Hot Summer Days have left us

October 29, 2009 at 5:01 pm · Filed under plumbing

Your Regular Central Heating Inspection is very important to your loved ones wellness and your pocket.

 

Yearly boiler checks will take care of your home and could lead to smaller home heating costs.

 

Carbon monoxide poisoning can hit with a poorly looked after boiler. It also can be ineffective expanding your gas heating charges.

 

If you want an effective and secure boiler you should have a frequent and annual maintenance program.

 

Your central heating cost a lot to put in and burns costly gas so you really ought to have it maintained yearly to keep it running without problems.  A rigorous inspection program will also highlight any safety matters.

 

A dependable has boiler is a frequently serviced boiler, it can also be a more effective boiler with smaller heating costs}. {Central Heating efficiency is improved, shrinking your fuel costs, and you can relax acknowledging that your boiler is operating well.

 

Feeling in control flows from a planned heating service as you know your boiler should be performing well for the following twelve months and is not emmiting any dangerous fumes.

 

Leave a Comment

Quieten that banging radiator

October 11, 2008 at 12:09 pm · Filed under plumbing ·Tagged

My neighbor was complaining the other day about his banging radiators and how they had been doing that for over a year!

He was surprised when I advised him that you can bleed a radiator to let the air out and stop the noise.  Yes thats bleed, not as in blood but as in letting the air out.

Air builds up in radiators as waste deposits and corrosion create waste gases, they are designed with a bleed valve to allow this air build up to escape.

A towel to shield your hand, a bleed valve and a quarter turn of the wrist and the task is completed.

Once done remember to close the valve and you should be ok for the next year or two.

Leave a Comment

Why condensing combi boilers are cost-efficient

September 23, 2008 at 8:17 am · Filed under plumbing ·Tagged ,

As the world grows there is rising call for for gas and prices are increasing each year.  One leading consumer of gas in the dwelling house is the boiler. You could save up to 30 percent on your present-day heating bills by putting in a condensing gas combi boiler.

Running in the background your present-day gas boiler will be heating your home and providing hot water for washing cutlery and clothing in addition to powering your bath. A boiler does not last for ever and that the average lifespan will be fifteen years.  If your boiler is nearing the end of its lifespan it could be very inefficient in comparison to younger models.  Many aging boilers are graded as a G on the SEDBUK scale, where A is the most cost-effective at 95-98% and G the least economical boiler at 20-30%.

Observing that this it could be cost effective to substitute your boiler if your current model is nearing the end of its life. You can cut your gas bills significantly if you invest in a new energy efficient boiler. If you have a small home with a intermediate demand for hot water a combination boiler is probably the best option for you. Your hot water storage cylinder becomes redundant with a gas combination boiler which heats water on demand. Having instantaneous hot water is an advantage but, depending upon the the power rating of your heating boiler, you may feel that the heating boiler is not able to supply multiple hot taps at the same time.

A normal gas boiler heats the water and transfers it to a storage cylinder for prompt access.  This is the most ineffective method and the heat losses are great even with a fully lagged tank.  A disadvantage of using any hot water storage cylinder is that it will require space in your house although it does mean that you can access to large amounts of hot water whenever necessary.

60 percent heating efficiencies are accessible to you by shifting to a gas combination boiler which will heat water on need and not require the inefficient hot water storage cylinder. A combi condensing boiler is  better where water is heated on call for and the hot flue gases normally vented to the air is used to heat a secondary coil.  Clever use of this energy to heat the water on call for means that this type of boiler can further save on your heating costs.

Leave a Comment

Top Household insulation tips

September 5, 2008 at 10:03 am · Filed under plumbing ·Tagged ,

Household insulation tips

In times of high energy costs it makes sense to insulate your home. Some good tips here.

Many insulation measures are simple and inexpensive but they can lead to advances in retaining the heat within your household.

The lower limit roof loft insulation level is 100 mm but you will get supplemental gains if you install insulation between 150 millimeter and 200 millimetres thick.

Lagging a hot water cylinder will additionally retain a lot of heat where it is needed.

Insulation will help your boiler to heat your household to the necessary temperature and you should seriously consider whether your home would profit from this.

See it can be easy to reduce your bills.

Leave a Comment

Bleeding a radiator

August 28, 2008 at 8:58 am · Filed under plumbing ·Tagged

Wikipedia sometimes has good information on home maintenance items sometimes you need to stop and pause. This is a clip from the heating radiator article – perhaps a little thin.

