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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
Green Building Bible, fourth edition (both books)
These two books are the perfect starting place to help you get to grips with one of the most vitally important aspects of our society - our homes and living environment.

PLEASE NOTE: A download link for Volume 1 will be sent to you by email and Volume 2 will be sent to you by post as a book.

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    • CommentAuthorCaterham07
    • CommentTimeSep 26th 2017
     
    I have had some great support on a recent thread as I get to grips with poorly controlled Thermal Store. I am looking for some help on plumbing connections before I instruct the required work as I have lost confidence in the installation configuration.

    The Akvaterm Solar Plus store in a house I have bought is only connected to an Oil Boiler with three standby Immersion Coils as a basis for additions for heat sources next year. It is providing DHW and UFH.

    The Supply side is currently drawing water from the top coupling, through the boiler and returning to bottom coupling. When I look at schematics online, they seem often to drawing from the bottom and returning to the top. What is most efficient with this type of store ?

    On the Load side, the UFH is also drawing from the top coupling and returning to the bottom coupling. It has been suggested to me that it could be drawing from the mid level coupling, just below the baffle, and returning to the bottom coupling given the lower temperature required. Is keeping the cycle below the baffle a better option, or leave as it is ?

    The tank thermostat is in a pocket above the baffle.

    I am learning every day on subjects such as Stratification and appreciate the future use of the solar coils may change the optimal solution.

    Many thanks
    • CommentAuthoradi
    • CommentTimeSep 26th 2017 edited
     
    The most effective but not cheapest way on the load side would be to install a mixing valve so you use either the upper or middle connection depending on the temperature of your store.

    I use a esbe vrb140 on my store with electronic control that maintains my under floor heating supply at a constant 30degc

    This mixes water from either the middle or top of the tank into the return line to maintain the required temperature.


    http://www.esbe.eu/gb/en/products/rotary-valves/vrb140

    http://www.esbe.eu/gb/en/products/controllers/cra110

    I use a gas boiler on the supply side of my tank to hear the top third of the tank. The gas boiler takes cold water in from the middle tank connection and puts the hot water back to the tank to the upper connection. There is also a esbe vtc312 thermostatic valve ( set at 50degc) connected in with the gas boiler. The idea of the valve is it maintains the supply to the boiler at 50degc with the aim of the water exiting the boiler to be at 70degc. From my research gas condensing boilers work best when heating the water by 20 degrees. The added advantage of this valve is it avoids a large slug of cold water being pumped into the top of the tank when the gas boiler first starts up as this slug of cold water is directed straight back to the boiler to be heated again.

    http://www.esbe.eu/gb/en/products/solid-fuel-products/vtc300

    My orginal plan was to install solar heating on the bottom of the tank but so far I've never got arround to this.
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeSep 27th 2017
     
    Posted By: Caterham07The Supply side is currently drawing water from the top coupling, through the boiler and returning to bottom coupling. When I look at schematics online, they seem often to drawing from the bottom and returning to the top. What is most efficient with this type of store ?

    Is the boiler supplied with water directly from the thermal store or is it supplied through a coil within the thermal store?

    As connected, the boiler heats the thermal store from the bottom, and the thermal circulation within the thermal store means that the whole thermal store will heat up pretty much together. If you reverse the flow, the store will tend to stratify more and heat from the top first.

    On the Load side, the UFH is also drawing from the top coupling and returning to the bottom coupling. It has been suggested to me that it could be drawing from the mid level coupling, just below the baffle, and returning to the bottom coupling given the lower temperature required. Is keeping the cycle below the baffle a better option, or leave as it is ?

    Again, is the UFH supplied with water directly from the thermal store or is it supplied through a coil within the thermal store?

    It is quite common to feed central heating from the centre of the store and return at the bottom, so the top half of the store can be kept hotter for use as DHW supply.
    • CommentAuthorCaterham07
    • CommentTimeSep 27th 2017
     
    Thx.

    The water in the store is heated directly by passing through boiler and the water in the store is taken to the manifolds for blending.

    Whilst I just have the one boiler as source of heat, would I be better leaving as configured on the supply side until I can make use of the solar coils / heat pumps etc ?
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