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P1
Heating
There are many different types of heating systems in
British homes. The energy source can be different to start with -
Gas, LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas - in bottles or tanks), oil or
electric. Usually electricity is a dry form of central heating,
whilst the others will most likely be wet systems (usually heating
and circulation water to radiators). Gas can also be used for warm
air heating, but this is still quite rare in Britain. The most common
will be some form of wet system heating to radiators so we will
concentrate mainly on that.
Firstly, never attempt to carry out DIY repairs to any
aspect of the gas supply or system. This is extremely dangerous and
should only be worked on by a fully qualified and approved engineer.
These engineers and companies have to be registered gas fitters by
law, they have a registration number, I.D. and certification. To
obtain an approved company or engineer in your area, call CORGI
(Council of Registered Gas Installers). It is also worth noting that
if you rent your home your landlord is under an obligation to have
the gas appliances serviced on an annual basis. The certificates
verifying that this has been carried out should be made available to you.
In an emergency, or if you smell gas, always call the
gas emergency number in your phone book.
It will also help if you can familiarize yourself with
the gas cocks in the house. The main one will be at the gas meter. It
will look like a silver or brass handle, maybe 75mm to 100mm long,
and when turned on it will be turned in line with the pipe. To turn
off, it needs to be horizontal across the line of the pipe. It will
only turn a quarter of a turn each way.
How to bleed a radiator
If you have a problem which is not gas related, if the
boiler is lighting and running ok but a radiator is not getting hot,
you can attempt to vent or 'bleed' the air from the radiator.
Sometimes, if a heating system has air in it, it will get trapped in
a radiator or several radiators and this will prevent the hot water
from circulating through it, therefore it will not get hot.
To vent this air you will need a radiator key
(available from most DIY shops and plumbers merchants for about fifty
pence). You do not need to turn off the system or the water. Get a
large piece or rag or kitchen roll ready to mop up the small amount
of water that will leak out once the air is all out. Look at each end
of the radiator. At one end only and at the top you should find a
small square peg set inside a round fitting. This is the vent. The
wrong end will just have the fitting, which will look like a solid
plug - leave that alone.
Put your rag or kitchen roll beneath the vent and hold
it tight with one hand. You may like to get someone else to hold this
whilst you use the key to open the vent. Turn the key anti-clockwise
to open. Open slowly - a very small bit at a time - do not allow the
vent to become completely unscrewed. If water comes out immediately,
air is probably not the problem, so turn back clockwise to shut the
vent. More likely you will hear the 'hiss' of air coming out. Let out
all the air until water starts to leak out. Now shut off the vent
tightly by hand, you should not need to tighten the key with anything
other than that. Now you know why you need the rag!
Now systematically vent the other radiators in your
home as sometimes the extra water you have now allowed to go into the
bled radiator may have been drawn out of the next radiator on the
system. Once you have done this to all of them they should all get
hot - assuming air was the problem.
Other problems
Sometimes when you try to bleed a radiator, no air or
water will come out. This can be because of a lack of water in the
system. This is where it tends to get more technical. If you have a
small water tank feeding the heating system (in the roof space or
high up in a cupboard normally) check that it has water in it. If it
does not then the system needs charging up completely.
You may have a combination boiler (more common in
small homes or flats). This type does not have a feed tank - it is
fed directly from the mains water supply. Do not continue to run the
system if this is what you think is the problem, as you can damage
your pump, which will cost considerably more to replace than to call
in an expert to recharge your system. Turn off the boiler at the main
electric switch and call them in!
Another common simple problem can be the time clock or
thermostat controls. These are connected electrically, so do not take
them apart as you will get a shock. If there is a power cut, the
clock will stop and thus be out of sync. Reset it to get the system
back on. Alternatively, someone may have shut down the room
thermostat by mistatke, so again, the boiler will not fire up. Check
these simple things first. If the system is still not working, then
check the fuse if it seems no power is getting through. Anything more
complicated than this then do not do any further investigating unless
you really know what you are doing - call in the professionals.
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