All “radiant” (ie. heat radiates from hot water) systems need to be bled, or purged of air, on occasion.

If there is air (or other gases such as Hydrogen) trapped inside the radiator, then the water cannot rise to the top, and only the bottom area gets hot.

Often radiators located on upper floors will accumulate more air than ones on lower floors as the air will tend to rise to the topmost point in the system.

Note that if air is getting into the radiators frequently, this may be the sign of a leak somewhere, such as a dripping valve, or loose joint.

See whilst you plumber will know about radiator bleeding the people who contribute to Wikipedia do not always have the full details.

I will do an article on radiator banging and bleeding soon …..

Leave a Comment

Save on those energy bills

August 13, 2008 at 1:07 pm · Filed under combi boiler ·Tagged ,

Energy economy and reducing energy use is essential to us all in present-day times. Ever increasing gas costs make it essential to get the most out of your boiler and central heating system. Whilst you use electricity and gas throughout your house you may find that up to one 50% of your energy charge relates to your central heating energy use. Every household should be able to contract its heating system bills by following out some of the tips we have outlined below.

turn off boilers in areas where you do not need it :
Gas central heating radiators are made to be switched on and off. Have a look at whether there are any rooms in your home which are not being used and switch off the radiator there. If an area of your home is not used frequently it really doesn’t need heating. closing the door to these rooms will also stop warm air leaking into them and chilled air flowing out.

turn off a fire if you are using the central heating :
The fire is not as efficient as the gas boiler and it will not heat the rest of your home. With coal or wood fires most of the heat disappears up the chimney, modern central heating systems are much more cost-efficient in heating your home than using an electric fire.

Stop those draughts with the correct insulation
Stop being cold air flowing into your home means that you do not have to pay for energy to continually heat the air. The first place to look will be your doors and ensure that any visible gaps are blocked off. There can be gaps between the window and door frames and a wall which are easily sealed with a foam based sealer. These type of gaps happen often in aging houses as the foundations settle. drafts can be hunted down by using a candle flame and checking when it flickers as you move around the room taking care not to spill any hot wax.

Don’t turn up the heating, put on more clothes :
Putting on a sweater will keep you warm rather than turning up the heating. A ten% reduction in your gas consumption can easily be achieved by reducing your room temperature by 1°.

Make best use on your curtains to control temperature :
The sun is very effective at heating your home in the wintertime, when shining, if you keep the drapes opened to allow it in. Outside temperatures drop at night time and your house can lose a lot of heat through the windowpanes. Drawing the drapes provides an insulating layer which helps stop this, this can can save you real money in the longer term. The thicker the drapes in the better.

:
You must insulate your central heating hot water tank if you have one. A cylinder which is not insulated will quickly lose its heat and require you to pay to heat the hot water again.

The use of silver foil on the wall by your radiator can be used to reflect heat into the room rather than out into the wall and the outside.

Leave a Comment

Calculate your carbon footprint

July 17, 2008 at 8:02 am · Filed under plumbing ·Tagged ,

You can calculate your carbon footprint at this site. Knowing how much carbon you output is the first step towards reducing your impact on the planet.
clipped from www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

The carbon cutter

We’ll help you calculate your carbon footprint and give you a personalised action plan so you can do your bit to help fight climate change. The carbon cutter uses the official data and carbon factors used in the ACT ON CO2 Calculator to give you your carbon footprint based on your lifestyle.

Before you start we recommend you have your energy bills, annual mileage and miles per gallon (if you drive a motor vehicle) to hand. You don’t have to have this information to answer our questions but it will help us to provide you with an even more accurate carbon footprint.

Act on CO2
blog it

Leave a Comment

Heating System efficiency ideas

July 15, 2008 at 1:50 pm · Filed under plumbing ·Tagged ,

Central heating is the norm in most houses in the UK. With a couple of limited modifications to the heating controls the system can be made much more energy efficient. Firstly, a time switch or central heating programmer enables you to set central heating and hot water to come on only at periods when required. Your charges will be significantly reduced as you will only be using gas when it is actually needed.

Energy usage is cut by adding room thermostat to more finely control the universal temperature in the household. You will only be warming the room to keep it at the ideal heat level. TRV valves can be supplied to each radiator to finely manage individual room temperatures. This will enable you to give heating to rooms that need it rather than the whole house being heated to the same heat level.

