Hot water heating advice

[netforce82]

Hi,


I recently had a new heating system installed before Christmas after our boiler broken down which was installed over 21 years ago.


The engineer installed a Potterton Gold HE 24 system boiler and a blue coloured hot water cylinder which its capacity is 114ltr (1050mx400m). He replaced the thermometer and other controls.


I scheduled using the timer to heat up water in the morning between 5am-7am and then 10am-12pm. Then if I don't switch it back on it will get cool, which I've notcied today when I ran the hot water at around 2.30pm.


We wash the dishes around 11/12.00 but it's still not enough to run out of hot water.


So please tell me how long should the hot water in the cylinder stay hot for? I don't think I should constantly heat the water up.

 

[lame plumber]

do you have a washing machine still set up on hot and cold supplies that you run, possibly using up the cyl water. also your timings for on off 10am to 12pm seem odd , normally u set for around 5.30 -830 to give enough am to get up wash and recover then again pm around 5-9 to allow for tea and bedtime. if you use it all round 730 there wont be any hot left for the rest of the day, extend your on off times, remember the cyl stat will turn off the boiler when the cyl is hot enough so you dont waste gas

 

[netforce82]

Thanks for your response. I think I was told by the gas engineer that the washing machine is linked to our hot/cold water. Is there a way of changing that? Truth is we don't always use the washing machine.

I've changed the times as per your advice apart from the pm one, which I set from 12.30-4.00 so I could do shower when I return from work. Then I set for evening 8-10.

But I wonder whether that's really necessary as I thought the cylinder should keep it hot for some time.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

what temperature have you got the cylinder stat set at?

 

[doitmyself]

I think I was told by the gas engineer that the washing machine is linked to our hot/cold water. Is there a way of changing that?

You need a Y adapter - available from most DIY stores.

Leave both hoses connected to the washing machine.
Turn off the isolation taps for both hoses and disconnect them from the supply.
Connect the Y adapter to the cold water supply.
Connect the hoses to the two branches of the Y adapter.
Turn the cold isolation valve on.

I've changed the times as per your advice apart from the pm one, which I set from 12.30-4.00 so I could do shower when I return from work. Then I set for evening 8-10.

Do you shower after 4pm? If so you will have used up some of the hot water - how much depends on how hot you like your shower and how long you spend in the shower. For a 10 minute shower this will be 50 litres or more. So you have used up about half of the water in the cylinder, which will have been replaced by cold water, bringing the cylinder temperature down to about 40C.

Whether you need a reheat at 8pm will depend on your evening requirement, If it's just washing hands etc it may not be necessary.

In my situation, we all (3 persons) shower in the evening (normally about 10.30 to 11.30). The hot water heating times are set as follows:

9pm - 12.30am: this ensures hot water for all showers and makes sure there is a full cylinder of hot water next morning
12.30pm - 2.30pm: this tops up the cylinder for evening washing up etc.

The only time we have to turn the HW on outside those times is when there has been an unusual use of hot water, e.g buckets filled for cleaning etc.

The boiler will not be on for all the set time, as it is also controlled by the cylinder thermostat, which goes on when the water drops to 50C and off when it reaches 60C. Your cylinder should take about an hour to reheat.