Short heating notes for the year
A few short heating notes, gathered from the questions customers ask most often.
Boiler pressure
If you are looking into Boiler pressure, start with this: 1 to 1.5 bar, when the system is cold. The practical point is that below 1 bar most boilers lock out and need topping up at the filling loop.
Treat the number as a starting point. Older systems, larger houses and hard water all move it.
Keep the service record with the boiler manual; it is the first thing a buyer or a warranty claim will ask for. Knowing this about Boiler pressure saves a call-out more often than you would think.
Flow temperature
Flow temperature in one line: 60 to 65 C on a condensing boiler. Beyond the number, the lower setting lets the boiler condense and recovers a few per cent of gas.
Manufacturers publish their own limits in the manual, and those take precedence over any general figure.
If a job involves the gas supply or the flue, it is Gas Safe work and not something to attempt yourself. In short, Flow temperature is worth understanding before it becomes an emergency.
Combi boilers
Combi boilers: the figure most people need is 24 to 30 kW, for a home with one bathroom, and they heat water on demand so there is no cylinder to find room for.
That figure is a typical value for a UK home rather than a rule; a good engineer will confirm it for your system.
Do the cheap checks before the expensive ones: pressure, thermostat setting, timer, then the engineer. That is the whole of Combi boilers for most households.
Frost protection
A short note on Frost protection. Expect 5 C built into most boilers; in practice, the boiler fires briefly to protect itself when the house is empty in winter.
Treat the number as a starting point. Older systems, larger houses and hard water all move it.
Write down what you find before calling anyone, so the conversation starts with facts. Knowing this about Frost protection saves a call-out more often than you would think.
Balancing radiators
If you are looking into Balancing radiators, start with this: the lockshield valve, opened a turn at a time. The practical point is that the radiators nearest the boiler are throttled so the far ones get their share.
Manufacturers publish their own limits in the manual, and those take precedence over any general figure.
Check the boiler's own display or manual first; most of the time it tells you what it needs. In short, Balancing radiators is worth understanding before it becomes an emergency.
Landlord gas safety
Landlord gas safety in one line: every 12 months by law. Beyond the number, the record must be given to tenants within 28 days of the check.
That figure is a typical value for a UK home rather than a rule; a good engineer will confirm it for your system.
Keep the service record with the boiler manual; it is the first thing a buyer or a warranty claim will ask for. That is the whole of Landlord gas safety for most households.
Magnetic filter
Magnetic filter: the figure most people need is about 100 to 150 pounds, fitted on the return pipe, and it catches the iron oxide that otherwise settles in the heat exchanger.
Treat the number as a starting point. Older systems, larger houses and hard water all move it.
If a job involves the gas supply or the flue, it is Gas Safe work and not something to attempt yourself. Knowing this about Magnetic filter saves a call-out more often than you would think.
Figures are typical UK values; your boiler's manual and a Gas Safe registered engineer take precedence.
This note is part of the Eco Gas search lab, a set of short heating notes used to study how search engines read pages.