Boilers - Installed by Mellor and Mottram

The boiler is at the heart of the system

In most old churches and other ancient buildings, Mellor and Mottram will install traditional ‘wet’ heating systems. These are powered by one or more boilers, dependent on the size of the church and the type of boiler. Most boilers are powered by either gas or oil, although the renewable option is becoming more popular.

With oil installations in particular, a single boiler can be adequate to run the heating system. That is because oil-fired boilers are usually larger, cast-iron units. More modern oil-fired boilers are of the condensing type – usually two units are installed with balanced flues through the wall.

Probably the best option for most churches, however, is still a gas-fired system. The great advantage is that these systems can ‘modulate’ the heat they produce as the system reaches the required temperature – giving a significant saving in fuel costs.

Put simply, the fan on the boiler slows as the temperature rises, limiting gas consumption. An example of this kind of system is the one pictured, installed at Christ Church in Chester.

In many gas installations more than one boiler is preferred. This allows greater control of the temperature in different heating ‘zones’ and allows one boiler to be closed down to save energy. The control units can be set to alternate the boiler that fires first and closes first.

An example of a two boiler installation is All Saints Church in Knaresborough, whose vicar knew of Mellor and Mottram from work done at her father’s church 30 years ago!