A Combination boiler has two ‘combined’ functions, it generates both your hot water and central heating from a single unit. The boiler works by using water from the mains and heats it as and when you need it.
When you turn on a tap or the central heating, your boiler takes water from the mains and sends it through a series of pipes called the heat exchangers. These heat exchangers are warmed up by flames from ignited gas. As the water travels through these hot pipes, the water becomes hotter. A diverter sends the hot water to the pipes for your taps or into the radiators that you have turned on.
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Setting the temperature of your boiler
On most combi boilers there are two dials, the flow temperature and the hot water dial. The flow temperature if the target temperature of the water circulating through your radiators.
To change the flow temperature, use the dial with the radiator icon. A lower flow temperature means your radiators will not get as hot and your home will heat more slowly. But, it means the boiler wastes less gas. Try turning it down to a lower setting to see if it is enough to keep your home comfortable.
To change the hot water temperature, use the dial with the tap icon. Most dials will either have dashed lines that increase thickness, or it will have numbers.
The hot water dial sets the temperature of the hot water coming out of your taps and shower. Again, a lower setting will save money so try using a lower settings to see if the hot water stays hot enough.
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Using your timer
Most mechanical timers, regardless of the make, will work in the same way.
Turning your timer on and off
Next to - or on - the timer there will be a switch. This switch allows you to turn the boiler on (1) or off (0). The clock face sets the timer.
Setting the time
To begin with, you need the set the clock to the right time by turning the outer dial clockwise until the arrow in the inner circle points to the correct time, using a 24-hour clock. For example, if it is 7.30 pm then you need to make sure the arrow is pointing halfway between 19 and 20 (see picture).
Programming the heating timer
Use the tabs to set the time when you want the boiler to turn on. Each tab represents 15 minutes around the 24-hour clock. If you want your boiler to come on between 6:15 am to 9:30 am, you want to push all the tabs in during that time. In some boilers pushing the tabs outwards will set the timing instead, find this out in your boiler’s instruction manual. If you don’t have your manual on hand, you can figure it out by moving the tab where the inner arrow is pointing to, from this you can observe whether moving the tab outwards turns the boiler on or off.
