Dumb foreigner can't figure out boiler controls

breaking_free

The dumb foreigner is me. 

I've just moved into a new home and am flummoxed by this setup. No user manuals but I found them online: great I should be good to go right?

With my last combi boiler the heat came on at times that I set and the hot water kicked in whenever I turned a tap on (after a short wait mind you).

What's got me stumped is the hot water settings on the left of this Drayton Dual Channel Programmer. It looks like I have to set timings for the hot water too?!? So I have to decide in advance what time of the day I want a shower...surely not. Anybody know what happens if I leave the hot water permanently set to on, for example: does it burn up heaps of gas or does it just sit there in standby mode and only kick in when I turn on a hot tap? This just makes no sense to me: the manual only talks about how to set the hot water timings. Help a daft foreigner out please 

Rosa_Damascena

I think it's something you just have to play with to get the hang of. Have you googled the instruction manual?

kobe84

I'd leave the Hot Water setting on the control to OFF, you will still get hot water on demand via the boiler. I imagine that control can be used for both combi boilers and system boilers hence the settings to allow for timed HW and boost settings.

casper_gutman

When the hot water setting is on, the boiler heats up a tank of water. A modern tank should be insulated so that it will stay hot all day, once heated. Setting the controls on for about 30-60 minutes in the morning is usually enough.

If it's set on all the time it will be less efficient. It shouldn't use an insane amount of gas - there should be a thermostatic switch on the tank to prevent this.

TELLIT01

I interpret the settings on the left as the hot water being always on (available on demand) and the settings on the right as the heating timed.  When hot water is not being drawn there will be no gas usage for anything other than the central heating.

kobe84

casper_gutman said:

When the hot water setting is on, the boiler heats up a tank of water. A modern tank should be insulated so that it will stay hot all day, once heated. Setting the controls on for about 30-60 minutes in the morning is usually enough.

If it's set on all the time it will be less efficient. It shouldn't use an insane amount of gas - there should be a thermostatic switch on the tank to prevent this.

The OP says he has a combi boiler, so there's usually not going to be a tank.

kobe84

Do you have a separate thermostat control?

theoretica

kobe84 said:

casper_gutman said:

When the hot water setting is on, the boiler heats up a tank of water. A modern tank should be insulated so that it will stay hot all day, once heated. Setting the controls on for about 30-60 minutes in the morning is usually enough.

If it's set on all the time it will be less efficient. It shouldn't use an insane amount of gas - there should be a thermostatic switch on the tank to prevent this.

The OP says he has a combi boiler, so there's usually not going to be a tank.

But the boiler photographed is not a combi boiler...  So I expect there is a tank.

So the timer controls when the tank is heated up - not when you can use water from the tank.

kobe84

theoretica said:

kobe84 said:

casper_gutman said:

When the hot water setting is on, the boiler heats up a tank of water. A modern tank should be insulated so that it will stay hot all day, once heated. Setting the controls on for about 30-60 minutes in the morning is usually enough.

If it's set on all the time it will be less efficient. It shouldn't use an insane amount of gas - there should be a thermostatic switch on the tank to prevent this.

The OP says he has a combi boiler, so there's usually not going to be a tank.

But the boiler photographed is not a combi boiler...  So I expect there is a tank.

So the timer controls when the tank is heated up - not when you can use water from the tank.

Good shout, I was taking the OP at his word.

kobe84

@breaking_free, ignore my earlier post, you don't have a combi boiler so you won't get HW on demand from it. HW will be drawn from your water tank therefore you need to set it up so the tank is heated up at times prior to requiring it and depending on your usage. Like other's have mentioned you'll need to experiment to find which timing are best but I still wouldn't leave it switched on all the time.

casper_gutman

kobe84 said:

casper_gutman said:

When the hot water setting is on, the boiler heats up a tank of water. A modern tank should be insulated so that it will stay hot all day, once heated. Setting the controls on for about 30-60 minutes in the morning is usually enough.

If it's set on all the time it will be less efficient. It shouldn't use an insane amount of gas - there should be a thermostatic switch on the tank to prevent this.

The OP says he has a combi boiler, so there's usually not going to be a tank.

The op actually said "With my last combi boiler...". I took this as meaning the same as "With my last boiler, which was a combi..." rather than indicating anything about their current boiler.