Questions on combi boiler,

[sidecar_jon]

Over the last four days we have had central heating fitted (thanks to Homewarm grant) replacing the condemned back boiler. Now the guys who fitted it all explained everything to me well but as is the way of things i sort of missed asking some questions, i wonder if someone can fill me in...

The boiler is a Baxi HE plus. The flu goes up through the roof tiles and its in the old airing cupboard, all pipes are exposed on the walls (very Steampunk).

The flu, its quite big and black, visible to the street if one stands across the narrow road, will the grant company have made sure that's OK with the building regs etc? (it is a conservation area)..

At present, the electrician hasn't been to fit the thermostat, so its working for water and one rad, he explained why one rad hadn't got thermostatic valves, but i sort of missed the technicality of it. The other rads have thermostatic valves and are turned to zero.

That one rad, is on all the time, and its getting too hot in here, so i did as he said and last night i switched the whole thing off, is that OK to do?

The fan seems noisy, but then i'm not used to it. Seems to run almost all the time too. is that normal? Can i quieten it? or check it?

 

[kevindgas]

turn the trv's on to 3 - beds 4 - lounge / dining then all your rads will get warm you can adjust up or down to suit each room but start as above
,

yes get the fan checked if it is noisy probably got a bit of tile etc in it! this often happens on vertical flue installs when the fitters are on a time

 

[Paul Barker]

I imagine the numpty working with the professional did the rads, I find it is impossible to get numpties to think while they are working, so you can tell them until you are blue in the face to make sure the lockshield is preset to roughly right position and trv opened and bleed valve shut but they won't do it or even tighten up all nuts so before first fill you have to go round whole house yourself anyway and are left wandering whether you really need a numpty at all.

 

[fitz1]

vans always a mess aswell.

 

[Paul Barker]

You've got it mate, on the nail.

Yesterday I went to change tc on a Brittony II, went to van for box spanners, not anywhere in site. Went to plumb centre but their sets only go down to 8mm. I was faced with two choices turn van inside out or find anotyher way.

I found that an 8mm copper pipe can be forced down onto the nut to give sufficient grip to undo it. Wouldn't like to rely on this every time, am looking forward to finding the box spanner one day!

 

[ChrisR]

This sort of thing is amazingly useful for that sort of thing:

 

[pannierstan]

If the sparky hasnt been yet then the rads will be on all the time so turn the power back on then just press the winter summer switch on the boiler front panel and turn them off until he has been. Once the stat is on the wall you can turn all the rads on at the trvs and then just control the whole system from the stat

Stan

 

[Paul Barker]

Durr, why didn't I think of that, you could even pass straight nose grip pliers up the combustion chamber. Stiull would like my nicve box spanners back.

 

[sidecar_jon]

If the sparky hasnt been yet then the rads will be on all the time so turn the power back on then just press the winter summer switch on the boiler front panel and turn them off until he has been. Once the stat is on the wall you can turn all the rads on at the trvs and then just control the whole system from the stat

Stan

cheers, Ive turned it down to zero on the boiler box. Its difficult to know what acceptable noise from a fan is, never having heard one up close, i will mention it to the sparks when he arrives as hes probably heard hundreds. All in all the guys fitted it all very well. Its a 1800's house made of freekin' big bits of granite hence all the pipes out in the open or in a neat circuit in the loft with "drops". It took them an extra day and 50% more pipes than they bargained for. They even extricated the old micro bore pipes where they could. Instant hot water is great!