Published on 12, July, 2020
Back in the summer, I had a new central heating system installed, which consisted of a new combi boiler, new radiators with thermostatic radiator valves, and a new digital wall thermostat.
On Thursday of last week, I had been finding it cold and hard to warm up. I kept turning up the wall thermostat and couldn't understand why my radiators were lukewarm, as opposed to roasting hot. Now, before anyone rushes to ask me if I had bled my radiators, I had already gone around the house doing that. The radiator valves were fully open too, and the water pressure on my boiler had also been checked.
Aware that the temperatures were set to plummet on Friday evening, I phoned my council repairs team on Friday morning to explain my bafflingly bizarre central heating issue. I was informed I would be contacted the same day by the company they use for gas and plumbing issues. After a couple of hours, I am informed that an engineer will visit on 6th December. Panic sets in as I try to remember if I still have my two emergency fan heaters to tide me over, and obsess about what might be wrong with my central heating system.For the benefit of anyone who understands central heating systems and boilers better than me, you might well pi$$ yourselves laughing at the following. On my boiler, I have a dial for the hot water and another for the central heating. The one for the central heating had been set at around 40°C. I had increased it to 50°C, which I thought was far too high. This made no difference, as my radiators still felt lukewarm. Well, I then increased the temperature (on the boiler) to 72°C, and what a difference it made. My house suddenly went from feeling Baltic to feeling decidedly tropical.I still don't quite *get* the controls on my boiler, but in my ignorance, I had believed that because my wall thermostat *only* goes up to 35°C, increasing the temperature on my boiler to one that would probably kill most people was unnecessary. Anyway, since Friday, I have been experimenting with the temperature on my boiler, in an attempt to strike the right balance and achieve an ideal room temperature.
That sounds perfectly logical to me!
Their small food and giant prices is a bit of a mickey take in my oh so humble opinion.
I'm sorry to say I never received any response to my email and I sent a follow up email asking if they received the first and still no response so I don't think they approved of my email, which in my opinion was a valid thing to ask.
Sporadic Sparkly said:Increasingly, I find I take one look at the price and the minuscule size of the delectable treat and think, "Nope!"
I'm the same now. I don't buy the really expensive and small stuff anymore. It isn't worth it.
Thank you for explaining that to me. I think I may now slowly be getting it.
Sporadic Sparkly said:In that case, what purpose does the wall thermostat serve?
That's for what you want the air temperature to be. The water inside the radiators has to be much hotter in order to warm the room.
Autonomistic said:The temperature controls on the boiler are to set the water temperature inside the radiators.
In that case, what purpose does the wall thermostat serve?
My previous combi boiler was so old that although it had dials for the hot water and central heating, there was no display enabling me to see the temperature those dials had been set to. Therefore, I'd just assumed the max temperature for the central heating was the same as for the wall thermostat (35°C).
What I do know is that for my central heating to come on, the temperature on the wall thermostat has to be set to 21°C or above. This is how it had been with my previous central heating system as well. If the wall thermostat was turned any lower, the heating would go off and remain off.
Sporadic Sparkly said:What I am struggling to make sense of is why the temperature on my boiler needs to be set to a much higher temperature than my wall thermostat.
The temperature controls on the boiler are to set the water temperature inside the radiators.
I figured that out the hard way after freezing for the first couple of days of a caravan holiday. Like you I tried adjusting the valves on the radiators but it made no difference. Eventually I realised the dials on the boiler had been set at minimum.
For most of my life I have lived in houses without any central heating and have never needed to know these things.
Ha Ha Ha.
Sparkly runs off feeling decidedly cynical and unconvinced.
"Government" and "help" in the same sentence.
I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help.
Out of curiosity, did you receive a reply to the letter you sent to Mr Kipling?For years I have been saying that if the edible goodies get any smaller, we will need a magnifying glass to see them.
Increasingly, I find I take one look at the price and the minuscule size of the delectable treat and think, "Nope!"
I find user manuals difficult to follow. I might just be an imbecile but the writing on them is always small and not at all easy to follow or if I'm really unlucky it's in Chinese.
That's where the internet is really useful because that's straight where I go when I need help with this sort of thing.
That's a good question why it's higher than the thermostat... I think an email to the manufacturer is required.
I emailed the Mr Kipling cakes company last year and asked why their cakes are now so small.
Sporadic Sparkly said:The important thing is that I now know my central heating system is working fine.
Yep that's the important thing! Good job.
I have a user manual that was supplied with the boiler. It states the minimum temperature setting on the boiler (for CH) is 30°C, and the maximum is 80°C. To set to 72°C or less for high-efficiency operation.What I am struggling to make sense of is why the temperature on my boiler needs to be set to a much higher temperature than my wall thermostat. However, if it was explained to me, it would likely go straight over the top of my head.
The important thing is that I now know my central heating system is working fine.
Have you checked Google for instructions? Or YouTube? You can normally find instructions and tutorials for almost anything online. ️
Since my parents are older and unwell I've been doing a lot more for myself and for them. It's a learning curve as you're finding out with your boiler. You'll get there though.
Don't worry, Love, I had to learn the hard way. My cleaner was my chief Domestic Sage; her husband is a Builder.
Plus, my uncle is a foreman. I soon got dressing downs, from his Wife, which made me teachable.