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Post by Clinton Cool on Jun 19, 2020 7:44:09 GMT
I'm thinking of buying a 200 year old cottage in Wales. It's small, around 15' x 13' with a small extension downstairs for a bathroom. It's very poorly insulated and 'off grid' as regards gas. It's currently only heated by a few electric panel heaters. Not good, would need to be upgraded.
The obvious solution is to fit an oil fired central heating system. This is expensive though, and placing a fuel tank somewhere would be difficult, if not impossible.
There's an inglenook fireplace downstairs and an apparently lined chimney. Got me thinking; why not fit a suitably sized solid fuel stove with back burner and run some radiators off it? The lowest cost option would be to run just 2 radiators downstairs, one to the kitchen and one to the bathroom. 2 bedrooms upstairs, one will be for storage so just keep an electric panel heater in the bedroom I'll use. Otherwise at an obviously higher cost run radiators all over the house.
I'm not clear how these systems work. My best guess is that there's a pump somewhere. Is the pump triggered by a thermostat or is it a manual switch? I've also heard of 'gravity fed systems', what's that about? Would the radiators and piping be standard? I could then plumb and install myself, saving money, maybe just calling an engineer in to check and commission everything.
Anyone?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2020 7:58:35 GMT
Of limited use to you, but for what it's worth ...
many years ago we found a cottage to buy in Old Ravenfield, which we could afford, and was beautiful, but needed LOTS of work doing.
We looked around at other properties for the same price, and discovered several we could just move in to ... modern and all done ... but not character, historic or cottagey.
Old places will eat up cash ... but if that's what you want to do crack on ... a labour of love.
Is it worth considering that something you can just move in to and get on with your 'new life' may be a better option ?
Rog
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2020 8:00:48 GMT
We used to have a Rayburn with back boiler in our house when we’re kids, no gas. Just the same logic as in a Boat, Stove has a back boiler which by use of a pump shoves water around the rads and around the hot water tank...
I think gravity needs the pipes to drop from the boiler to rads so only works one one levell, not upstairs?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2020 9:03:52 GMT
I'm thinking of buying a 200 year old cottage in Wales. - and placing a fuel tank somewhere would be difficult, if not impossible. If you can't fit a fuel tank anywhere how would you store the coal? Does it have a garden?
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Post by Clinton Cool on Jun 19, 2020 9:09:30 GMT
I'm thinking of buying a 200 year old cottage in Wales. - and placing a fuel tank somewhere would be difficult, if not impossible. If you can't fit a fuel tank anywhere how would you store the coal? Does it have a garden? There's a separate bit of land that has a very useful storage shed/ workshop. Perfect for my bike and will make a lovely little workshop. www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-77253487.html
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Post by patty on Jun 19, 2020 9:38:54 GMT
I'm thinking of buying a 200 year old cottage in Wales. It's small, around 15' x 13' with a small extension downstairs for a bathroom. It's very poorly insulated and 'off grid' as regards gas. It's currently only heated by a few electric panel heaters. Not good, would need to be upgraded. The obvious solution is to fit an oil fired central heating system. This is expensive though, and placing a fuel tank somewhere would be difficult, if not impossible. There's an inglenook fireplace downstairs and an apparently lined chimney. Got me thinking; why not fit a suitably sized solid fuel stove with back burner and run some radiators off it? The lowest cost option would be to run just 2 radiators downstairs, one to the kitchen and one to the bathroom. 