Gas CH Timer Advice

dazandemma

Hi all,

I'm new to having Gas CH in my new house. So have a few questions (most probs add more as I think of them)

• How long should I have my How Water timer on for? Currently its set for the same time as my CH, 2 hours in the morning and 5 in the evening.
• If I change my Hot Water timer to like 40 mins in morning and evening as suggested on another thread.... will this affect my washing machine and dishwasher as they all use hot water?

Thanks

allan673

takes around 1 hr 30 mins to heat a tank of water.
from my own experience theres no point having it on in the morning,(unless you want a bath). i just used to set mine for say 3pm to 5pm.depending what shift im working really.
all depends how many live in the house, how many baths your running per day.
i had to heat a tank full for 1hr 30 mins, then if the missus wanted a bath it had to be put on again to heat another tank up.
then if i forgot to put the water programmer on before work, when i got in from work i had to wait for the water to get hot.
ive just had it ripped out and had a combi installed - i prefer the combi hands down, instant hot water on demand.
(wont affect washing mc and dishwasher - they heat thee own on demand - machines heat it up)

Magentasue

We used to have about half an hour in the morning (showers only) and about an hour in the evenings. That was for six of us so used to cut it back if one of kids was away for weekend. Our dishwasher and washing machine are cold fill only. Older washing machines may be hot and cold fill. I have never known of a hot and cold fill dishwasher so not sure if they even exist.

debtfreein4years

also depends how your central heating programme thing works. mine i can only set it for 2 periods a day. i.e heating on 7am to 9am and 6pm to 8pm, but i have to have both the cetral heating and hot water on for that period. i can switch the hot water off, so that it doesnt come on at all meaning i have no hot water, but with this cold period i dont want to risk anything happening to the pipes. i have an electric shower so dont need hot water for any other purose than washing dishes and hands.

best to make sure you can have a seperate programme for the hot water so that you can change it to suit your needs.

Premier_2

To prevent frozen pipes, you need to keep the whole property heated, at least to a minimum temperature.

i.e. if the property is kept above freezing point, the pipes won't freeze.
Even if the hot water is boiling in the tank, but the property temperature drops, you run the risk of a frozen pipe somewhere in the house.

dazandemma

allan673 wrote: »

ive just had it ripped out and had a combi installed - i prefer the combi hands down, instant hot water on demand.

This might seem a daft question, but how would I determine if I have a combi boiler?

I have a boiler in the kitchen, timer in the kitchen, the thermostat in the hall, in the airing cupboard I have a water tank, then in the loft there is a another massive water tank and a smaller water tank.

dazandemma

Just to add further information, its a 4 bed 3-storey end terrace with just 2 occupants who are at work during the day, and tend to use the shower rather than bath.

Premier_2

dazandemma wrote: »

This might seem a daft question, but how would I determine if I have a combi boiler?

I have a boiler in the kitchen, timer in the kitchen, the thermostat in the hall, in the airing cupboard I have a water tank, then in the loft there is a another massive water tank and a smaller water tank.

Sounds like a traditional set up to me. A Combi boiler doesn't require a hot water tank in an airing cupboard or cold water supply tank(s) in the loft.

Premier_2

allan673 wrote: »

...ive just had it ripped out and had a combi installed - i prefer the combi hands down, instant hot water on demand....

The availability of mains pressure hot water on demand is definitely something one comes to miss if taken away.
However a combi boiler isn't the only way to obtain this. I've benefitted from mains pressure hot water for years without a combi-boiler thanks to a thermal store system which does require a hot water tank, but I think I'd miss a warm airing cupboard if that was ever taken away too.
Like a combi-boiler, a thermal store system also does away with cold water tanks in the loft.