No hot water without heating!

[Marie355]

Hi all,

I have recently moved into a new house and the boiler looks stupidly old. Im renting the house and have mentioned many times to the landlord that I cannt have any hot water at all without having to have the heating on.

When the hot water does heat up I only get enough for about a quarter of the bath and then its gone. The system itself is very noisey when heating up and draining the water.

We have no thermostat at all to turn the heating down or off and I know the radiators themselves can be turned off but I dont feel this is good enough. Is this a normal system? And is there anyway to actually turn the water on without the heating? Or am I stuck with a system that doesnt work?

Thanks

 

[plummerman]

It's not that it doesn't work, it's just an old system. wot we call a gravity hw with pumped heating. without a full update to fully pumped or combi etc am afraid your stuck. there is a thing we called a summer/winter valve but it's not a very p.c. way of dealing with your current situation. sorry

 

[gas4you]

Marie , now seen where you are, my step daughter also rented up there when she was a Newcastle Uni studying law, opposite the brothel, just on the edge of Byker, can't remember the road, even though I have visited.

 

[Marie355]

Plummerman this really isnt something I can deal with... should there not be a way to adjust the heat/water settings? I mean half the time the house is boiling hot and I cant physically stand it but the LL is literally not willing to do anything...

Dave I live in Heaton which is literally spitting distance from Byker and Im at Northumbria Uni, no idea where the brothel is though aha

 

[gas4you]

Now you have mentioned Heaton, I think that is where she lived. Also opposite a gas heating shop

You should at least have a room thermostat, or if not then thermostatic valves on each radiator. If it is a gravity HW system then you will unfortunately have no temperature control over this other than the boiler stat.

 

[Marie355]

Boiler stat? :S

 

[gas4you]

The numbered dial on the front of your gas boiler

 

[Marie355]

Numbered dial? lol nope, nothing on the front of the boiler... oh yeah the pilot light also goes out about every 40 mins aswell, it just doesnt stay lit? the house IS falling apart! ha

 

[gas4you]

Pilot light should NOT keep going out

Tell the landlord if he does not sort it PROPERLY, and soon, you will report him to CORGI and/or the HSE.

This boiler could prove to be dangerous if not looked at asap

 

[Marie355]

Ok now thats scary,...

he hasnt provided us with a corgi certificate either. which is worrying... should the pilot light be CONSTANTLY on?

lol

*Scared*

 

[D_Hailsham]

If your made use of your Uni's accommodation finding service, I would get inform them of the problems you are having. They will have considerable clout, particularly if the landlord has many properties rented to Uni students and could be struck off their list.