Heating on?

[Basil]

Heating just came on for the first time this autumn. Thermostat is set to 15.

[JefO]

Yes,

Are those heated clothes driers worth having?

I bought some last year. Almost always in use by my daughter (at her own home, where she also has a dehumidifier) and my wife (at ours), we don't get to see my son very often and he has never mentioned whether or not he uses his.

Cheap to run and no more obtrusive than a normal clothes horse. 

[Jaded]

Heating just came on for the first time this autumn. Thermostat is set to 15.

Excellent. 1 degree lower than ours.

[Basil]

Heating just came on for the first time this autumn. Thermostat is set to 15.

Excellent. 1 degree lower than ours.

Moved it up one degree, so same as you now.  Fired up a couple of logs, so it's gone off again now.

[Mr Larrington]

Not yet but cast-iron bathtubs don’t 'arf cool the hot water quickly when the bathroom is a bit nippy.

(Closes bathroom window)

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Not for long I am glad to say.

[TimC]

Just woken mine from its sleep since April. It’s a smart electrical heating system, so it’ll decide whether any particular part of the house needs warming up. Essentially it’s set to 12° in the bedrooms and 18° in the living areas, so it’s not likely to do much just yet - especially as the bathroom has a dumb and unswitchable heated towel rail that keeps that room at 19-20° if it’s enabled at the fuseboard (it is!). My daily electricity consumption has been £2-3 over the last 5 months or so. It’ll quickly ramp up to £15-20 a day once it gets properly cold.

[Wowbagger]

I haven't turned ours on yet. 16°C in this room, but I'm at the north end of the house.

I really wish our gas boiler hadn't conked out in January. I felt the only option was to replace it with another. My longer-term plan was to install a heat pump, but I hadn't managed to research them properly, and I'm sure that it would have taken a lot longer to source and have fitted a heat pump, compared to a gas boiler manufactured by Baxi. The day it was fitted, the outside temperature was -3.8°C and there was ice on the top of the tank in the loft.

This boiler is guaranteed for 10 years, so assuming it lives up to its guarantee, it's got a fighting chance of outliving me!

[quixoticgeek]

We had a rainy few days and I was cold, so I turned the radiators in the living room on. Took a while for hot water to reach them suggesting my neighbours have yet to turn theirs on. Since then the rain has eased up, the sun has come out, passive solar gain has done it's thing, and the radiator valves turned off. Yesterday it was 24°C in my living room with the heating switched off and all the heat coming from the sun. Probably won't need to touch the valves for a while.

J

[Wowbagger]

That was a bloody rigmarole and no mistake.

I took the ladder upstairs so that I could access the loft. No problem initially, but once I have the loft hatch open, the bottom of the ladder is flush against the bannister supports, so it's actually quite a problem getting my Size 13s between the plywood supporting the bannister and the acute angle of the ladder. It's OK on the second step up, but I can't do that in one go.

I took a 4-pint milk container of tap water into the loft with me, thinking it would probably need it, but the bloody tank was bone dry. I tipped it in and called down to Jan for more milk containers full of water. She struggled up the stairs with 4 of them. I knelt just above the loft hatch, applying the Winnie-ther-Pooh philosophy that, having got so far, it seems a pity to waste it. She passed them to me one at a time, using her walking stick handle crooked through the bottles' handles.

But then another issue occurred: I'd been kneeling so long that getting up was a problem. I managed eventually, but I could feel my calves getting into a pre-cramp spasm.

Anyway, I've poured 20 pints of water into the tank. I've left the ladder in place pro tem, and this evening, when it's colder, I'll turn the heating on and see what happens. I expect there will be some radiator bleeding necessary, and then I'll check the tank again.

But I don't know how many more years I'll be able to bugger around climbing up into lofts. Weighing 25kg less would help a lot. It might be time to enrol younger, lither friends to do this for me.

[Jurek]

Heating not on but, with the exception of the kitchen, all of the windows in the flat have been set into their default position, in which they will remain, until next April/May - closed.
Still managed to line dry a machine-load of laundry this weekend thobut.
Having said that, I was cat-sitting for my favourite Aussie this weekend, and she managed to turn on the heating in her Rotherhithe house (where I and the cat were located), whilst she was in Cotswoldshire.
Witchcraft, I tell you.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Yes,

Are those heated clothes driers worth having?

