If you have a hot water cylinder, you have a system or a conventional boiler (not a combi boiler). The cylinder stores hot water until you need it. Although they are usually well insulated (contact us if yours isn't) they do let some heat out, so it is better to use up the hot water and then not reheat it until you need it again.
Using an electric immersion heater is more expensive than a gas boiler and so it is better to use a boiler where you have one.
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Timing when you heat your hot water
If you have a hot water system, you should only time your heating and hot water on the boiler, this can be done using either a programmer (left image) or timer (right image).
If you have a programmer click here.
If you have a timer, learn how to use it below:
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.
Programming the 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.
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Adjusting the temperature on your boiler
If you have a conventional boiler, you will only have one dial on the front of your boiler. This controls the temperature of water that runs through the primary circuit in your system that heats your radiators and hot water accordingly.
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.
We recommend setting this between 60-70 degrees to ensure optimum efficiency when heating your radiators and stored hot water.