Hi, DIY experts 
I am a newbie on here. Recently took the big step of buying my own property.
As a Girl I looked in the airing cupboard saw a big tank and thought, great just like my old system turn with a big old hot water tank. Then when doing loft insulation I was really confused by the lack of cold water tank in the loft!
Then I read the "hot water tank" it’s an " integrated thermal store". Its this one here to be exact. Page 3- twin pump direct mainsflow store. It’s a 20/120 tank (small three bed house)
http://www.advancedwater.co.uk/STOMEMO/A012-088-1603/Albion Mainsflow Installation Guide.pdf
Having read a bit about these systems, I think I’m using the system wrong and I have been using it like a hot water tank timing it to come on for an hour in the morning for hot water and for some heating.
I also think it’s also possibly wired wrong. The Boiler is always on as it should be however it only ever fires if Iswitch either my hot water on or the hot water and central heating on via my Lifestyle programmer beside the boiler. Obviously by system design you can’t have the heating on without the hot water and that’s why me water always goes on with the heating. If I leave my hot water on 24/7 without the heating the boiler fires maybe 4 times during the day roughly.
Now, if I have the water programmed off for most of the day except the hour in the morning when I put the heating on the boiler is constantly firing, every 15mins or so, now my understanding is that it shouldn’t be as there should be plenty hot water in the store and it should be more like more like one long burn every so often. Is this possibly because by the set up of the wiring that the store isn’t at optimal working capacity as my programmer is only putting the store on for an hour in the morning?
Do you think all this means it’s been wired wrong and the store is actually controlled by my programmer by me manually turning on the hot water?
Would this also explain a lack of hot water when running a bath in the evening after the store was on for the hour in the morning then the heating on all day I turned the heating off and then tried to run a bath an hour or so later and there was only enough to fill about a third bath.
Wiring aside, the pressure is ridiculous, I can’t have a shower and flush the toilet /run a tap /put on the washing machine at the same time even though the pressures meant to be good. I’m hoping a service from a good engineer will sort that problem but unsure about the wiring issue.
Would it all be solved if I just left my water on via my programmer all day? ( Albion does say if boiler noise is an issue the store can be timed to go off /on- it’s not noisy so should I leave my water on via the programmer on 24/7? I am worried that this is going to cost a lot, but then if when the heating’s on its means the boiler doesn’t need to fire constantly maybe it will be more efficient.
Greatly appreciate any help to a completely useless newbie to central heating systems! Plumbing and CH is def not for girls, it took my two days to figure out my system was unvented ha!
I am a newbie on here. Recently took the big step of buying my own property.
As a Girl I looked in the airing cupboard saw a big tank and thought, great just like my old system turn with a big old hot water tank. Then when doing loft insulation I was really confused by the lack of cold water tank in the loft!
Then I read the "hot water tank" it’s an " integrated thermal store". Its this one here to be exact. Page 3- twin pump direct mainsflow store. It’s a 20/120 tank (small three bed house)
http://www.advancedwater.co.uk/STOMEMO/A012-088-1603/Albion Mainsflow Installation Guide.pdf
Having read a bit about these systems, I think I’m using the system wrong and I have been using it like a hot water tank timing it to come on for an hour in the morning for hot water and for some heating.
I also think it’s also possibly wired wrong. The Boiler is always on as it should be however it only ever fires if Iswitch either my hot water on or the hot water and central heating on via my Lifestyle programmer beside the boiler. Obviously by system design you can’t have the heating on without the hot water and that’s why me water always goes on with the heating. If I leave my hot water on 24/7 without the heating the boiler fires maybe 4 times during the day roughly.
Now, if I have the water programmed off for most of the day except the hour in the morning when I put the heating on the boiler is constantly firing, every 15mins or so, now my understanding is that it shouldn’t be as there should be plenty hot water in the store and it should be more like more like one long burn every so often. Is this possibly because by the set up of the wiring that the store isn’t at optimal working capacity as my programmer is only putting the store on for an hour in the morning?
Do you think all this means it’s been wired wrong and the store is actually controlled by my programmer by me manually turning on the hot water?
Would this also explain a lack of hot water when running a bath in the evening after the store was on for the hour in the morning then the heating on all day I turned the heating off and then tried to run a bath an hour or so later and there was only enough to fill about a third bath.
Wiring aside, the pressure is ridiculous, I can’t have a shower and flush the toilet /run a tap /put on the washing machine at the same time even though the pressures meant to be good. I’m hoping a service from a good engineer will sort that problem but unsure about the wiring issue.
Would it all be solved if I just left my water on via my programmer all day? ( Albion does say if boiler noise is an issue the store can be timed to go off /on- it’s not noisy so should I leave my water on via the programmer on 24/7? I am worried that this is going to cost a lot, but then if when the heating’s on its means the boiler doesn’t need to fire constantly maybe it will be more efficient.
Greatly appreciate any help to a completely useless newbie to central heating systems! Plumbing and CH is def not for girls, it took my two days to figure out my system was unvented ha!
