Thanks for the videos, I've recently decided to try a change of career to plumbing at the tender age of 52!! Fed up of being in IT management after 20 years of stress, I've just started a plumbing course to do my nvq2, got my initial exams starting Monday so have had my head stuck in a book for a few weeks and doing test questions constantly, and seeing these videos really helps understand everything a bit better. Also I'm sticking a finger up to anyone who says I'm too old 😀
Good luck to you mate, keep striving to learn and your be fine. Don’t know much about it management however I can tell your the life as a plumber if far from stress free. especially self employed it’s more than 1 job at once. Anyway best of luck.
@@heatservicebwcuk1545 thanks for the comments, I'm not expecting a stress free career, I worked for myself many years ago and it was a different kind of stress, mostly my IT career has been brilliant, just the last couple of years has been horrible. I'm looking forward to learning and working hard and seeing where it takes me. Out of interest, how did you find your apprentice? At the moment I've only done the theory exams, now waiting for the practical training but it's several weeks away and I would like to work alongside a plumber to get the knowledge in the meantime (and afterwards). I'm thinking I should approach my local plumber/gas man and ask him if I can work alongside him (probably for free initially as I have minimal skillset at the moment), is this the best approach do you think? (And if he says no then I ask others)
Do those zone valves open and close based on the programmer? I have a Honeywell programmer and electrical leads come from the valve to the programmer so assume so. I assume when the programmer ticks on, the valve gets an instruction to open? Another question is when, say, the thermostat ticks the heating off, yet the programmer is still on, does the valve stay open? Or does it close and go on bypass because the pump runs for about 30 seconds even after the thermostat has ticked off? Also, the pump sometimes runs for 30 seconds or so after the programmer has clicked off? So, does the valve open and shut based on the programmer alone or the thermostat as well? I also understand the bypass is an emergency incase the electronic valve fails. I also understand it's auto that's best to stop the bypass loop running all the time. Thanks.
That explains a lot, very informative video especially for me who doesn't have a central heating as we're too scared to be ripped off if we decide to have one. We moved to this property with only a storage heater and an immersion heater for our hot water. I'm thinking of DIY though I'm not a gas engineer so might as well ask the professional to do the job!!
Brilliant video. Forgot to mention the single feed Primatic hot water cylinder of which there are still many out there. A friend of mine had on of those and had his boiler replaced last year but the gas installer had not picked up on this when he surveyed the job. Let's just say things didn't exactly go to plan. It cost rather a lot more. All sorted now though
Ok, if I have a logic combi, without hot water tank, just radiators, surely that means I can switch off gas and connect a wood stove and the boiler will circulate the hot water?
I use S plan, it can keep both radiators and hot water warm at the same time. I recommend it instead of Y plan or even worse a combi because they turn off your radiators when hot water is used. Why plumb like that, in winter your rads turn off whenever someone or a machine uses hot water.
Great video, only one I found getting close to explain gravity system properly, still one question though - now you need to have fully pumped system if you change Hot water Cylinder, how complicated is that? can I keep all old piping and 1987 Ideal Mexico Super CF 125 that works well? Do I just add another pump somewhere, minor pipe work and keep the two tanks on the loft? Problem is rust colored water overflow into &e tank, that is all I want to get rid of, ball valve checked and not faulty
Allen ....your initial diagram showed a boiler connected to a direct hot water cylinder where the system open vent was that from the hot water draw off, and the cold feed also fed the heating what you sketched was an indirect system but then in your additional explanation you didn’t draw a coil in the cylinder but you took an open vent to F&E tank from the primary flow, which you explained was for a expansion.,this is not so it’s function is only an open vent. You also draw a feed back to primary return and in fact this feed is the “feed and expansion” .. but it’s very important with doing this that the cylinder is indirect by virtue of a heat coil not a direct cyl !!!! Just ... pointing it out as I know you would like to be spot on and do the job correctly
Cheers man, Im not a plumber but II have to replace 3 leaking rads and valves at home during covid lockdown. No chance of getting plumber until new year so this has helped me out greatly to understand the system. Whats the worst that could go wrong 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Hi Allen Hart. I have the "s" system that you describe here. Due to increasing family demands I need to add a bathroom to our home, but would need to increase the size of my header tank and add another indirect hot water cylinder. I have very good mains pressure and a Stuart Turner "Monsoon" pump on the hot water supply. Can you help me to understand what I would need to do to create a working system that would deliver the increased supply that I need. (connection-wise hopefully) I have one 1200 x 400 cylinder at the moment and was thinking I would add something similar to alleviate the problem. I realise that you have no exact dimensional information, but hopefully this would not stop you being able to offer some advice or point me in the right direction. There are a lot of conflicting opinions online.
