sam40 asked:


This boiler has been a pain for some time; it has needed repressurising every day but recently packed up altogether. Just had new pressure release valve fitted but now have heating working but the hot water is hot for a time and then becomes cold again and then hot again. Please help as this is driving me crazy.
New info: At low flow rates the water gets really hot and then the boiler cuts out- red light on constant…any more ideas with this? Thanks

Conner

Si & Lorro asked:


I have a Grundfos 15-50 Domestic Circulating Pump, it makes a very loud noise when calling for hot water, I have no hot water at the moment therefore the rads wont heat up. The boiler has pilot and lights up ok. The Pump make a loud whining noise for 2 mins and then stop and make a quiet rumble.

Any ideas what I can do, is it worth trying to bleed the pump?
Thanks - Do I need a whole new pump or just a part? Any ideas on costs & labour times?

Eugene

zam asked:


Hi

To my understanding, a conventional boiler heats up all the water in the tank, even if it’s not being used/needed. You can schedule when the boiler comes on with your central heating program box.

A combi boiler only heats up water when it is needed. Therefore saving you money. A disadvantage of this is that you need to run the hot tap for a bit, before the boiler has chance to kick-in and heat the water up.

Question:

If a combi-boiler comes to life by the taps being used, what is the point in scheduling the hot water on the central heating system?

Thanks in advance

Sarah

Paul Short asked:


Few things are more pleasing than waking up on a cold winter morning and putting your feet down on a perfectly warmed floor.  In fact, a warm floor for your feet is often even more satisfying than heating the air in your house.  After all, most people understand how to dress properly during the colder months.  But a cold floor can just ruin everything, no matter how well you are dressed.

 

Unfortunately, the traditional way of heating a home is to heat the air, which of course does not stay warm for very long if the walls and the floor are still cold.  And in many places unfortunate enough to have stone or tile floors placed atop a bed of solid concrete with no hint of insulation, the floor is always cold.

 

The solution is to either continuously heat the air in your home, leading to exhorbitant electric and gas bills, or to turn to electric underfloor heating 

Electric underfloor heating is a fairly new technique that consists of installing electric under floor heating cables made of copper.  The cables are attached to electric underfloor mats that provide a great deal of flexibility making them suitable for rooms of any shape and size.

 

Combining the electric underfloor mats with thermal insulation boards will at the same time provide the pleasant aforementioned experience and trap the generated heat, thereby warming the entire house while cutting down on energy costs.

 

To really understand the benefits of electric underfloor heating, consider the way most homes are now heated.  A large gas-powered boiler pumps hot water to wall-mounted radiators situated in each room.  Those radiators heat the surrounding air very slowly and unevenly.  You set a certain temperature, but that temperature is only ever reached right next to the radiator.

 

Furthermore, the radiators themselves take up much needed wall space and are often unsightly.

 

In newer homes, radiators have largely been replaced by central heating and air conditioning units, which have their own disadvantages.  A central heating and air conditioning unit will manage to heat more of the air in a house than will wall-mounted radiators, but the warmest areas will continue to be right around the source of heat, in this case the air vents.  These units also create a large amount of dust that is blown into the house along with the heat.

 

Last but certainly not least, central heating and air conditioning units add to the energy costs of traditional radiators by requiring electric-powered fans.

 

Contrast all that to the primary benefits of electric underfloor heating:

 

1. Electric underfloor mats are fitted to each individual room, ensuring an even distribution of heat;

 

2. Electric underfloor heating combined with thermal insulation is able to heat an area quickly, requiring the system to be turned on for a minimum amount of time;

 

3. Electric underfloor heating is invisible and does not take up any living space;

 

4. Electric underfloor heating does not create dust or any other byproduct;

 

5. Electric underfloor heating reduces traditional heating energy costs by up to 15 percent.

 

Best of all, the electric under floor heating system can be installed in any house, new or old, with far less trouble than other temperature control systems.  An electric under floor heating system can even be installed on your own, as it is roughly similar to laying wall-to-wall carpeting.

 

For those experiencing difficulties heating their homes, electric under floor heating is the solution and can lead to greater quality of life.

 



Frank

J Tillotson asked:


It’s much easier to save money on your gas and electricity bills in summer, isn’t it? You don’t need to keep your heating on, the long days provide more natural light, and cold food is so much more appealing in hot weather.

But what can you do to save money in winter, apart from wearing jumpers or cardies all the time? Surely there must be a better - and less bulky - solution?

One solution that will benefit you all year round is cavity wall insulation. You can expect to pay around £500, based on a three-bedroom semi-detached house, for the initial installation, but as it can save you roughly £90 per year in heating costs, it pays for itself reasonably quickly.

It also helps the environment, as CO2 emissions are reduced by about 750kg per property. To put this all into perspective, if every house in the UK had their cavity walls filled, we could heat approximately 1.4 million homes every year.

Loft insulation has a similar benefit. Because hot air rises, a large percentage of the heat in your home is lost through your ceilings. Having your loft insulated can prevent this.

For those of you with central heating, try using a timer: most boiler units have them. Set your heating to come on for an hour before you get up, then an hour in the afternoon (if you’re at home), and an hour or two in the evening.

If you’ve followed all the steps above, this should be enough to keep your home warm all day, and save you quite a bit of money in the process. For example: the average radiator gives out 2,000w of energy per hour. It will take two units of electricity to run such a radiator for one hour.

If you’re paying 8p per unit - most suppliers charge between 4p and 12p per unit - this would cost you 16p per hour of heating. If you have your radiators on for 18 hours per day, you’ll be paying £2.88 for a full day of heat.

Doesn’t sound like much, but if you add that up over three months, you are looking at nearly £260 spent on heating alone. Now, having heating on for just four hours a day, using the same amounts as above, will come to just under £60. Speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

If you’re not sure how much your gas and electricity is costing per unit, take a look at your last bills. If you think you are paying too much, why not think about changing your supplier to find one with a lower unit cost?

Sometimes, comparing gas and electricity suppliers online can save you more than you might think. You would be surprised how many households are actually paying more than they need for their home comforts.



Julio