Insufficient Heating

Wrake

I rent a property and found the downstairs is very cold with heating on. One of the radiators wasn't heating up and a plumber came round and flushed it, causing it to heat up a lot more but still stayed cooler towards the bottom. The plumber stated there was no issue with the radiator but there are too few radiators with too small pipes in the walls that doesn't allow the rooms to heat up sufficiently.
The landlord has given me 2 electric heaters to help but with current costs I am reluctant to have them on for extended periods.
The EPC rating is D, the boiler is fully serviced and Gas Safety is all good.
Is there anything else I can request from my landlord as it is still too cold? I appreciate the heating system appears to be working as intended but it seems it was just poorly designed and it's still very cold without the electric heaters on and I don't know where I stand.

saveallmymoney

The variables here are radiator size, water flow temperature and water flow rate. If you can increase either of these 3 things you will be warmer.

My first thing would be to check the boiler setting for the flow temperature.

Wrake

The water flow temperature is up on the boiler, not sure how to check the flow rate? Can I ask the landlord to get bigger radiators or would that have to be my own responsibility?

aoleks

you need to be able to heat up a house to at least 18 degrees in the bedrooms and 21 in the living room, if I remember correctly. if that's not the case, then the landlord should do something. whether they will, that's another question.

it's not always the radiators or the central heating that's the issue, but the house fabric. a damp, poorly insulated properly will take much longer to reach the desired temperature and will lose heat much quicker.

what's the house like?

also, if the heating is on, are the radiators hot to the touch? like really hot, you shouldn't be able to keep your hand on them for more than 1 second.

dimbo61

The property is EPC band D and depending on the size and hight of the rooms might cost a small fortune to heat.
Old single glazing or modern upvc double glazing ?
Old gas boiler or modern combi boiler  ?
What's the insulation like in the loft ?
Cavity wall insulation ?
LED lighting throughout the property ?
The government  is pushing the Decent Home Standards requiring Landlords to provide homes which are cheap to heat.
However my gas has gone up 500% and Electric 350% in the last 2 years with more rises this April.
Your LL has supplied you with extra electric heaters.
If your not happy contact Shelter or the Local council and ask them to supply you with an A rated EPC home !
Problem solve  

Wrake

Yes everything is very hot to touch. The only part that isn't is the lower part of this one radiator.

House is less than 20 years old so relatively new just seemingly not built great. It's not falling apart it just has a large area downstairs with only 2 radiators where it should need a third.

Wrake

With the electric heaters on it warms up but I don't know if I should be accepting that as it is a lot more expensive due to a fault of the house

Wrake

dimbo61 said:

The property is EPC band D and depending on the size and hight of the rooms might cost a small fortune to heat.
Old single glazing or modern upvc double glazing ?
Old gas boiler or modern combi boiler  ?
What's the insulation like in the loft ?
Cavity wall insulation ?
LED lighting throughout the property ?
The government  is pushing the Decent Home Standards requiring Landlords to provide homes which are cheap to heat.
However my gas has gone up 500% and Electric 350% in the last 2 years with more rises this April.
Your LL has supplied you with extra electric heaters.
If your not happy contact Shelter or the Local council and ask them to supply you with an A rated EPC home !
Problem solve  

Modern double glazing
Modern combi boiler
Loft not sure
Cavity wall insulation yes
LED not sure

saajan_12

Wrake said:

I rent a property and found the downstairs is very cold with heating on. One of the radiators wasn't heating up and a plumber came round and flushed it, causing it to heat up a lot more but still stayed cooler towards the bottom. - the radiator itself, or the room cooler?
The plumber stated there was no issue with the radiator but there are too few radiators with too small pipes in the walls that doesn't allow the rooms to heat up sufficiently - how warm is 'sufficiently'? 
The landlord has given me 2 electric heaters to help but with current costs I am reluctant to have them on for extended periods. - well what's the temperature the rooms can reach with the electric heaters? If you choose not to use all the heating methods available that's up to you. There's no rule saying it must be achieved via central heating only. 
The EPC rating is D, the boiler is fully serviced and Gas Safety is all good. - so rating D is okay, not great.. This is something you get before the tenancy, so can decide on whether you're happy with the resulting energy efficiency. 
Is there anything else I can request from my landlord as it is still too cold? I appreciate the heating system appears to be working as intended but it seems it was just poorly designed and it's still very cold without the electric heaters on and I don't know where I stand.- depends on the answers to the above - what temperatures can you achieve with and without the electric heaters? If the central heating is working as intended, (not a feature you viewed with that has since broken) and there are further heating methods to overall achieve a reasonable temperature, then I expect the LL has covered their duty and its up to you on whether you use them and/or seek help (eg council) if entitled to heating support. 

Comments in line.. 

propertyrental

Wrake said:

Yes everything is very hot to touch. The only part that isn't is the lower part of this one radiator.

Then basically the boiler is doing its job by heating the rads. Half of one rad not heating up is not going to make a huge difference. A power flush of the entire system might help clear out any remaining sludge in that rad, but as it's just the one rad it's not going to make a radical difference.

Either the rads are simply not big enough for the property, or the property is leaking heat eg through the roof.

Check the insulation in the attic.

You could ask the LL to get the sytstem checked for a design fault in the radiator sizing, but any change is going to be costly and up to the LL's discretion.

housebuyer143

I live in a 20 year old house and it takes ages to get to temp. I think it would have 6+ hours to top 18 degrees! 
That being said are you using the heating long enough to heat the house? If you only put it on 2 hours at a time then it will never heat the house as you want it. The heating system may be below optimal but it could also be how you use it that causes the house to be cold also.