2 bedrooms upstairs, one will be for storage so just keep an electric panel heater in the bedroom I'll use. Otherwise at an obviously higher cost run radiators all over the house. I'm not clear how these systems work. My best guess is that there's a pump somewhere. Is the pump triggered by a thermostat or is it a manual switch? I've also heard of 'gravity fed systems', what's that about? Would the radiators and piping be standard? I could then plumb and install myself, saving money, maybe just calling an engineer in to check and commission everything. Anyone? I know about this subject....courtesy Horror House.... I had solid fuel with hot water/heating running off Mine was a Rayburn.. Pump upstairs in airing cupboard but not a thermostat..'her next door did and she had it removed as didn't work' Switch for pump in the kitchen..the pump is possibly the only part of Horror House that didn't require renewing or replacing! The Rayburn was in the kitchen and the pipes went straight up to the airing cupboard with hot water tank and there was a 'header?' tank above. The pipework then fed the rads..3 upstairs and a 2 big doubles down stairs. Plenty of hot water when it was stoked up and would keep going..knack was to work out how to build it up. there was a switch thingy on the rayburn that you moved from side to side as top whether u cooked or had hot water but I used to keep it sorta in the middle as I only found out about that when I went to sell. Plus side...plenty of heat but did work expensive as coal not cheap...small anthracite I found worked best but i would get it going with wood as well. Minus..fine coal dust everywhere which I didn't like If u 'forgot' to turn the wheel down to close it post lighting the water soon boiled in pipes which scared me... I couldn't keep lugging coal.. I would not ever go back to solid fuel but each to their own You are sorta got to be there to feed it..though son could keep it alight for 36 hours, I never achieved that ..longest for me prob 24 hours. Just re read.....I was told my chimney lined in the lounge......nah was not..i'd check that one
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Post by Isambard Kingdom Brunel on Jun 19, 2020 9:46:31 GMT
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Post by TonyDunkley on Jun 19, 2020 10:40:53 GMT
The Welsh Nationalists are the people who can help you. Back in the 1970's they used to go to endless trouble to make sure that English owned holiday cottages were kept nice and warm for when the owners next visited.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2020 10:48:52 GMT
We lived in Wales in the mid seventies for a few years. Parents bought a farm and the old man played at being the farmer. Very silly really.
No trouble with the natives but then we lived there full time it was not a holiday thing.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2020 10:54:02 GMT
Nice looking place Clinton Cool ... but you've set Jane off searching houses around Barmouth ... some belters around £160k with nothing needing doing. Rog
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Post by Clinton Cool on Jun 19, 2020 11:00:52 GMT
Nice looking place Clinton Cool ... but you've set Jane off searching houses around Barmouth ... some belters around £160k with nothing needing doing. Rog Thing is Rog, I like to have things to do. I also hate the thought of living on a housing estate where everyone follows each other with the latest fashions. I want somewhere a bit quirky that I can fill with oddities and antiques. Magnolia paint will come straight off the walls, no Ikea in sight. Chesterfield sofas, industrial heritage items, things I've collected on my travels on the walls, bit of artwork from myself, that's what I want. Oh, and a quirky heating system would be nice.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2020 11:10:35 GMT
I've seen diesel heaters with their own built in tank. Not sure what the make was but bloke I knew had one on a boat.
You fill it up daily from a Gerry (are we allowed to say this?) can.
That's quirky innit.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2020 11:13:21 GMT
I'd be tempted to keep the existing fire place and install an kero or diesel boiler somewhere else in the building. It would be a shame to lose the open fire. Multifuel is good but as patty said quite a few disadvantages.
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Post by Clinton Cool on Jun 19, 2020 11:21:40 GMT
I'd be tempted to keep the existing fire place and install an kero or diesel boiler somewhere else in the building. It would be a shame to lose the open fire. Multifuel is good but as patty said quite a few disadvantages. If you look closely you'll see that it's a 'fake' fire. I don't do fake. First thing to come out will be that, replaced with a proper stove, regardless of what I decide to do with the rest of the heating.
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Post by patty on Jun 19, 2020 11:31:13 GMT
Having studied the cottage...its just the sort of place I would have opted for pre Horror House.. It'd make a lovely quirky place to live..don't like the green though(dunno why folk paint that colour).. Good luck with whatever u decide. Its not as big as Horror house so u wouldn't need the heating I had...
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