I bought some last year. Almost always in use by my daughter (at her own home, where she also has a dehumidifier) and my wife (at ours), we don't get to see my son very often and he has never mentioned whether or not he uses his.

Cheap to run and no more obtrusive than a normal clothes horse.

Thanks. We'll probably get one having dumped the tumble drier this time last year..  The normal clothes horse has gone a bit lame and wobbly.

[Mrs Pingu]

That was a bloody rigmarole and no mistake.

I took the ladder upstairs so that I could access the loft. No problem initially, but once I have the loft hatch open, the bottom of the ladder is flush against the bannister supports, so it's actually quite a problem getting my Size 13s between the plywood supporting the bannister and the acute angle of the ladder. It's OK on the second step up, but I can't do that in one go.

I took a 4-pint milk container of tap water into the loft with me, thinking it would probably need it, but the bloody tank was bone dry. I tipped it in and called down to Jan for more milk containers full of water. She struggled up the stairs with 4 of them. I knelt just above the loft hatch, applying the Winnie-ther-Pooh philosophy that, having got so far, it seems a pity to waste it. She passed them to me one at a time, using her walking stick handle crooked through the bottles' handles.

But then another issue occurred: I'd been kneeling so long that getting up was a problem. I managed eventually, but I could feel my calves getting into a pre-cramp spasm.

Anyway, I've poured 20 pints of water into the tank. I've left the ladder in place pro tem, and this evening, when it's colder, I'll turn the heating on and see what happens. I expect there will be some radiator bleeding necessary, and then I'll check the tank again.

But I don't know how many more years I'll be able to bugger around climbing up into lofts. Weighing 25kg less would help a lot. It might be time to enrol younger, lither friends to do this for me.

Stupid question, but if you've got a modern boiler why do you need to fill a tank in the loft?

[Giraffe]

It's an open system; a combi is closed. The open system uses the cistern in the loft for expansion and the combi has an expansion vessel built in.

If the cistern is dry then the supply needs checking - ball cock probably stuck in the up position (at this point perhaps NSFW to continue).

[Mrs Pingu]

Thanks.

[Canardly]

It's an open system; a combi is closed. The open system uses the cistern in the loft for expansion and the combi has an expansion vessel built in.

If the cistern is dry then the supply needs checking - ball cock probably stuck in the up position (at this point perhaps NSFW to continue).

This ^^^^ Usually a four gallon tank.

[ian]

Temperature in Malta 27 degrees. Checked the temperature here. Turned heating on when we got on plane. This magic indeed.

[Jurek]

I have cracked.
Heating's gone on this evening.
Outdoor temperature a shade over 8°C and falling.
Indoors 16.7°C and rising.

[Wowbagger]

It's an open system; a combi is closed. The open system uses the cistern in the loft for expansion and the combi has an expansion vessel built in.

If the cistern is dry then the supply needs checking - ball cock probably stuck in the up position (at this point perhaps NSFW to continue).

But, as mentioned elsewhere, our tank has no feeder pipe. It's a very ancient system that was originally a Servowarm one. Also, even though it seems to make sense to fit a feeder pipe, we have a water softener. Softened water (so I'm told) is Very Bad for the heat exchangers, so a dedicated pipe would need to be fitted from upstream of the water softener.

We've been in this house for almost 30 years and the central heating system was pretty old when we moved in.

[cycleman]

Liz has put the heating on here. Thermostat  is set to 19c

[aidan.f]

author=Wowbagger link=topic=52996.msg2847556#msg2847556 date=1697379797]
That was a bloody rigmarole and no mistake.

I took the ladder upstairs so that I could access the loft. No problem initially, but once I have the loft hatch open, the bottom of the ladder is flush against the bannister supports, so it's actually quite a problem getting my Size 13s between the plywood supporting the bannister and the acute angle of the ladder. It's OK on the second step up, but I can't do that in one go.

I took a 4-pint milk container of tap water into the loft with me, thinking it would probably need it, but the bloody tank was bone dry. I tipped it in and called down to Jan for more milk containers full of water. She struggled up the stairs with 4 of them. I knelt just above the loft hatch, applying the Winnie-ther-Pooh philosophy that, having got so far, it seems a pity to waste it. She passed them to me one at a time, using her walking stick handle crooked through the bottles' handles.

But then another issue occurred: I'd been kneeling so long that getting up was a problem. I managed eventually, but I could feel my calves getting into a pre-cramp spasm.

