Thermaflow Electric Boiler - Losing pressure when heating on

MrsMJ

Wonder if anyone can help, we have a thermaflow electric boiler and have only recently needed to have the heating on as the house is very well insulated. With hot water only, we have absolutely no problems what so ever, literally so much hot water we never run out despite having a large family and everyone bathing daily.

But now it is getting colder, we need the heating on to keep the house at a steady temp for the wee ones and we are having problems.

Basically if the heating is on, it is only on for an hour or so max before it completely empties the boiler and it loses all pressure, needing to be re-filled manually. This in turn means no hot water. We also have issues with cold radiators not heating up at all or only heating up partially (only on the lower floor, upstairs radiators work perfectly)

The plumber that came out said he re-balanced the radiators which was the problem, but it still hasn't resolved why the boiler empties every time the heating is on. He said he checked for air in the radiators by taking the valve off and pressing on the metal button underneath - but this is at the bottom? Surely air will go to the top?

Can anyone help? I fear our landlord is being mislead by this plumber and is being charged a lot of money without any fixes.

Also we are concerned that re-filling of the boiler is going to cost us more money - where is the water we are heating going?

Thanks in advance

thozza

The Thermaflow boiler is basically a large thermal store heated by off peak electricity. The hot water in the thermal store heats both the domestic hot water and the central heating. They are more common in Scotland, which is where the company are based.

The design of the system means that the water in the vessel should only heat indirectly, so if installed correctly, the heating system and domestic hot water are not directly connected to the water in the store.

If the thermal store is losing water when the heating comes on, it sounds as though there may be a problem with the heating part of the installation, possibly in the way it is connected to the store.

There are specialist installers, it might be worth contacting Thermaflow directly to discuss the issue and find a recommended installer.

http://www.thermaflowheating.co.uk/contact/

MrsMJ

Thank you so much for your reply Thozza! Very useful!