Essex Plumbing and Heating Services

There are 2 different and most common types of heating systems. Vented (open to atmosphere, unsealed) and pressurised (sealed). Vented system can be identified with a small header vessel in loft, and it should always be full. This system does not need to be toped up as it is controlled by a ball valve. However, studies show that by sealing your system you can save up to 3% on your heating bills.

Pressurised system is getting more and more common these days as people are switching to combination boilers. To top up sealed system you will need to locate filling loop. Will be silver braded hose with a valve either side of the hose. Normally can be found under or near the boiler. Most modern boilers require 0.8bar to operate, however, you would need to check manufacturers instructions on correct pressure (mostly between 1bar-1.5bar). Make sure you are doing this when system is cold. Once filled to correct pressure turn both valves off. Please check out our videos on “How to…”

Combination boilers (or more commonly “Combi”) is a “hot water on demand” appliance. It does not store hot water, it heats cold water via secondary plate heat exchanger to give you hot water at your preferred temperature. These boilers are more suited to smaller houses and apartments as hot water flow per minute is generally quite low.

System and Heat-only (Regular or Standard) boilers work slightly different. These appliances will require hot water storage (cylinder or heat battery). Generally, system boilers are smaller in KW and more suited for larger properties.

This is a most trending question amongst our customers. With current energy crisis it’s sometimes hard to keep on top of it. However, there are a few cheap or even free tips that you can do to save a small fortune.

Turn your flow temperature down. Most of UK population keep their heating at 70C-80C. By turning it down to 60C you will save yourself a good margin of your bill. Most boilers are fitted with some form of flue gas recuperation device. By keeping flow temperature down your boiler will condense more therefore will save you money.

Turn your room temperature down. We are not saying to stay in a freezing home, but by turning your room thermostat down just one degree you will save yourself up to £90/year.

Studies show that most comfortable temperatures are 18C-21C.

Installing a smart room thermostat. Smart thermostats are becoming a standard item in most households. They do help to save a substantial amount of money by not heating an empty house. However, the cost of unit, installation cost sometimes outweighs the benefit.

Turning radiators off. This is not a very good idea, as you will cool one part of the house and draw heat from the rest. By turning it on low temperature is a far better choice. Installing TRV’s greatly helps with regulating radiator temperatures.

Maintaining your system. Regular maintenance will help to keep the costs down. By flushing the system, you will get a better flow through out your radiators therefore giving you more heat and boiler doesn’t have to work as hard. Keeping on top of your boiler serving is by far most important. If your boiler breaks down, identifying a fault early can save you substantial amount of money. We do provide HomeCare plans to help you with costs of running and maintaining your appliance.

Boiler efficiency is measured by SEDBUK (Seasonal efficiency). All gas boilers that are installed after 2005 are condensing with high sessional efficiency. You can find your appliance here www.ncm-pcdb.org.uk

This a Hard one. Check if your system pressure is between 1-1.5bar when boiler is not operating and heating system is cold. When boiler is operating you flow temperature shouldn’t be jumping up and down. Instead, should be slowly increasing at a steady pace. Your radiators should be evenly hot, bottom should be slightly cooler than the top. In reality, you can’t unless you are a heating expert. However, give us a call and we can schedule an appointment for your appliance/system health check.

It’s very important to service/maintain your boiler. Every gas and oil boiler in domestic situation should be service every 12 months (some oil boilers every 6 months). However, depending on usage, servicing may need to be brought forwards. Servicing helps your appliance to operate in an efficient manner therefore reducing your heating costs. Also, regular maintenance may identify potential fault and save you money/time by sorting it early.

This is by far a most difficult question. To repair your boiler it will depend on many factors; how accessible your boiler is, how long will it take to repair, how much required parts are. Replacing your boiler is not always the best option, but if its beyond economical repair then we can schedule an appointment and one of our engineers will give a free no obligation quotation there and then with no hard sale pitches.