Any plumbers / water central heatimg experts in the house?

[{{909}}]

I live in a top floor apartment and was told that id need to install a water pump to get the full effect of the heating, which turned out to be true as i found out this week.

Anyway, the whole block is supplied with hot water thats pumped through the radiators with only the controls on the radiators to regulate the heat. After getting the pump fitted its toasty warm, but i have no idea what sort of discipline i should exercise with the pump.

Its a 200 watt pump amd we have a switch to toggle it on and off.
Should leave it on all the time or should i regulate it to being on at certain times?



Bloody hell..typos a plenty, posting from ipad.

[BigBird]

If you're not there all day I wouldn't leave it on all the time. 200 watts isn't much but it does add up if on all the time, and you certainly don't need it on all night while in bed. Maybe consider fitting a fused spur with timer:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&k...l_1lainocete_b

If you have it connected to a 13amp plug you could just buy a cheaper plug in time switch. (">

http://www.screwfix.com/c/electrical...mers/cat830544

Edit: From a quick look I see that the average electricity cost per unit (kwh) is around 13p. 200 watts on all the time will cost you just under £19/month. You can halve that by switching the pump off at night and when you're not home in the day. (">

[{{909}}]

Thanks bigbird, thats exactly the sort of info i was looking for.

I think the average leccy unit price here is much lower than the UK, so thats not a massive concern, i was more worried if either leaving it on all the time, or switching it off frequently had any negative effects on the pump itself.

I am glad i can turn the pump off too, as the water that comes to my floor in the block is shared with the other resident on the same floor, a single, young lady, i wouldnt want her getting cold in the night and come banging on my door in her undercrackers if my pump is taking all the hot water.....

[BigBird]

There should be no mechanical/electrical ill effects of leaving the pump on all day or switching it on and off several times a day. In a normal central heating set up the pump is switched on and off every time the room stat switches on and off. With me that can be every 15 minutes and my pump has been in service for 14 years with no problems. In some small workshop/office situations where doors are opened regularly these pumps would run almost continuously throughout the working day, which can be the full 24 hours in some cases where 3 shifts operate.

The weakest link in the system is going to be the time switch but I cant see you having too many problems.

More expensive but more control is to fit something like this: http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products...FWfkwgodmWYABw

This could be used to set the timing and also control the pump relative to room temperature. It's a wireless timer/thermostat which you can place in any room and it interfaces with the included receiver. Haven't looked into it in detail but I don't think the receiver's contact rating will be high enough to switch the pump directly because it is designed to interface with an existing controller, but it could be used to switch a cheap mains voltage relay to operate the pump. You would have to fit the relay into a suitable plastic enclosure and you may need to fit a diode going to the relay coil because ac power can make the relay buzz which will be annoying (especially when amplified by the enclosure).

This is the ultimate option if you need more control over the temperature and cost isn't an issue, and you know what you're doing. If the existing radiator stats are doing the job then for simplicity and cost the original (simple timer) option is the best. Just thought I would give you all the options. (">

[{{909}}]

As for control, i think we would need some sort of wireless controller like that, as the pump itself is outside the apartment in a locked cupboard that we shouldnt have access to, but luckily we had a socket inside our apartment directly adjacent to the cupboard so they just drilled through and fitted a switch.

To be honest, I think it will be fine as it is. I dunno if it was a circulation thing but we ran the pump for a day and I switched it off about 24 hours ago and the radiators are still piping hot, so I may just flick it on whenever it starts to drop a little.

Compared to last year when we were pretty much the only people in the whole block and there was no heating at all, this is a dream.