Gas heating, rads are boiling hot!

Cherrycola

just moved into a house with gas heating, never had it before, and the rads get really really hot, and the water coming from the hot taps would scorch you!

I adjusted the temp on the boiler, but the rads didnt seem to get any cooler, but the water did, to the point of being almost too cool, i could really notice the difference in the shower, had the controls almost at 10 to get the water hot, whereas previously it was scorching me at 6-7.

So what is the optimum temp for home heating, 50C? 60C?

And can i adjust the rads themselves to control their heat? By turning the white plastic knobs? Forgive the layperson terminology.

Each rad has 2 knobs, one on each side, and none have a + or - gauge, so it will be a fairly random adjustment process.

Micky Dolenz

What is make and model of boiler?

Cherrycola

http://www.vokera.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/mynute_28e_35e_users_instructions.pdf

This one.

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Your boiler is standard enough, settings depending on how well you house is insulated could work around 70, its up to you really at end of day. You cant really go any lower than 65 or you'll run the possible risk of dangerous bacteria building up in you stored hot water.

Still unsure as to why rads are still roasting yet stored water is cooler, you might not have left heating on long enough for stored water to heat up?

What ever you set max boiler temp at your stored hot water should reach close enough to that setting provided you have no separate control of hot water.

Rads have two valves, one is flow the other is return. Flow should have a wheel head (as you've mentioned with arrows) return should have a cap which you cant really turn.

Make sure all flows have correct cap, next time when you start heating from cold, run around with a pencil and mark side of rad which heats up first, all you have to do is feel rads valves, you'll find one heats up first. When you have all rads marked, make sure right cap on valve.

Flows can be opened fully / half way / barely open etc all this does is regulate flow, the more valve is closed the longer it takes for rad to heat up, eventually if heating is left on long enough rad will heat up fully close enough to max boiler temp. Closing flows wont make rad cooler, just makes it longer for rad to heat up.

Return is used to restrict / balance heating system, bit late to go into it, if you find the wrong caps on rad valves then your heating has never been balanced, let us know how you get on, I'll write up a basic way to have your system close to balanced.