Older central heating boilers have higher energy consumption charges when compared with the younger varieties. After fifteen years your boiler has seen its better days. All modern gas boiler systems are more energy efficient and use less fuel to run as they now integrate highly efficient designs and heat exchangers. The most efficient boilers in terms of saving money are called condensing heating boilers which use 30-40% less fuel. Exhaust gas warmth is used to warm cold water trimming the gas consumption profile of the heating boiler. Government awards are oftentimes obtainable for houses that install one of these form of new heating boilers.

Leave a Comment

Say no to combi boiler breakdowns

July 9, 2008 at 3:40 pm · Filed under safety ·Tagged ,

If you have a combi boiler failure you will require some skilled plumbing assistance. Due to safety considerations you will need a CORGI qualified engineer. As a combi boiler is much more than some cast iron and a pilot light you will need someone who is highly qualified to ensure that the root cause of the problems can be traced. As a result many of these matters are beyond those of the regular DIY odd-job man.

If you have the forethought to purchase a gas boiler maintenance policy you will get access to the services of a specialist supplier who can commit trained maintenance gas engineers to assist you.

These days there are many choices of supplier and we have listed some of the main ones in the remainder of this article.

The leading supplier is British Gas who have all of the functions in your home can be protected with their Home Care range. the relevant service in this instance is Home Care 100 which is a heating boiler emergency breakdown and maintenance service for your central heating boiler, programmer, pump, timers and associated electrical temperature controls. No matter what day you call or what time of day, a manned customer telephone line will get assistance to you without delay five thousand five hundred CORGI registered engineers are accessible and that these experts will also conduct an annual overhaul of your gas boiler. You also get unlimited call outs, plus parts and labour.

Central Heating Care from E.ON gives you breakdown protection, a service and emergency repairs for not only your gas boiler but your total central heating system. Most common central heating issues can be rapidly covered by the skilled heating engineer’s who deliver the service. Homeowners will be particularly comforted to read that a safety review is carried through within the first 28 days of setting up your cover. Also included is an Annual Safety and Maintenance Inspection.

Our last supplier is Homeserve with their protection for your gas heating boiler and pump together with any electrical faults that they receive. Homeserve heating boiler protection offers a twenty four hour claim line and a warranty of any permanent repairs that their squad carry out. Homeserve have their own vetted CORGI registered heating engineers who carry out the work.

Whilst these are the star providers it is only a small choice of the gas boiler care plans accessible. There is a wide selection. This choice means that there is a range of services for every budget and the chance for everybody to protect their gas boiler. On reflection you may wonder why anyone would leave themselves defenseless with the trouble of quickly getting a heating engineer to help in an emergency. Set Up your heating boiler insurance beforehand.

Leave a Comment

Gas boiler installation what to look at

July 3, 2008 at 12:34 pm · Filed under plumbing ·Tagged ,

There are 1.5 million boiler sales each year and over 100,000 central heating boiler fitters. Typically a central heating boiler installer will have undergone several years of training, however some gas boiler heating installers have no qualifications. Picking Out a boiler fitter can be a challenge.

Many times the selection of new or replacement heating boiler is left to the installer and the householder is not active in this decision. This is surprising when you look at that the purchase of a boiler is a large cost and choosing the wrong type of heating boiler can increase your heating costs for years to come.

When you come to choose a boiler installer and select a new central heating boiler there are some crucial issues to study as detailed below.

There is more than one form of boiler

The law states that you should be fitting a condensing gas fired boiler but you have options relating to the form that you will fit. each has different features and has specific plumbing system and space needs. gas boilers also have different power yield options and that he is it to be set in accordance with your heating needs. If these assessments are incorrect you could find that your gas charges are greater than they need to be.

installation must conform to the heating boiler regulations

The set up of gas boilers is governed by many government rules. Condensing heating boilers should always be fitted unless particular conditions are met. CORGI registration is at the de facto standard for installers. The ventilation in the room where the central heating boiler is to be fitted must be correctly checked.

The cost-efficiency of your boiler is very important

Get a SEDBUK A graded cost-effective gas fired boiler to replace your inefficient aging model and see your energy costs fall.

Who will look after my heating boiler after installation?

It is essential that replacement parts are accessible long after the gas fired boiler has stopped production. There are suppliers who offer gas boiler care plans to protect against heating boiler emergencies and give you access to trained heating engineers. Regular care of your central heating boiler will keep it safe and economic. It is false saving to select a cheap central heating boiler or not take out a central heating boiler maintenance plan.

Leave a Comment

Older Posts »