Help me understand my heating system

[mcguinnessmufc]

Hi,

ive just moved into a house, my first house and for this reason im not 100% sure of how the heating works! Was never really a concern when i was in with the parents as you could imagine!

This is gonna be a long post with a million questions, if any1 has the time 2 read it never mind answer it id really appreciate it. here goes....

In the loft space i have 2 tanks, small and large which i believe are for
a) small tank tops up the heating system and allows the heating system to "expand" into as it heats up therefore being called an expansion tank. correct?
b) a large tank which tops up the hot water tank aswell as supplying the cold water tap in the bathroom while im led to believe that the kitchen will be supplied directly from the main water supply. correct? if so is this tank just simply called a cold water tank?

The Hot water tank is in a cupboard in the master bedroom, there is a thermostat attactched to it, does this thermostat turn off the flame on the boiler downstairs if or when the temperature reaches its set point? if so then what temperature is recommended or is it just a preference to what water temperature you desire? what i think may happen sometimes is that when the heating is on for a long duration without any use of hot water, this thermostat turns the boiler of and causes the radiators to cool down and the house to go cold.

Also in this cupboard there are 3 valves, what are these?

BELOW IS THE QUESTION I PROBABLY WANT ANSWERED MOST.

In this same cupboard there is a "hot water switch" why?
My understanding is that the hot water tank heats up slowly when the central heating is on as the water feeds through it (thats a guess) and also heats up when selected to do so from the controller (dont know how)

what is the purpose of the electric switch as it seems to be in the off position, my only idea is that it could be a back up electric heater incase the gas is ever off for any reason (again a guess)

Sorry for the length of this and amount of questions but im quite a freak when it comes to understanding how things work. Hate the thought of things i own being a mystery!

feel free to add in any other info that may be of help to me!

 

[Whitespirit66]

a) Correct - called feed and expansion tank

b) Correct - called CWS - cold water storage, yes kitchen direct from mains supply

Yes, stat on tank/cylinder turns off boiler when satisfied/set point reached.

Temp set at preference, but 60 degrees is norm.

You should have a seperate stat, probably in hall, which turns off heating/rads when set point reached. Water cylinder stat should have no effect on heating.

What 3 valves, electronic or valves with hand-wheels on them (gate valves)???

The electric switch is for your immersion element in hot water tank/cylinder, for when you can't use the boiler, eg. breakdown.

It sounds as if you have what is called a vented system. The vents are the curved pipes that hang over the tops of the 2 roof tanks. These allow pressure/water to be released if there is a problem with your system, mainly overheating.

 

[mcguinnessmufc]

2 of the valves look as if they are switched electrically, one for the HW to come on and the other for the CH, ive now marked theyre on and off positions for future reference.

Theres another large valve with 3 positions on it, the only cable i can see which goes into that is from the boiler stat which seems strange as this valve only seems to have one way in and out so i dont know what difference the 3 positions would make!

where is the pump likely to be?

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Seems odd to have a 3 port and 2x 2 port valves, normally one or the other. Pic would tell a thousand words if you could provide one?

Pump could be anywhere! Most are sited for ease of access, either adjacent to the boiler or in the airing cupboard, but can be hidden under floorboards or behing a panel. What type of boiler do you have? Some back boiler units have the pump located behind a panel on the side of the chimney.

 

[Whitespirit66]

Yes, as Mr Jaleak says, you need to get busy with your digi camera.

 

[mcguinnessmufc]

i now know that what i thot was a 3 way valve IS ACTUALLY THE PUMP!!
the part i thot was a manual overide switch is actually the speed selection for the pump.

well now i know, and conveniently in time for my heating 2 pack in!!
seem to have a blocked/frozen pipe!

thanks for all the help!