Recent content by D4dog

Thanks all. My plan is replace like for like. If it recurs I will switch to rcbo for this vital services board. This will at least identify the specific service causing the fault. Thanks for all your advice.

Good job you cant see the main board! It is an old split board...one half rcd protected, one half not! However, we no longer use the unptotected side! My logic was that the heating and water pump are stand alone, no user access unless under maintenance

This one is pretty standard. MK rcd with 6 mcbs. Single live and neutral, no option to split board. So would be easy to switch out, but not sure if casing size and cut out is rcbo compatible...they look much bigger

No. Completely seperate board. As are the ovens, hob, washing machine and other likely candidates. This board enables my generator to provide essential services in a power cut, and has heating and water pump, one lighting circuit, and ring main for low power itms such as routers and hubs (to...

@ericmark...is it possible to replace the mcb on the current rcd protected board with an RCBO for one specific circuit? Or does the board have to be all RCBO?

Yes, but if it then trips that board, I know where the fault is. I have had to replace the phase capacitor before, but cannot remember if it started tripping the rcd last time. The fact it happened at night suggests it was the new heating system, or the water pump that fired up when the...

Thanks. The problem is it only happens occasionally...last one was three weeks ago, one before that about 3 months ago, in the middle of night. So fault finding not easy. I may try switching water pump to main board...I think it is the most likely candidate. I suspect the rcd is just too...

I have a secondary distribution board which enables me to provide emergency power to essential services including a water pump and heating from a small generator if needed. It is protected by a 30mA rated rcd. Recently it tripped for no apparent reason. The only change in the system is an...

Didnt realise this was so controversial. Balancing ensures efficiency and uniformity. Assume a 22mm supply and return, with rads coming off in 15mm, occasionally supporting up to 3 rads. You have a varispeed pump. These are desinged to maintain a constant head as rads open and close. You then...

In a mixed source heating system TRVs are useful for reducing the use of the radiators where you have eg a wood burner. In theory (but rarely in practice), if the radiators are balanced AND CORRECTLY SIZED FOR EACH ROOM, then the TRV should not really be needed...all the rads will have the same...

Working on a guess...it looks like the supply side splits just after the pump. Do you know what these split into? Upstairs and downstairs rads, or is one to hw tank and one to rads? These look like 28mm...where do they change to old cast iron?

Got to say, I agree with your engineers. Ideally, you want a 2 zone heating system (supply goes to two valves, one for upstair and one for down. You then need the upstairs return and downstairs returns to join back as close to boiler as possible), with three way control for HW, CH or both...

The HW tank coil is part of your "system", the return from that will join the ch system return at some point; this has nothing to do with the HW itself. Hw is simply gravity supply to tank.

Ok, so CH control is boiler on or off? Then the valve turns hw on or off. So you have ch or ch+HW.. You could switch to a thre port diverter...but that is pretty serious pipework from the boiler....this a very large older house I assume?

So HW is gravity fed. Cannot see why you xannot swap out the valve...I assume it is relatively easy to get to?