Quote:
Originally Posted by WillyHeckaslike
Yes, Phil, heating on here as required for the last week or so. I run it on the lowest boiler setting throughout the summer too for an hour a month or so and sometimes longer and more often depending on need. I think that it is a false economy to let the house go too cold at any time, wallpaper can start to loosen and it creates an environment for nature to try to gain the upper hand with things like mold.
Our system failed a couple of years ago and I was not confident in the ability of the pros??? we paid to look at the problem. I eventually bit the bullet and ended up sorting it myself albeit with more than a little help from google and youtube. Like most people do, as I suspect, we regarded the central heating system as fit and forget but not anymore as a result of that experience. Ours simply gunged up, they all rust internally regardless of any inhibitor within them. A big clue is in the word inhibitor, it merely inhibits corrosion but does not stop it. Dissimilar metal corrosion is the main problem and whilst having a magnetic filter fitted to the system certainly helps with this problem in protecting the boiler it does not stop a lot of the gunge from resting and building up in the radiators and other parts of the system.
The only proper solution to this problem is to have the system cleaned and flushed and after looking in horror at the cost of having it done professionally?? and realizing that it should be done at more regular intervals I went for the diy option. Spent a few hundred quid on the equipment but view that against the prices given on the net for a central heating clean/flush. It then begins to look cheap plus I now have the kit to repeat the job in the future which I intend to do at around 5/yr intervals as per a car's cooling system when filled with oat. Crazy when you think about it, most people pay more respect to the servicing of a cars cooling system than they do to their household heating system. 
Edit: Blimming heck Richard, you posted while I was typing this. Hope you are keeping ok |
Hi Steve, its good to hear you have been putting on the heating when needed and thank you very much for explaining about getting the system cleaned and flushed. You must saved yourself a small fortune doing the work yourself ......
The engineer visited from Gas Plus and said it is a faulty blender valve. After he left, his firm emailed us with a written quote for a replacement valve at £300 inclusive of call out and installation costs. We rang them back and said to go ahead, order the part and set a date for the installation next week. Until then, no heating and no hot water, so we are wearing our winter woolies. Its not too bad as we are on the top floor, 4 floors up and the flat has good insulation.
How are you keeping?