Could someone explain how our heating system works please

[User1483098432]

I've just moved into a new house and it has a fairly new heat only condenser boiler in the kitchen. And then a water tank in the loft and another tank in the airing cupboard. But I can't figure out how to use it. I can get hot water but the radiators are cold.

The tank in the airing cupboard has an immersion heater on top which connects to a plug socket, but the same plug socket is also connected up to the program switch on the wall. Which has options for heating, hot water and a timer. Does that mean the immersion heater has to be on any time we want heating or hot water? We have a plumber coming around on Saturday to have a look but the house is freezing at the moment. So I was hoping someone might have an idea about how to work the darn thing as I've only ever lived in houses with combi boilers and I haven't got a clue.

This is what's in the airing cupboard

Our heating and hot water are separate so heat comes from boiler and hot water from immersion - any chance it's like that?

@Dazedandconfused10 I'm really not sure. We contacted the estate agent to see if they could ask the previous owners how to work it but they haven't gotten back in touch.

Our boiler has a control panel with water on it but it's not connected (we were without hot water for a week!) So we have 2 separate controls. Our heating panel also had been totally turned off so needed turned on. Good luck!

@Dazedandconfused10 Thank you! Hopefully it is sorted out soon. So much more confusing than the combi we're used to lol

Post some photos and put a call out for @PigletJohn. He’s the fountain of knowledge on heating controls

Do you have a programmable timer anywhere? (Mine is in the kitchen). Mine can set timers for heating and hot water separately. I also have a separate thermostat in the hall.

Post a photo of your control box in your kitchen op. Perhaps that will help people understand.

I have those things and mine is a 25 year old boiler. One side of the control on the kitchen is for heating, the other side for hot water. You can put either one or both in together or use the timer.

Silly question but is the heating switched to 'On' on the program switch?

Your problem is that it’s not in your airing cupboard or plumbed in.....

the hot water cylinder in your photo is certainly irrelevant, as Flamingo says.

I hazard a guess that it is not even a photo of the one in your house.

The immersion heater should be turned off at all times except when the boiler breaks down. It should not be connected with a plug and socket.

First of all show us the room thermostat in your house, then the programmer/timer, as well as all the other stuff.

Well immersion can be connectted despite the boiler IF the boiler has been modified like in my house - the previous owners disconnected the hot water funcion on the boiler and decided to heat water by imersion heater - the tank and the water cylinder aer there like in OP's case.
OP I control the water by the panel control on the wall which is on timer - but I never switched ot off so can't advise what exactly to press - the light should be on.

I mean the light on the wall panel comes on when the the timer switches it on twice a day - and can be overiddden when you want more water. But oh for the combi boiler - having to wait for the tank to fill up is a bore once you had a shower. In my case, the control panel is by the bathroom entrance by the way.

because energy from electricity costs more than four times as much as energy from gas, anybody with a boiler who chooses to use the immersion instead is throwing away about 33pence an hour. A 90 litre bath takes about an hour and a half to heat using an immersion heater.

Can you see any motorised valves in the circuit? They look like this www.bes.co.uk/motorised-zone-valve-2-port-22mm-17389?ref=gs&photo=true&gclid=Cj0KCQiAt_PuBRDcARIsAMNlBdry5eNoptYVTIm5BECvMSWWlJ1kDLfKMh6aw5wVbFz8vSe1fl-aIY4aAlaYEALw_wcB

These open/close the water circuit to the radiators when the heating comes on and off. They can jam and also the motors fail. You can test this by manually moving the tab and seeing if the - there should be some resistance which will feel sprung but just push past this. if there is no resistance then this might indicate a faulty valve.

If this works then it will either be a problem with the electrical feed from the boiler/clock or the valve itself is faulty. Replacing valves are relatively cheap and easy but since involves electric only get qualified people to do this.

BTW heating circuits tend to be one of two types S and Y - check out here for info that might help

www.plumberparts.co.uk/advice/heating-systems/s-plan-heating-system

Hi thank you all for the help and sorry for the slow reply. I will have to post a photo tomorrow of it. The boiler is a main heat only gas boiler. I tried today to get the hot water on by switching the controls to "on" and selecting hot water and it didn't get hot at all.

There is a motorised valve and the little switch will move back over to the left to (I think) auto if you slide it over to the right which I think says open?

There doesn't seem to be a thermostat in the house only a control panel on the wall outside the airing cupboard with options for heating, hot water and timer options

@worthywow1 sorry forgot to tag you in the reply

Could you take a picture of the control panel?

Or give us the brand and model number?

Hi - to stop it sliding back (i.e. keep open) you need to go all the way and then up a bit so it goes into the upper slot which stops it springing back

@dementedpixie the control panel looks like this one

@worthywow1 should I slide it to open? I've just left it on auto as that's what it was already on

As a test try putting it on manual and then set the hot water and central heating switches to "Cont" (=continuous=on all the time). Does the boiler fire up? If so try feeling the pipes either side of the pump to see if both are hot - if not might be a faulty pump. The pump is usually one of these www.pumpsalesdirect.co.uk/grundfos-up-20-45n-domestic-hot-water-service-pump-circulator-230v.html?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQiAt_PuBRDcARIsAMNlBdorUUZLFDqjYruUQd1UcL8Jdpq-J4nq03SBYFbvE2K1SdSbWzZwKjgaAgOEEALw_wcB

@worthywow the boiler seems to fire up fine. I felt the pipes around the tank earlier and they were hot for a while but then went cold again and the water remained cold the whole time.