Selfsufficientish.com

Hi,
I am looking for someone who is able to think outside the box regarding linking a solid fuel rayburn and fire back into the central heating system hence I thought that ISHland would be the ideal place to start. Ok my problem is this, 15 years ago when my grandparents were still alive the house was heated beautifully by one solid fuel rayburn in the kitchen and one readyfire in the front room, this was incredibly efficient, when my grandad died my dad managed to persuade my gran to have oil central heating put in however she luckily refused to get rid of either the rayburn or the readyfire and neither of these rooms have rads in. Now, my problem is this because I cannot afford oil I am using the rayburn and the readyfire to heat the two rooms of the house that they are inhowever, they are so efficient that they are heating the water very quickly and for some reason the pump in the attic will no longer take this water to the radiators now I am not so sily as to think that the two systems can work in tandem, that would be just far too easy but can I have something put into the system to allow the water to go to the rads instead of me having countless baths? I am thinking along the lines of a seperate pump or a valve or even a tap that I can do manually because at the moment it is all bubbling in the header tank! Hope this makes sense. Am guessing that when I get some money might have to start again with the system as am determined that the rayburn and readyfire will stay, am sure fellow ishers will understand because 'normal' heating engineers don't seem able too

Thank you so much for the advice, thats the first time anyone has said its possible! It struck me as totally ridiculous that I couldn't push all that water round the rads instead of it boiling in the header tank and making it sound like the roof was going to blow off. Or pouring it away (oh the waste ) Thank you!!!
Will investigate further!

Hello there ,

yes it is possible .We had the full works installed in 2008 ,16 m2 of solar panels for hot water ,
a Stanley Erin with back boiler , an Esse Ironheart with back boiler ,and a 1000 liter hot water
storage tank .
Apart from the cost's , it would be possible if you'd know a green plumber ,got one over here
but that's no use to you .
Maybe you'd find one on the net , but technically it is possible.
We made a new heating room for all the stuff , looks like the engine room of an oil tanker,
and it saves use 70 % on the gas bill.
And then the issue of co2 which has also dropped .

Thank you, is nice to know that it is possible, I really want what you sound like you have Paul, had a heating engineer out the other day to look and he came to the conclusion that the diverter valve needed to come down out of the attic and the pump to come down from the attic and return to the boiler room where it was 15 years ago but that doesn't sound like it will solve my problem either, still on the hunt for a green plumber