Dohh - of course it does...

TheGardener

Had a bit of a facepalm moment yesterday - I couldn't understand why my smart reader display kept showing a 50-100w leccy rise when I was running a bath...then it dawned on me that the combi boiler pump has to send the hot water to the tap...Perhaps I'm getting a bit too obsessive about watching the little box on the work surface...

inkydolphin

It's a good point though - it's easy to forget that using your gas boiler also means you are using electricity as well.

MattMattMattUK

TheGardener said:

Had a bit of a facepalm moment yesterday - I couldn't understand why my smart reader display kept showing a 50-100w leccy rise when I was running a bath...then it dawned on me that the combi boiler pump has to send the hot water to the tap...Perhaps I'm getting a bit too obsessive about watching the little box on the work surface...

It is probably not the pump sending water to the tap, with a combi boiler that is normally done via the mains water pressure, however there will be various electrical parts drawing power within the boiler itself.

daveyjp

The pump in a combi only pumps heating circuit water.

However a modern combi draws power for the circuitry which monitors and manages the amount of heat required to ensure consistent temperature of the water and the fan which extracts the gases.

chris_n

daveyjp said:

The pump in a combi only pumps heating circuit water.

However a modern combi draws power for the circuitry which monitors and manages the amount of heat required to ensure consistent temperature of the water and the fan which extracts the gases.

The pump in a Combi pumps heating circuit water through a plate heat exchanger which then transfers the heat to the domestic hot water which is at mains pressure. So the pump certainly does run when heating water.

TheGardener

Getting the family to return (or leave) the kitchen sink mono-tap lever in the 'cold'  position each time they use it has been one of our more successful 'economies'. Hand washing and cup swilling are now done in cold water. There has been a notable saving on the gas and obviously, we are saving on the leccy too. 

Alnat1

My husband has finally got into the cold water hand wash too. Took a while and I did consider inventing something using a suction cup and some string to fasten the lever in the cold position 

FreeBear

Alnat1 said:

My husband has finally got into the cold water hand wash too. Took a while and I did consider inventing something using a suction cup and some string to fasten the lever in the cold position 

Got isolation valves on the pipework under the sink ?

Just turn the hot water one to "off", and then there is no need to mess with string & suction cups.

Alnat1

I wanted something obvious he would see, to remind him. S'all good now anyway, he got it (even if he does call me The Energy Police)

ariarnia

FreeBear said:

Alnat1 said:

My husband has finally got into the cold water hand wash too. Took a while and I did consider inventing something using a suction cup and some string to fasten the lever in the cold position 

Got isolation valves on the pipework under the sink ?

Just turn the hot water one to "off", and then there is no need to mess with string & suction cups.

if we did that then i'd bet money i'd find one of the kids standing at the running sink after 5 minutes 'waiting for it to warm up' and all the heating saving would be used in extra water use

TheGardener

ariarnia said:

FreeBear said:

Alnat1 said:

My husband has finally got into the cold water hand wash too. Took a while and I did consider inventing something using a suction cup and some string to fasten the lever in the cold position 

Got isolation valves on the pipework under the sink ?

Just turn the hot water one to "off", and then there is no need to mess with string & suction cups.

if we did that then i'd bet money i'd find one of the kids standing at the running sink after 5 minutes 'waiting for it to warm up' and all the heating saving would be used in extra water use

  @ariarnia   That tickled me! 
Our boiler is just feet away from the kitchen sink, so the sound of the boiler kicking in was the reminder we all needed to use cold water - I threatened the family with reducing the time the heating is on even further if they didn't so it was a case if you want the heating on - you do this thing with the kitchen tap. The fact everyone realised the water was only just getting warm as they finished washing their hands helped and it was a 'low hanging fruit' saving that just clicked with the kidults in the house