No doubt everyone who reads this will think I'm incredibly thick but...

I have just moved into a flat with a combi boiler and have never used
one before. We have a problem in that the hot water does not seem to
last for more than a couple of minutes.

Should I only try to use the hot water when the central heating is off?
If I should I have the CH on, what kind of temperature would be
sensible in order to achieve enough hot water for two adults to shower
etc in the morning.

Should the radiators get hot when running hot water with the CH turned
off?

Can anyone help, or do you think there is a problem and I should get an
expert to have a look at it?

Thanks,

Larry

You will get a huge amount of help if you could tell us the make of the
boiler

"Larry the Dwarf" wrote in message
oups.com...
No doubt everyone who reads this will think I'm incredibly thick but...

I have just moved into a flat with a combi boiler and have never used
one before. We have a problem in that the hot water does not seem to
last for more than a couple of minutes.

Should I only try to use the hot water when the central heating is off?
If I should I have the CH on, what kind of temperature would be
sensible in order to achieve enough hot water for two adults to shower
etc in the morning.

Should the radiators get hot when running hot water with the CH turned
off?

Can anyone help, or do you think there is a problem and I should get an
expert to have a look at it?

Thanks,

Larry

On 30 Mar 2006 05:05:47 -0800 Larry the Dwarf wrote :
I have just moved into a flat with a combi boiler and have never used
one before. We have a problem in that the hot water does not seem to
last for more than a couple of minutes.

Should I only try to use the hot water when the central heating is off?
If I should I have the CH on, what kind of temperature would be
sensible in order to achieve enough hot water for two adults to shower
etc in the morning.

If it's a combi it will (should) switch to heating hot water when hot
water is required whether or not the heating is on or not. Usually you
have control knobs for heating and hot water temperature and/or one that
sets off/DHW only/Heating + DHW

It might help if you can say what make and model it is.

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk
Free SEDBUK boiler database browser http://www.sda.co.uk/qsedbuk.htm
[Latest version QSEDBUK 1.12 released 8 Dec 2005]

Larry the Dwarf wrote:

I have just moved into a flat with a combi boiler and have never used
one before. We have a problem in that the hot water does not seem to
last for more than a couple of minutes.

When you say "last" do you mean that it works for a bit and then goes
stone cold, or do you mean it just seems to cool off and not stay hot
enough for a bath etc?

If the former, there is something wrong with the boiler.

If the latter this can be normal for a small combi when asked to deliver
hot water faster than it can heat it properly. The solution here is to
not turn the tap on as full, so that you get a slower flow of hot water
rather than a torrent of tepid.

Should I only try to use the hot water when the central heating is off?

Should not make any difference, When you turn the tap on, the boiler
will divert all its power to the water heating. If the CH was running it
will stop heating that for the duration. If the CH was off then it will
fire up and run until you turn the tap off.

If I should I have the CH on, what kind of temperature would be
sensible in order to achieve enough hot water for two adults to shower
etc in the morning.

no relevant - the two are independant.

Should the radiators get hot when running hot water with the CH turned
off?

No, if this is happening then that indicates that the diversion valve
has probably failed. It is this that is supposed to direct the heating
effort of the boiler either to the CH or the HW.

Can anyone help, or do you think there is a problem and I should get an
expert to have a look at it?

Probably the latter unless you are reasonably confident with plumbing.
If you are ok with fiddling then chaning a diversion valve may not be
that difficult depending on the make and model of the boiler.

--
Cheers,

John.

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On 30 Mar 2006 05:05:47 -0800, "Larry the Dwarf"
wrote:

No doubt everyone who reads this will think I'm incredibly thick but...

I have just moved into a flat with a combi boiler and have never used
one before. We have a problem in that the hot water does not seem to
last for more than a couple of minutes.

Should I only try to use the hot water when the central heating is off?
If I should I have the CH on, what kind of temperature would be
sensible in order to achieve enough hot water for two adults to shower
etc in the morning.

Should the radiators get hot when running hot water with the CH turned
off?

Can anyone help, or do you think there is a problem and I should get an
expert to have a look at it?

Thanks,

Larry

Hi Larry, I'm sure that with help from this newsgroup, you'll get the
problem sorted out just fine. If you can't and your flatmate is also a
dwarf, couldn't you take turns to sit on each other's shoulders at
shower time, so as to make best use of the currently available hot
water?
--
Regards,
Mike Halmarack

Drop the (EGG) to email me.