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Gas Fired Models - Plumbing
With most models of Aga, you have the option of obtaining domestic hot water.
This provides an economic way of producing 410 litres (90 gallons) of hot water, spread out over a 24 hour period, regardless of how much cooking is carried out.
Hot water is generated within the Aga and circulates through a conventional, open vented, gravity system into a 190 litre storage cylinder, located within 5 metres of the Aga.
There is a slight increase in the fuel consumption of a boiler model, but it is still an economic way of obtaining hot-water.
Will
the hot water demands affect the Aga’s
cooking performance?
No. The boiler draws its heat indirectly from
the burner chamber/ fire-barrel.
What
happens if we do not use all the hot water
produced by the Aga?
There will be an increase in the temperature of
the domestic hot water, but overheating is
unlikely under normal circumstances.
What
if we need more hot water than the Aga will
produce?
There is no reason why an electric immersion
heater cannot be fitted to the cylinder, for
occasions when top-ups are required.
Alternatively, it is sometimes possible to
interconnect the Aga into a ‘shared
system’ with another boiler or heat source.
Special controls and plumbing arrangements will
be required, and the Aga must be allowed to
contribute the bulk of the heat required. A
special ‘ twin coil’ cylinder is often
used in such circumstances.
Can
we fit a thermostat to the Aga to control the hot
water temperature?
No. If there are concerns regarding the upper
temperature limit, then consider fitting a mixing
valve at the cylinder outlet.
Can
the Aga be used to supply a radiator?
The Aga is designed to release just enough
heat from its boiler to generate 90 gallons of
hot water over 24 hours. Fitting even a small
radiator would seriously reduce the amount of
domestic hot water available.
What
about a towel rail?
As above, fitting a towel rail will reduce
the hot water production. In some households,
this might be useful, if demands for hot water
are limited, in which case, the towel rail will
act as a heat-leak.
What
happens in a hard water area?
The plumbing system for an Aga should be of
the ‘indirect’ type, in which case
lime-scale will not be a problem. Older
Aga’s may have been connected to
‘direct’ systems and may require
occasional de-scaling, if the boiler becomes
noisy.
Can
the Aga be connected to a ‘sealed’ hot
water system?
An Aga must be connected to a vented system,
with an appropriate feed and expansion tank. Some
proprietary ‘Thermal Store’ cylinders
may be connected to an Aga, such as the
‘Mainsflow’ from Albion cylinders. This
allows the hot water to be at mains pressure.
Further details of this type of system and the
necessary controls required, should be obtained
from the relevant cylinder manufacturer.
Can
a boiler be fitted to an existing ‘dry’
Aga?
Recent, two oven Aga’s can usually have
a boiler added fairly easily. Four oven, models
require a substantial amount of modification and
may not be economical to adapt. Ask your Aga
Distributor for more details or a quotation.
We
no longer want hot water from our aga. Can we
just disconnect the boiler?
To make the Aga safe, the boiler will need to be
removed and insulation material put in its place,
to maintain efficiency. Some adjustments may also
be required to the burner, On two oven models,
this work is straightforward, but four oven
models require rather more adaptation. Please ask
your Aga Distributor for further details.
The
water supply to the house is to be off for a
short while. What should we do?
The Aga may be left on, preferably turned
down low. Do not draw any hot water off.
