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Boiler central heating dial
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quattros
Posts: 118 Forumite

Hi all I was wondering I have 2 control dials on my boiler one for CH and other for the taps temperatures , Now question is the CH where should that Dial be set , A friend of mine said to Max so that the rads get hotter and quicker is this correct at the moment it’s is set around half way mark.
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grumbler said:quattros said:A friend of mine said to Max so that the rads get hotter and quicker is this correctQuicker - this is correct. It's pure physics.Whether to set to max or not is up to you.0
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Make and model of boiler?There are slight pros and cons. The cooler you have the CH water going out, the cooler it will return, and that means a bit more efficiency when it's a modern 'HE' condensing boiler (it's the cooler return water which condenses the moisture out of the flue gas, grabbing its energy in the process).However, a cooler flow also means the rads will take longer to get your house up to temp and, in winter, having it too cool could mean the boiler keeps running 'cos it can't get the house up to temp at all.Too hot a flow could mean that the boiler cannot shift the very hot water fast enough, so it then has to modulate down to reduce its output and even cycle on and off at times.So the ideal situation is to have the boiler set to a level where it gets your house up to temp fairly quickly - say a half hour - but not any higher. In practice this will mean a higher setting for Winter, and lower for Summer. Many modern boiler models have the facility to add weather compensation using an external temp sensor, and this will set that output control appropriately - and as low as it can get away with.Also, the lower you have the running temp of the boiler, the less stress it'll experience. Full on, it'll be delivering water at 80+oC - that's a lot of continuous heat to have to cope with.0
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My boiler has a little "e" marked on the dial, at about 80% temperature, which is supposed to be the most efficient setting.
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Jeepers_Creepers said:Make and model of boiler?There are slight pros and cons. The cooler you have the CH water going out, the cooler it will return, and that means a bit more efficiency when it's a modern 'HE' condensing boiler (it's the cooler return water which condenses the moisture out of the flue gas, grabbing its energy in the process).However, a cooler flow also means the rads will take longer to get your house up to temp and, in winter, having it too cool could mean the boiler keeps running 'cos it can't get the house up to temp at all.Too hot a flow could mean that the boiler cannot shift the very hot water fast enough, so it then has to modulate down to reduce its output and even cycle on and off at times.So the ideal situation is to have the boiler set to a level where it gets your house up to temp fairly quickly - say a half hour - but not any higher. In practice this will mean a higher setting for Winter, and lower for Summer. Many modern boiler models have the facility to add weather compensation using an external temp sensor, and this will set that output control appropriately - and as low as it can get away with.Also, the lower you have the running temp of the boiler, the less stress it'll experience. Full on, it'll be delivering water at 80+oC - that's a lot of continuous heat to have to cope with.0
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quattros said:grumbler said:quattros said:A friend of mine said to Max so that the rads get hotter and quicker is this correctQuicker - this is correct. It's pure physics.Whether to set to max or not is up to you.Hotter - yes. Quicker - no. It takes boiler more tame to heat the same amount of water to higher temperature. But, at the end of the day, the air will reach the set temperature faster.The amount of energy can be a little higher, not much.
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Doesn't it has a series of lights on the front panel to indicate temp? Seems it's adjustable between around 35oC and 85oC.Anyhoo, set it at a temp that makes your system work well - heat up your home adequately fast - but no higher. In warmer months when it's likely only to come on during the coolest parts of an evening, turn it down lower. It's very scientific :-)0
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Jeepers_Creepers said:Doesn't it has a series of lights on the front panel to indicate temp? Seems it's adjustable between around 35oC and 85oC.Anyhoo, set it at a temp that makes your system work well - heat up your home adequately fast - but no higher. In warmer months when it's likely only to come on during the coolest parts of an evening, turn it down lower. It's very scientific :-)0
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Bear in mind that a radiator at 80 degrees will be extremely hot to touch and could cause burns if in skin contact for more than a few seconds.1
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quattros said:Jeepers_Creepers said:Doesn't it has a series of lights on the front panel to indicate temp? Seems it's adjustable between around 35oC and 85oC.Anyhoo, set it at a temp that makes your system work well - heat up your home adequately fast - but no higher. In warmer months when it's likely only to come on during the coolest parts of an evening, turn it down lower. It's very scientific :-)As low as possible that still works :-)1) When do you turn up your heating in the mornings?2) And from what overnight temp to what 'morning' temp?3) And how long does it take to get to that comfy morning temp?0
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