New house - no idea how the heating works..?!

martin2345uk

OK this sounds pretty dumb I am sure but I've bought a house with a gas boiler and hot water tank in the main bedroom... how would that work as heating/hot water? Is the tank purely for the hot water or does it serve the central heating too?
I have photos of the boiler, tank and control panel below.... I can't work out the control panel! Any advice gratefully received!!!

Niv

Tank is for hot water only.

Looks like you have settings on the timer for heating, heating and water or water only.

Edit: Some added detail. Your tank also has an immersion heater installed which should only be used as a back up as it will cost a lot to run. The tank also has a thermostat on it (white box at bottom) so when the tank water is up the temp it will activate a three way valve and stop heating the water until the temp drops (assuming the system is set to heat the water at that time).

Niv

I cant see the clock clearly enough but i suspect there are some movable arms so you can set what time the system goes on and off.

Ebe_Scrooge

Looks fairly standard.  The tank holds hot water - most people set it to heat up overnight at some point, so you've got a tankful of hot water for a shower etc. in the morning.  Set the timer to suit your lifestyle.

The control panel.  Top switch is "constantly on", "constantly off", or timed - this controls the boiler.  The bottom switch set the heat to go to "heating only", "heating and hot water", or "hot water only".  The flap that the clock is on will be your timer control.

So, make sure the clock is set to the right time.  Lit the flap, there'll be a timer underneath where you set the programs (e.g. come on at 6:00 am, off at 10:00 am, on again at 6:00pm, off at 9:00pm

Set the selector to "heating and water" in the winter, "water only" in the summer when you don't want the heating on.  If the timer has switched off the boiler and you're cold, or you've run out of hot water, flick the selector to "constantly on" for an hour or so.  If you're away on holiday, switch in to "constantly off" (unless there's a chance of freezing weather).

That's the basics - if you can find a make/model for the timer unit, Google will odds-on find you the user manual for a detailed operating guide.  Hope this helps.

daveyjp

Top slider for permanently on, off, or timer (which will be set using the clock on the left).
Bottom slider for heating only, both heat and water, water only.

Move the top to constant, leave the bottom slider in the middle and you will get hot water and the heating on.

martin2345uk

Thanks guys! !
2 more questions...

what are the additional icons of a tap and a radiator, to the left of the bottom row..?

And is it worth considering getting a new combi boiler at some point? As I work shifts so don't have a regular routine, so might be tricky to keep this current one in sync with when I am up, showering etc...?

[Deleted User]

Hi,

difficult to tell from photie, but they may be neon indicators for when 'on'.

Belenus

martin2345uk said:......And is it worth considering getting a new combi boiler at some point? As I work shifts so don't have a regular routine, so might be tricky to keep this current one in sync with when I am up, showering etc...?

Probably not. That would cost well over £1,000. It would cost less than that to always keep the water in your tank hot.

That hot water tank looks well insulated but you could consider putting an insulated jacket or more insulation over it to further reduce heat loss.

We have a similar tank and it keeps the water reasonably warm for days.

Your boiler should be easily capable of heating up enough water for a shower quite quickly.

Can you find out what the boiler model is as it would be useful to know if it is a condensing boiler or not. Even if it isn't a more efficient condensing model it is still probably worth keeping it until it breaks down beyond economic repair and that could be many years away.

Some may say that the cost of a new more efficient boiler, combi or otherwise, will soon be recovered in ongoing reduced gas costs. Others will say it won't as modern boilers are less reliable and cost more in repairs and replacements. That is an ongoing debate. I'm in the if it isn't broken don't fix it camp but there are good arguments for the other point of view.

theoretica

martin2345uk said:

And is it worth considering getting a new combi boiler at some point? As I work shifts so don't have a regular routine, so might be tricky to keep this current one in sync with when I am up, showering etc...?

Doesn't sound a reason for a new boiler, no - but you might want to think about a new control box with more features which would be much cheaper than a whole new boiler.

martin2345uk

Thanks guys. I had a closer look and can't for the life of me see how you actually set the on/off times, the bit under those switches on the panel doesn't seem to lift up, and that clock is behind plastic and can't seem to get to that either - there's a little knob to the right of it but it has 2 positions neither of which are marked!

theoretica

martin2345uk said:

Thanks guys. I had a closer look and can't for the life of me see how you actually set the on/off times, the bit under those switches on the panel doesn't seem to lift up, and that clock is behind plastic and can't seem to get to that either - there's a little knob to the right of it but it has 2 positions neither of which are marked!

Does turning it anticlockwise release the cover so you can open it and get at the clock?