Glow worm fuel saver F - Central heating pressure

[NotSureAboutDIY]

Hi All
I've just moved into a new house with the missus (house from DIY hell in most respects, hole in roof, shonky electrics/windows etc ).

We've got a combi [edit] not apparantly combi[/edit] glow worm fuel saver F boiler
We've got an open cold water tank, hot water tank and electronic control on the first floor.

there is a set of 2 taps and a pressure gauge which I assume is for filling the central heating system?
one is marked filling valve and other failsafe valve.
the gauge has a black dial reading 0.5 (bar I assume) and a red dial reading 2.3

Im assuming the red dial is the upper limit of the system and the black dial is the current reading, I'm after advice on what my system should be (1 bar?) and just checking with the knowledgable incase anything sounds out of place.
Currently the CH works but not all rads get evenly hot.
should we bleed the system?

thanks in advance guys

 

[Agile]

You dont normally have a hot water cylinder with a combi boiler !!!

Does the boiler really fire up immediately whenever you turn on a hot water tap?

I doubt that you have a combi !

Tony

 

[NotSureAboutDIY]

You dont normally have a hot water cylinder with a combi boiler !!!

Does the boiler really fire up immediately whenever you turn on a hot water tap?

I doubt that you have a combi !

Tony

are you confusing combination with instantaneous?

I thought combi simply refers to both the hotwater and central heating water being heated by the same system. upon starting the CH the boiler instantly starts to heat the CH system, pump runs etc, however my hot water is stored in the tank upstairs and is not on demand. Other references Ive seen to it on the web suggest its a combi.

Obviously its oldish 10-15 years at a guess, which means its not condensing.

either way for the sematics combi/not combi I'm still after advice on the CH water pressure...

 

[Agile]

Your boiler is NOT a combi !!!

You have a conventional system.

I dont get confused ( often ).

Tony

 

[NotSureAboutDIY]

Your boiler is NOT a combi !!!

You have a conventional system.

I dont get confused ( often ).

Tony

Well thats what you get if you trust articles from random web resources.
perhaps diynot should have a look at their wiki?
http://wiki.diynot.com/plumbing:definitions

COMBI BOILER combination boiler where both the heating and hot water are produced in the same appliance

Still Im not sure that convetional system is correct termonology, don't they usually have 2 open tanks (one for expansion) looking into it I guess my system is more like

a sealed system with open vented hot water
explained here
http://www.heatandplumb.com/acatalog/explained_boilers_sealed_open_vented.html

as I say Im mostly after guidance on the usual operating pressure of my CH system...

 

[CallSign]

Hi

I was wondering if you ever found out what pressure to run your boiler at. I have a Glow-Worm Fuelsaver F too and the pressure has dropped to 0 BAR.

There's a red Flexcon (or Flexicon) 8/0.5 unit attached to the boiler and the pressure gauge is on this unit. I'm not sure how to adjust the pressure on it either and would welcome any suggestions.

Thanks.

Colin

 

[CallSign]

Hi again

I think I've answered my own question. A British Gas webpage says most boilers (standard or combi) should run between 1 and 1.5 BAR. The link is: http://britishgas.home-maintenance.info/heating/repressurising-systems/

I used the =/- knob on top of the Flexcon unit and slowly let the water in until it was about 1 BAR. Then turned the heating on. I think that was a mistake because when I did that the pressure increased to about 1.6 or 1.7 BAR. I bled one of the radiators and now the pressure seems to have settled about 1.3 BAR. Will keep an eye on it.

I'm completely new to this so be warned that what I've done might be the wrong thing to do. That said things look okay- for the moment!!

Colin

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

It is better to start a new thread than tag onto one thats several years old.

1 bar is correct when the system is cold. There will be a pressure increase when the system is running as water expands when it is heated. This expansion in a sealed system is absorbed by an expansion vessel, either located within the boiler or nearby. Should the pressure rise considerably when the system is running, a pressure relief valve is incorporated into the system to discharge excess pressure outside. This is factory set, best left alone or they start leaking!