Anyway, I've poured 20 pints of water into the tank. I've left the ladder in place pro tem, and this evening, when it's colder, I'll turn the heating on and see what happens. I expect there will be some radiator bleeding necessary, and then I'll check the tank again.

But I don't know how many more years I'll be able to bugger around climbing up into lofts. Weighing 25kg less would help a lot. It might be time to enrol younger, lither friends to do this for me.

Solution?
Hand bilge pump length of hose from a bucket up through an 'ole in the ceiling - hide the pump and pipe in a cupboard?
Another, overflow length of hose back to the bucket to avoid overcharging the header tank!

Probably overkill as used these to recharge TV transmitter coolant header tanks with 100 litres of water

Maybe this would do?

[Feanor]

It's an open system; a combi is closed. The open system uses the cistern in the loft for expansion and the combi has an expansion vessel built in.

If the cistern is dry then the supply needs checking - ball cock probably stuck in the up position (at this point perhaps NSFW to continue).

But, as mentioned elsewhere, our tank has no feeder pipe. It's a very ancient system that was originally a Servowarm one. Also, even though it seems to make sense to fit a feeder pipe, we have a water softener. Softened water (so I'm told) is Very Bad for the heat exchangers, so a dedicated pipe would need to be fitted from upstream of the water softener.

We've been in this house for almost 30 years and the central heating system was pretty old when we moved in.

Assuming the boiler, rads and pipework are up to it, it's perfectly easy to convert the open system to a sealed one.

You just remove the fill and expansion tank, and associated pipework, and seal the system up.
You would need to install a fill loop somewhere near the boiler to keep the pressure topped up.

You would also need to find and fix the leak that is draining the tank, thobut...

[Feanor]

author=Wowbagger link=topic=52996.msg2847556#msg2847556 date=1697379797]
That was a bloody rigmarole and no mistake.

I took the ladder upstairs so that I could access the loft. No problem initially, but once I have the loft hatch open, the bottom of the ladder is flush against the bannister supports, so it's actually quite a problem getting my Size 13s between the plywood supporting the bannister and the acute angle of the ladder. It's OK on the second step up, but I can't do that in one go.

I took a 4-pint milk container of tap water into the loft with me, thinking it would probably need it, but the bloody tank was bone dry. I tipped it in and called down to Jan for more milk containers full of water. She struggled up the stairs with 4 of them. I knelt just above the loft hatch, applying the Winnie-ther-Pooh philosophy that, having got so far, it seems a pity to waste it. She passed them to me one at a time, using her walking stick handle crooked through the bottles' handles.

But then another issue occurred: I'd been kneeling so long that getting up was a problem. I managed eventually, but I could feel my calves getting into a pre-cramp spasm.

Anyway, I've poured 20 pints of water into the tank. I've left the ladder in place pro tem, and this evening, when it's colder, I'll turn the heating on and see what happens. I expect there will be some radiator bleeding necessary, and then I'll check the tank again.

But I don't know how many more years I'll be able to bugger around climbing up into lofts. Weighing 25kg less would help a lot. It might be time to enrol younger, lither friends to do this for me.

Solution?
Hand bilge pump length of hose from a bucket up through an 'ole in the ceiling - hide the pump and pipe in a cupboard?
Another, overflow length of hose back to the bucket to avoid overcharging the header tank!

Well if that's the solution we are going to adopt, why not remove all the tedious hand-pumping, and simply drape a garden hose-pipe through the ceiling and top it up like that....

[Mrs Pingu]

Feanor beat me to it, I was just about to suggest installing an external expansion vessel (like what we had to do when the obsolete internal expansion vessel failed on the venerable combi at the previous Pingu Towers).

[Feanor]

Feanor beat me to it, I was just about to suggest installing an external expansion vessel (like what we had to do when the obsolete internal expansion vessel failed on the venerable combi at the previous Pingu Towers).

The system boiler we have here ( not a combi, but a sealed system for the primary loop, so no F+E tank in the no-longer-existing attic ) has a similar problem.  The built-in expansion vessel is really too small for the large system volume, and the pressure in the loop rises more than I'd like.  Also, it has failed twice, but replaced under out BG Homecare policy.

I have got a large external expansion vessel screwed to the wall next to it, and the plumbing run down to where it will connect in.
But I've not gotten round to breaking into the loop and hooking it up.
I planned to do that over Summer, but it Never Happened.
Now that Winter Is Coming, I feel disinclined to fuck with it.