When certain things in our house break down or show signs of problems, we might have a general knowledge of how to fix them. When it comes to central heating systems – for most people, they remain a complete mystery. While we might understand what each component does, not many of us know how the system fits and works together.

Modern domestic central heating systems will have the following components that the owner can adjust:

• Boiler
• Radiators
• Programmer
• Thermostat
• Diverter Valve
• Pump
• Hot water cylinder thermostat
• Hot water cylinder

Here is how they all function together as a complete unit:

The boiler is the system’s heart and has two essential jobs – heat your hot water tank and home.

A programmer unit has a clock and two-time dials, which can be set or programmed to turn the hot water and heating on and off at pre-selected times of the day or night.

When the programmer turns on the system, the boiler coming on is controlled by the room thermostat and a thermostat in the hot water cylinder. The thermostats are responsible for turning on the boiling when required and turning it off again when it isn’t.

The diverter valve is a clever and vital component that directs the flow of the hot water to either the hot water tank or the radiators, depending on which thermostat is asking for heat. If you require heating and hot water, the diverter valve will stick in the ‘mid-way’ position. When you require Gas Valves, consider https://orseal.com/

Did you know?

Boiler water is different from the water that comes from your taps. The water in your heating system and radiators is the same, going around in a cycle until it is drained from the system by an engineer for some reason. The benefit of this is that the water can be treated with a chemical called an inhibitor, which prevents corrosion inside the pipework.

The control dial on the front of your boiler sets the temperature of both the water and that which the radiators will reach. This control dial must be selected at a higher temperature than that set on the cylinder thermostat. If it isn’t, the cylinder will never get the desired temperature to shut down the boiler.

One element that often confuses new boiler owners is the pump over-run. The pump continues to run for a couple of minutes when the boiler has been switched off. This clever mechanism is designed to remove the danger of static water boiling from the excess heat after the gas has been extinguished.