Grumble Thread

[oddoneout]

I'll check. To be honest, I've never really fathomed the programming thingy on the actual boiler. Yes, it's a combi, and yes the hot water is working.

[There is something satisfying about warming the homemade bread and heating the homemade fish soup on top of the stove. It's certainly very warm and snug in the back room so I think I'll wait until tomorrow morning before exploring further.]

You have hot water and an alternative source of heating so as you say it make sense to leave it until tomorrow.

[french frank]

Hmm, I'm wondering now whether the problem wasn't just a couple of unusually mild days so the heating didn't kick in … I set it last night at min. 24º for this morning and it came on as usual, and the meter readings are back to normal.

[oddoneout]

Hmm, I'm wondering now whether the problem wasn't just a couple of unusually mild days so the heating didn't kick in … I set it last night at min. 24º for this morning and it came on as usual, and the meter readings are back to normal.

That was something else that occurred to me, as I had the same thing happen the past couple of days - the house feeling colder than the thermometer suggested it should due to prevailing damp so the heating didn't come on. Rather than crank the 'stat up I lit the stove and put an extra hottie in my bed to counteract the cold bedroom.
Glad that the problem has ceased to be.

[Bryn]

Hmm, I'm wondering now whether the problem wasn't just a couple of unusually mild days so the heating didn't kick in … I set it last night at min. 24º for this morning and it came on as usual, and the meter readings are back to normal.

I abandoned the use of my central heating system several years ago. Only twice in recent months have I even used the open gas fire (the only one in the house) and only for a few hours each time. The temperature within the house has only very occasionally dropped below 18°C very rarely, and extra layers of clothing have dealt with that. There again, I live alone in the house and avoid opening windows at all when the outside temperature drops below 10°C. It seems very much more than likely that your central heating is working per spec.

[french frank]

I abandoned the use of my central heating system several years ago. Only twice in recent months have I even used the open gas fire (the only one in the house) and only for a few hours each time. The temperature within the house has only very occasionally dropped below 18°C very rarely, and extra layers of clothing have dealt with that. There again, I live alone in the house and avoid opening windows at all when the outside temperature drops below 10°C. It seems very much more than likely that you central heating is working per spec.

I agree with your bold comment. And I live much like you, although even I was quite impressed to see the programmer registering the temperature as 13º once. Extra pullover called for. Overnight, I set the min. arbitrarily at 7º, but it could as well be 6º, 5º, 4º, or 3º as I don't want it to come on under any circumstances, my duvet being able to cope with any temperature. Except in the summer.

[eighthobstruction]

....on mine ....sometimes the water/operative water in the boiler fall below a 'certain' level and a cut off over rides the system shutting it down....on my boiler (underneath where the pipe work comes in) there is a toggle that if manipulated -squirts water into system bringing the level back up.....then press 'reset'....

[Dave2002]

We have a more complex oil based system with multiple zones and underfloor heating. Although the thermostats do not link to the boiler/control system wirelessly, the batteries do run down and affect performance. We have found it important to put in new batteries pretty much every year, and also to make sure the contacts are good enough - as they do corrode a bit. Also rechargeable batteries are not a good idea for this kind of application - not in our house anyway. The thermostats do seem to be designed to work at a nominal voltage around 1.4-1.5 volts - not the lower levels often available with rechargeables.

The cold then warmer weather has definitely disturbed our system, and an added complication is that we have used our wood burner for a few days for cosiness. That has put out additional heat which has almost certainly affected some of the thermostats.

Some systems now use portable thermostats, and it makes a difference where they are sited - both for communications reasons, and also because if they are put in a warm position they will tend to keep the heating turned off. It is worth checking the batteries.

[oddoneout]

....on mine ....sometimes the water/operative water in the boiler fall below a 'certain' level and a cut off over rides the system shutting it down....on my boiler (underneath where the pipe work comes in) there is a toggle that if manipulated -squirts water into system bringing the level back up.....then press 'reset'....

I loathe having to repressurise the CH system. Furtling around in the gas boiler innards gives me the willies but also the process of putting in the key and unlocking to let the water in is hard and awkward and trying to see the pressure gauge while the water is going in requires contortions. I had to do it a couple of months ago and in a repeat of last year the key is so firmly in the socket that I can't now get it out , and cut my hand badly trying to do so, although thankfully it did its job of locking the water valve off. Last year it did the same and the chap who services the boiler had a real struggle to get it out. He lubricated the socket and gave me a new key but he's going to have to get it out when he comes in the New Year.

[Serial_Apologist]

Four more Xmas cards just dropped onto my mat - that's added to the six that arrived on Thursday, and the five that actually reached me by the Day. At this rate maybe all my cards will have been responded to by Easter!

[RichardB]

I don't know how many of you would be aware of this, but where I live, "central heating" means what it says - it gets switched on and off by the city depending on temperature, which can be quite annoying when the powers that be don't get the timing right, and unnecessarily expensive if you're away for a few days like I am now, although I suppose the cats can enjoy the heating.

[Dave2002]

I don't know how many of you would be aware of this, but where I live, "central heating" means what it says - it gets switched on and off by the city depending on temperature, which can be quite annoying when the powers that be don't get the timing right, and unnecessarily expensive if you're away for a few days like I am now, although I suppose the cats can enjoy the heating.

Interesting that your heating is controlled by the city. In our flat in Sweden - when we had it - there was no control over the temperature - set to a constant 22 degrees C as far as we could tell. I assumed it was set by the block owners. We tried all sorts of tricks to change it - usually to cool it down - such as opening all the windows - but that didn't work even at -20 degrees C outside IIRC - the system almost immediately reacted and booted more heat in. It was fairly good most of the time, and at least it never went cold. I think the charge for heating was fixed- with the service charges - though I can't remember.

[Serial_Apologist]

I don't know how many of you would be aware of this, but where I live, "central heating" means what it says - it gets switched on and off by the city depending on temperature, which can be quite annoying when the powers that be don't get the timing right, and unnecessarily expensive if you're away for a few days like I am now, although I suppose the cats can enjoy the heating.

Undemocratic centralist heating, then!

[RichardB]

Undemocratic centralist heating, then!

State capitalist I think you'll find

[Joseph K]

Can someone recommend a decent disk-drive to plug into a laptop or, maybe if not that then a TV-DVD combi? I recently bought a Mahavishnu Orchestra Live at Montreux DVD and it keeps stopping within two minutes of watching it - must be my crappy disk-drive.

[Old Grumpy]

Can someone recommend a decent disk-drive to plug into a laptop or, maybe if not that then a TV-DVD combi? I recently bought a Mahavishnu Orchestra Live at Montreux DVD and it keeps stopping within two minutes of watching it - must be my crappy disk-drive.

Joseph: I can't answer your can question, but you may find that those who can frequent the Techie board forum more than this one.