Why isn't my house really hot with GCH on so much?

Horizon81

The OP also has a combi. Regardless of if you've got separate hot water and central heating dials on the front of the boiler, if you've got the central heating up high, then ask for hot water (when the heating is on or has recently been turned off), the water will come out hotter than normal because the heat exchanger is blooming hot from heating the central heating water.

lonestarfan

bridgedino wrote: »

The pressure should be at 1.5 at the most when the water temp is cold. Take a wee cup or an old cloth and bleed water out of a radiator until the pressure drops down to 1.5

On a plus side if the boiler temp setting was only at half then turning it up should sort out the poor performance

Yes you did say bleed water out but I can't read lol so I just bled air out hee hee!
Now I shall go back and bleed water out now x has pointed out my error!

lonestarfan

Horizon81 wrote: »

Don't you mean hardly any AIR came out? To lower the pressure of the boiler then keep bleeding water out of a radiator until the pressure is at the desired level.

I don't think there's much you can do about the hot water. There will be a dial for hot water so you could turn this down, however the heat exchanger will be red hot from the central heating, so when you call for hot water whilst the heating is on (or shortly after) then you will notice the hot water comes through quicker and hotter than if the heating was off.

Doh! Haha! Yes u r right I meant hardly any air came out! I shall go back and do what I was told which was to bleed water out lol! Thank you :T:T
The radiators are scalding too so yes I think it'll have to be turned down a bit! It's like a greenhouse today in here but it is freezing outside tho so that's ok I guess!

All done - took out about 1/2 to 3/4 pint and it's back to below 1.5 pressure. Lesson learned. Mind u I've learned a lot from these forums. Thanks everyone.

lonestarfan

lonestarfan wrote: »

Doh! Haha! Yes u r right I meant hardly any air came out! I shall go back and do what I was told which was to bleed water out lol! Thank you :T:T
The radiators are scalding too so yes I think it'll have to be turned down a bit! It's like a greenhouse today in here but it is freezing outside tho so that's ok I guess!

All done - took out about 1/2 to 3/4 pint and it's back to below 1.5 pressure. Lesson learned. Mind u I've learned a lot from these forums. Thanks everyone.

:beer::):)

Horizon81

Thanks for posting back. Always good to know the outcome of these things!

lonestarfan

tizerbelle wrote: »

I am in no way an expert, just another home owner. But immediate thoughts are:
1. what's your roof insulation like?
2. Radiator thermostats can sieze up and this can affect the heating - have read about it on here somewhere but can't remember the details!
3. Have you set the central heating output on the baxi at its highest (mine's just a dial on the front of the boiler)
4. While you're checking that, whats the pressure like on the boiler? Too low and you'll get no heat.
5. Radiators cold at the bottom means there's sludge in the system that needs flushing out. Its when they are cold at the top that they need bleeding to let the trapped air out (and then top up the system)
6. Do you have curtains at all your windows and are you using them?
7. Are there any draughts in the house e.g. under front/back door - these need sorting.
8. Have you got windows open for ventilation.

All the above may be useless pants but start with the smaller/cheaper things before jumping in to expense!

This was a really good list as well - 2 windows are ready to fall out they're so rotten as rest of house is double glazed but those 2 need replacing so that's draughty making it cooler, also two radiators are cold at bottom and boiling on top so that apparently indicates I must sort the sludge out. Still pleased though it's a lot hotter in my house on such a cold day today.

lonestarfan

Horizon81 wrote: »

Thanks for posting back. Always good to know the outcome of these things!

Your post was so helpful as I had no idea how to get water back out lol. So simple once you know how!! Thank you. So pleased with my new skills.

bridgedino

Flow temp into your radiators should ideally be around 82 degree, 71 degree on the return back to the boiler. 11 degree loss

southcoastrgi

lonestarfan wrote: »

Altho I only added pressure to 1.5 when the boiler was off & had cooled down when it warms up the pressure goes up to 2.5 - 3 in the red zone.

then your expansion vessel needs re-pressurising, I don't want to seem rude but from your posts on here its not something I think you can do, get someone in to service the boiler & get them to do it at the same time

jennifernil

Johnandabby wrote: »

That's only if there's a room thermostat, which the OP has said there isn't - you wouldn't have a TRV on the rad in the room with the room thermostat.

That depends on whether the bypass in the boiler can cope, or whether there is a separate bypass pipe fitted instead/as well.

You don't want it to be possible for all the rads to be shut down if there is not a decent bypass fitted, whether you have a thermostat or not.

In fact it is even more important to have a decent bypass if there is no thermostat to turn off the pump as well as the boiler.
A small rad in say the hall, with no TRV, makes a good bypass.