Boilers - boring but sensible !

Boilers, Pumps and Valves

Most houses have a Boiler to heat the house (space heating) and often the Hot Water for washing, showers etc. Some larger houses have more than one boiler, perhaps one for each end of the house, or maybe they are plumbed in tandem next to each other. There are lots of different types and styles of boiler – but don’t worry, we can control just about anything !

Condensing Boilers have been around for years, but only recently have they become common in the UK; in fact from April 2005 gas fired condensing boilers will become mandatory. Condensing boilers are much more efficient because they recover more heat from the flue gases, which then condense, producing water vapour (and the familiar “plume” from the flue) – hence the name. To get them to work at maximum efficiency, the returning water from the heating system needs to be at a low temperature – this happens automatically with underfloor heating (if correctly designed), so condensing boilers are ideal for this use.

If you’ve got radiators, we might recommend using Weather Compensation, it depends on how your system is plumbed. This is a technique whereby the heating water temperature is reduced as the outside temperature warms up; when the weather is mild, you need less heat from your radiators, so they can run cooler. This saves energy (less hot/cold cycling of the radiators, less overheating) and gives better comfort through more even temperature in the rooms. Also, the temperature of water returning to the boiler is minimised, so helping the efficiency of your condensing boiler. Sensible Heat can specify and supply the necessary controls to achieve Weather Compensation.

Around your boiler will be at least one pump (maybe it is integral with the boiler) and usually at least one motorised valve. Sometimes there are many pumps and valves, which can get pretty confusing. Don’t worry, we can liase with your plumber to determine exactly what is fitted to (or intended for) your plumbing system, and then determine exactly which control modules we will need to do the job.

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