrote: »

I would agree. Have done many SEAI zoned systems with solid fuel thrown into the mix. Most of which never used a links. It just needs to be zoned from the tees of the boiler side & must have a twin coil cylinder.

Saying that, the best one I have done was with the new Firebird link, the rads were pressurised & the stove was open vented.

You got a diagram Shane?

shane0007

Dtp1979 wrote: »

You got a diagram Shane?

Just one I drew up. I will dig it out & post it.

shane0007

Here ya go....

Dtp1979

shane0007 wrote: »

Here ya go....

No I have that one Shane thanks. I'm on about the system that doesn't use the heat exchanger