You wouldn’t deliberately throw money away, so why do it unintentionally? This is just what you could be doing if your home is not properly insulated. In fact, for every E1 you spend on heating, 75 pence could be going straight outside. That is a waste of both money and heat. Of course, many people … Read more
Microbore, as the word implies, is the use of narrow pipes with tube bores ranging from 6mm to 10mm diameter. Microbore is now readily accepted within the heating trade because of its many advantages. It can be used with open or pressurised systems using a two-pipe flow and return arrangement. The design and calculations for … Read more
The spiralling cost of energy makes it more and more important to have effective control of your heating system. Control systems allow you to conserve heat and energy without noticing any loss of comfort: a single degree of temperature more than you need adds up to 5% on the fuel bill. Most controls are accurate … Read more
Before you start sizing any type of radiator it is essential to decide which type to use and where you are going to install them. Positioning The best place to put radiators is under windows where the downward currents of cold air will be heated, so giving the room an even temperature. This will also … Read more
Without a flue or chimney, normally brick built, your boiler would not function, but unless they are designed and installed correctly, chimneys lead to condensation. All fuels produce gases and water vapour when burnt. A chimney provides a safe means of carrying away these gases. The hot flue gases and vapour rise because they are … Read more
Better to be warm but undecorated and unfurnished, than look fantastic and feel cold. Central heating is expensive, disruptive and complex to install, but it is a good investment and an excellent solution to heating problems. There are many different heating systems to choose from. Basically, the categories are: a fire with or without back … Read more
Before decorating a radiator consider what you expect the radiator to do. Do you want the room to warm up quickly or would you prefer more of the heat to remain within the system and be emitted slowly? Has the colour to match the general room décor or doesn’t it matter? Do you want a … Read more
After much thought you may have installed the system of central heating ideal for your type of home. All that remains is for you to sit back and enjoy its benefits. But wait! Nothing is perfect in this imperfect world. Do you now suffer from sore throats, headaches or sinus trouble? Is your woodwork warping? … Read more
Popular colours for radiators vary from generation to generation. The first radiators installed in public buildings were generally matt black, because it was then believed that a rough black finish allowed heat to pass from the system to the surrounding air quickly. When well-breeched householders first adopted central heat- ing at the turn of the … Read more
Radiators are made of cast iron, which is cheapest; pressed steel, which is lighter than cast iron; and aluminium, which is lighter still and does not build up so many deposits inside. Like almost everything else in life designs are dictated by fashion: Column and hospital radiators. The traditional type. Take up little room because … Read more
As information on how to install central heating is available from the suppliers of various fuels, each competing against the other to get your business, we will confine the present section to discussing heating in general, giving the relative merits of the four methods: solid fuel, oil, gas and electricity. Not that this is easy, … Read more
Building a sawing horse Your wood may arrive by the ton, already cut and split, and then it will only remain for you to hand over your money and cart the wood to some place where it can be stored, preferably under cover. If you have to cut slab wood or timber from a demolition … Read more
Choosing the best position To make the most of any stove installation it is best to use a chimney placed in the middle of your house. Any brick or stone chimney will become warm as the hot flue gases pass up it, especially if the stove is run continuously throughout the winter. The warmed bricks … Read more
Dealing with the risk of fire The installation of a stove should aim to be as long-lasting as the stove itself. The picture of long runs of metal stovepipe, glowing a cosy red across the classroom ceiling of an American midwest schoolroom at the turn of the century is not on. Apart from being unacceptable … Read more
There are well over 1,500 woodstove models to choose from. Which one you select will remain largely a matter of personal preference: but do check that the manufacturers’ suggested rates of heat output are compatible with the heat required in your house. Also, a cast iron stove will last longer than one of thin sheet … Read more
Moisture vapour in the air forms condensation when it comes into contact with cold surfaces, because cold air can hold less water vapour than warm air; as the air cools it reaches a dew point temperature where the water vapour it contains can no longer remain as a gas, so it condenses. This is frequently … Read more
With collector and tank Solar energy can be used to heat your home as well. One way is to use a large area of collector and a large hot water storage tank. The rule of thumb is to allow 50-60 litres of thermal storage per square metre of collector area, although some people might suggest … Read more
It is easy enough to measure the air temperature of a room with a thermometer but it is far more difficult to say at what temperature a person feels comfortable in a room. Whether internal good feeling predisposes us to comfort and emotional upset causes us to be more critical of our environment is something … Read more
The Building Research Establishment has estimated that up to 50 per cent of the total primary energy consumption of the UK is used to service buildings: for heating, lighting, providing hot water, cooking, and running appliances. Of this energy use about half is required to keep the buildings warm. It seems obvious that the reduction … Read more
Basic energy units The electrical and mechanical energy we use daily for heating is measured in many ways but I will ignore all those British Thermal Units, horsepower and therms, and deal instead in kilowatt-hours (kWh). To be scientifically correct all measurements of energy should be in Joules, Kilojoules, Megajoules and Gigajoules. But we are … Read more
Closely allied to glazing are heating and ventilation. These pose particular problems in a garden room or conservatory that is intended to be both an extension of the living room, giving scope for relaxation and leisure activities most of the year round, and a display room for, among other plants, exotics that cannot withstand outside … Read more
Heating appliances fall broadly into two categories: boilers and power units that provide full or partial central heating and fixed or portable appliances, of which there is a wide variety, that can be used almost anywhere in the house either independently or to supplement the central heating. Electric heaters. Storage radiators and storage fan heaters … Read more
There are three principal systems of central heating: 1 Distribution from a boiler of heated water through pipes terminating in room radiators. The system is commonly termed “wet” central heating. 2 Warm air. In this system air, instead of water, is heated and circulated through the house. 3 Heated structures, a system which includes underfloor … Read more
Full central heating involves heating the whole of the house to a required temperature and maintaining that temperature irrespective of how cold it is outside the house. Since the boiler or central heating unit and the distribution equipment must have sufficient capacity to meet extreme outdoor conditions, the running costs of full central heating are … Read more
The savings and comfort benefits of good insulation, once installed, are continuous. The cost of insulating all or part of the house is soon offset by the savings in heating bills. Other benefits include reduced likelihood of condensation, improved comfort and even a cooler home in summer. In a typical home, 25 per cent of … Read more
The options open to you in heating your home range from whole-house or full central heating to local or focal-point heaters used alone or to top up central heating. There are several heating systems to choose from and a variety of appliances. Heating checklist Before installing or converting the heating system in your home, consider … Read more
One great advantage of an immersion heater fitted to your hot water cylinder is that it can be used to supply as much or as little hot water around the home as you need at any particular time. It can also supplement other heating systems such as gas, oil or solid fuel. With care, you … Read more