Alan I’ve just come across this video and it’s something I’ve been looking for. Question I have is do you know of or even maybe sell yourself any literature that breaks down and fully explains the different systems, how to identify them?
Does the gravity system normally have a heat exchanger in the hot water tank and rust inhibitor in the boiler/radiator system or is it all hot water (untreated drinking water) through both tank and radiators. ?
Brilliant, changed boiler on a 45 year old oil gravity hot & pumped heating system and adapting to an S-plan, just wanted a little clarification on the vent pipe coming off the cylinder!
Half way through my level 2 plumbing course (full time) so not getting site experience. Videos like this are really really helpful! I would of preferred each section as individual films so I can look back at each part easily.... rather than one long video.
Hi Allen, The flue heat recovery system, would this only work on hot water only, would it be more or less point less when using continuous central heating. Thanks Allen for your informative lectures.
Hi I have an old system like the 1st you describe and when I turn on the heat it heats the rads and the hot water tank at the same time. When I shut off the hot water tank via the valve in airing cupboard to just heat the radiators and not the water I get a constant steamy flow into the attic small overflow tank which then drips outside from the eaves. So basically I have to heat the hot water tank everytime I need heat in the house. This seems a waste and was wondering if you could help.
Great video Allen your a very well learned central heating engineer truly enjoy your videos and if I’m ever in Leeds would like to go round learning from you keep the good work up Allen honest and to the point.
i have this system in my new house, however the water temperature is far too hot. I suspect its the boiler thermostat but i can hear it clicking when i turn it. How hot should the water be? The boiler is as old as me, i am palnning on replacing it but not at the moment.. Any advice would be appreciated..
Hi Alan, great video! I wanted to install Tado to replace my old controller EP2000. Where I'm slightly confused is gravity vs S plan. Old setting on EP2000 would suggest that it is gravity but I can see that I have as well 2 valves - controlled by some Honewell controller. Would gravity still have 2 electric valves like in S plan? One is next to hot water cylinder and other one looks like would be for CH nest to the pump. I would appreciate if you could point me in the right direction if possible. Thank you and whish Merry Christmas. Patryk
Allen, can I ask you. Does the pump also have to be within that 150 mm. So you have two pipes and a pump within 6 inches ! Thanks. Or is it just the two pipes and the pump can be a ways down stream ?
Thats a good question. We were always told as close as possible. I cannot remember ever seeing a figure for it. Maybe someone could correct me if they know the answer. Thanks.
Missing in the first system the hot water tank has a heat exchanger pipe coil for the boiler water. This keeps the chemical inhibitor in the boiler/radiator water out of the hot tap water.
@pmailkeey No, just trying to understand how heating systems work as I've recently started occasionally working for a gas engineer. I'm a painter decorator by trade but thinking about getting some proper trade tickets, not sure what the best route would be now though really... I'm 30 so a bit too old to take up an apprentice position from someone younger that really needs it.
Does the gravity system work with pumps along the pipe network? What happens if there is electric power outage? Would liquid in the pipes manage through the pumps?
@@AllenHart999 Sure it doesn't. But the pump is in the liquid network. How the liquid manages through the pump? Shouldn't there be a some bypassing of the pump?
Alan I always watch your videos to get better understanding of my books, you explain things so brilliantly hopefully passing out with NVQ level 2 this year 👍 when I do not if fit will be down you and others sharing that brilliant knowledge 👍
Great Video Allen, very informative, also there getting much better, keep up the good work your a asset to the industry and us engineers who are always trying to keep up with the forever changing world of being a UK heating engineer.
Hello Allen ! All your work is amaizing and the way wich you explain the things ! I wish to meet you on the roods for a photo and a autograph ! All the best Allen
Hi Allen great video again. Just wondering if you could explain how a room stat, external programner and fused spur are linked togther and how the wiring works. Just cant get my head round the electrical side of it, ive only ever had to connect to a 3 pin plug to only test it as we've always had a electrican follow behind us the next day to hard wite all the controls . I would be very greatfull for your time. Thanks
In one of your vids I noticed some info on adding an expansion vessel to make it a sealed system was just wondering how do you calculate size of vessel required for the size of the system ? Many thanks Allen
I've just started a gas course love learning off this guy well done 👏 , while im here im trying to find a engineer to shadow for portfolio anyone with any info on anybody that would like some cheap labour while I gain my qualification or any other way as I feel im going to put all energy in and hit a brick wall when it comes to completing my portfolio, im in the nottingham area I can travel, anybody with any advice for a fellow man would be much appreciated. 😊🤞
On a three way diverter valve its always open to hot water,never fully closes whereas on the s plan both valves could close resulting in kettling as the boiler cant dissipate the heat
