Central Heating & Hot Water

[Gabe]

Can anybody say if there is a maximum distance advisable between either your boiler and the chaufeau, or the chaufeau and the bathrooms/kitchens ?

Reason I ask, further to a previous posting, is relating to the position of the oil storage tank. If I instal the tank indoors (presumably no planning permission required), I would like to put it and the boiler in an old wine chai that is at one end of our farmhouse. If I put it outside (I am assuming based on previous advice that I will require PP for this), then I would place the boiler in the utility room which is the opposite end of the building, directly next to the kitchen and underneath the two bathrooms. The distance between the two positions for the boiler is approx 12-14m. With this in mind would a chaufeau 12 - 14 m away from the main areas of use for hot water be sensible, or doesn't it matter. Or alternatively is there a problem with heating the chaufeau, if placed in the utility room, from a boiler the other end of the building. I assume that the latter is not a problem as after all we will be looking to heat radiators all over the house.

Also when calculating  radiators sizes, what is best practice, is it best to go for 1 large radiator or two smaller to achieve the same heat output ?

Anybody got ideas on costs/advice on oil fired boilers providing approx 44 - 52 KWs ?

....and finally, do you need to get planning permission for boiler flues ?

Many thanks

Gabe

[Gyn_Paul]

If it were me, I'd be looking to site the chauffeau as near to the taps as possible. Standing at a basin running the (metered) water waiting for it to eventually run hot gets old awfully quickly. I'm sure one of the professional plumber on the forum will tell you the maximum distance you can reasonably expect a circulator to push the hot water to, for any given diam. of pipe. You'll probably end up running 28mm (or possibly 32mm) piping if it's a fair distance.

Generally as long as the boiler and tank are in the same departement it's OK !

Usually PP not required.

Are you in a conservation area ? Is yours a listed (as opposed to listing) building? The wall which you are planning to run the flue up... does it overlook your property or a neighbour's? Are there adjacent buildings higher than the edge of your roof?  (in other words, is there a window or other opening into which the fumes could blow?)

if not then 'no'. However as with most queries in France, check with your Mairie if you are in any doubt.

p

[zeb]

Sorry, may have missed something here but why do you need a chauf eau as well as an oil fired boiler? They're electrically heated wall hung tanks aren't they?

Our boiler has a container (sorry can't remember what it's called - ballon?) inside which holds a few litres of hot water for instant use, the rest is heated when the boiler fires up. Not technical I'm afraid. Anyway, hot water to the kitchen, around 8 mtres away, doesn't take too long, but it takes a while for the hot water to reach the shower room upstairs above the kitchen.

You can, I believe, have a small ballon fitted under the kitchen sink unit.

Our boiler is in the utility room (sob) which is converted one storey woodstore, therefore has boiler flue going through the roof. I wanted the boiler in the barn next to the oil tank but M. le plombier said "No way" or words in French to that effect. Too expensive as ceiling height (for double skinned inox flue) in barn is 5.5mtrs. Indoor plastic 2500 ltr oil tank like ours has to be surrounded by breezeblock wall apparently (still to do!).

This may or may not help.

[Gyn_Paul]

"Sorry, may have missed something here but why do you need a chauf eau

as well as an oil fired boiler? They're electrically heated wall hung

tanks aren't they?

Our boiler has a container (sorry can't remember what it's called -

ballon?) inside which holds a few litres of hot water for instant use,

the rest is heated when the boiler fires up. Not technical I'm afraid....."

Yes, but not all of them do. Mine hasn't for a start. It's a plain and simple cast iron box, cold in the bottom, hot out of the top.

Maybe Gabe has a Chauffeau mixte: one which has both a coil to heat the water and an electric element to use during the summer (if any).

p

[chrisbooth]

Hi Gabe, I have recently bought a new house that has the oil fired bolier and the plastic oil tank in a small boiler room that is built onto the side  of the house, in reality there is only breeze block between the boiler room and the main house. The tank is about 2 feet from the boiler. the house has recently been given a certificate of conformity. The chauffagiste, recently came to adjust the combustion and never remarked that the boiler or tank were a problem. You now have me worried that it shouldnt comply. Can anyone answer these questions

Regards

Chris

[Alex H]

I've just had an engineer add a hot water reservoir to our oil fired heating system and he said that the tank should be 'bunded'. I.e double skinned with the outer skin able to hold the entire contents of the tank.

As a double skinned tank appears to be about £800, I'll be heading to Point P for some breezeblocks [:)]

[Gabe]

Thanks all,

To clarify, I should have said a hot water storage tank, rather than an electrically heated Chauffeau. We currently have an old  Chauffeau which is alright, but we only have one wash hand basin and a shower as a bathroom and so it doesn't have to keep up with much. I don't think it would cope with two bathrooms, both with baths and showers, my wife and I, plus three children. Not unless we wanted to heat it during the day, which would be too expensive.

Any ideas on the radiator sizes anybody ? Placing, actual installing and aesthetics apart, what is best, one large radiator or two small ?

Gabe

[Alcazar]

Gabe: have you taken into account getting your oil tank filled, when thinking about siting it? Our LPG tank couldn't be put where we originally wanted it, as it was too far for a tanker to lay pipework to connect to it, if you see what I mean? We ended up with it nearer the road, and loads of work to lay a pipeline from it to the boiler.

Our Ballon, (hot water storage) is at one end of the barn conversion, about 10m from the main house. My plumber, (who has done a very good job so far, and I trust implicitly), didn't see this as a problem. I even asked if I ought to lag the pipes, and he said if I wanted, I could, and he'd get me the stuff,cheap,  as it's better than that in the local Briconauts........it is, he's used it on the c/h pipes when they go through the cave!

The ballon isn't in use yet, as I'm still wrestling with fitting the shower room. Going again the week after next, hope it's fine enough to work in an unheated, (so far), barn!

Alcazar

[Gabe]

Alcazar,

We are fortunate in that we have a large courtyard and gateway at the front of the house, so access should not be a problem wherever we site the tank (hopefully).  One question, am I right in assuming that as your Ballon is at one end of the barn conversion, this is where your boiler is placed as well ?

Gabe