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Chorlton Meadows
Last Updated on Monday, 14 November 2011 10:50 Monday, 14 November 2011 10:44
Nest - Learning thermostat
Monday, 14 November 2011 10:00
This is the Nest, a new type of thermostat. Primarily for the American market it will will your petterns and heating behaviours with a view to saving money off your heating bill.
It's a great idea, simply put if you're the type to be constantly changing the temperature in your home this will learn how and when you do it and then do it for you. Even if your the type to set it and leave it then this will take care of that too. This is a great idea for the average American home. The heating systems that they use are normally air heated or cooled, essentially air conditioning. The homes are usually a lot younger than british homes too. They've been built in the last 30-40 years with much higher standards of insulation than ours. The Uk's average housing stock is more than 60 yrs old and brick built. Our weather is also more changable. This all leads to higher bills for us as we try to contend with homes that lose heat quickly and weather that changes hour to hour.
For those of us lucky enough to live in well insulated homes, this could be a good idea, shaving off energy savings enough to cover the initial cost. For the rest of us, a better way to save money on heating bills would be to insulate your home as best you can.
Bleeding Radiators
Last Updated on Monday, 16 May 2011 22:55 Monday, 16 May 2011 22:50
Heating System Maintenance
This is a good time of year to carry out maintenance of your heating system. Although conducting a full boiler service should be left to the proffessionals, there are things that the average DIYer or practical home owner can do.
It is important to keep your central heating system pressurised, if air gets into it there are a few problems it can cause. Firstly air in your central heating system can cause corrosion to the internal parts. Radiators, boiler pumps, heat exchangers, and the system pipework can all corrode due to the chemical reaction between the metals, water and air in your heating system.
Modern Boilers
Modern boilers often have a pressure gauge on the front panel. This gauge is used to show the pressure of the central heating system water NOT the hot water. If the boiler is a combi then the water pressure will be mains pressure about 3bar. If your hot water comes from a hot water cylinder it is more likely to be a lot lower in pressure, around 1 or 2 bar.
The pressure gauge on the front of your boiler should normally read around 1-2 bar whilst the boiler is cold. When the heating is on the pressure can rise to around 3bar. Anymore than this and you could have a problem. If the reading is lower than 1 some types of boiler won’t work.
Central Heating Pressure
It is very straight forward to keep the pressure in your system at the right level. Air in the central heating system can cause the pressure to fluctuate up and down. Starting with the lowest radiators open up the vent at the top. You will need a radiator bleed key for this( these are widely available and most DIY and hardware stores will have them). Use a cloth underneath to catch any water that comes out. If the radiator has air in it this will be expelled with a hissing sound. Once all the air is out water will start to come out too. Use the bleed key to close the vent again all the while keeping the cloth underneath to top any dribbles hitting hte floor and potentially staining the floor covering.
Repeat this procedure with all the other downstairs radiators. Once the lower radiators have been bled start with the radiators on the next floor. Once all the radiators have been bled refilling the system. If your system has a water tank in the loft this will happen automatically, if you have a combi or sealed system you will need to locate the filling loop to add extra water. Check the manufacturers instructions for the boiler or look near the boiler for a flexible connector( if your unsure call a professional for advice).
Manufacturers Instructions
Once the filling loop has been located fill the system back up to the correct level( again check the manufacturers instructions) which will be between 1 - 2 bar. It is very important to not fill the system to much. Although boilers have a safety mechanism to stop them becoming too pressurised it is possible to cause costly damage if they are overpressurised. If in doubt call a professional!
Troublsome Boilers
Written by Richard Shears Thursday, 20 October 2011 05:46
If you have a broken boiler, especially a Ravenheat 84ET I have a lot more knowledge now than I did a week ago. This is due to a troublesome boiler which just did not want to keep going. The normal procedure for fixing a broken boiler is to visit the property, diagnose whats wrong with it and then fix it, either by re-setting a component or cleaning one or buying a new part to replace the broken one. Well this 84ET refused to do anything even after every trick in the book was thrown at it.
Unfortunately where as most boilers are fixable some are not and this Ravenheat was not. After a few days of trying different things to get it started again it was decided with the customer that installing a new one would be the best option. So now they have a sparkling new Vaillant ecoTEC PRO 24. Ravenheat boilers don't have a very good reputation in the industry, in fact whilst in the plumbers merchant I was chatting with another engineer who agreed that he doesn't know of anyone who would fit a Ravenheat (and then added controversially "anyone legal that is"). I'm sure plent were fitted legally, I think they were the boiler of choice for British Gas back in the day, but they certainly aren't now. Not only are the older models more unreliable than their rivals of the same age but the spare parts cost a fortune as well. If you have a Ravenheat 84ET maybe its time to think about getting a new boiler. But not before we've tried to fix it for you!
If you were thinking of getting a new boiler soon, we recommend these manufacturers:
Vaillant
Worcester Bosch
and as a mid-range choice:
Main
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