If you got the space you'd be better off with Gledhill Boilermate 125L BMBP and an electric boiler if you haven't got gas.
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- Thread starter smulx
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The boiler definitely is on the highest setting and it has been since we moved in. I took the cover off the Boilermate and I can't find any way to specify a temperature setting. Whatever temperature it's set on though is enough to heat up the tap water to a good temperature.
Do you think that's the case even for someone with light usage? I thought it was a great idea at first, but maybe the specific unit isn't very good. It's not very well insulated so my boiler is having to work frequently to maintain the temperature in the store. It's costing over £2 per day to maintain the hot water store and all it's really used for is to heat water for a couple of showers per day.
If you are not using the heating side of the store then it isn't going to be very efficient I am afraid just doing Hot Water but the boiler shouldn't be firing all the time, so maybe something wrong.
You can't adjust the temperature of the stored water in the store which should be at least 70deg C to allow the good hot water production. It will be what ever the boiler stat is set to produce, which is why Users Instructions say make sure it is on max.
However the BoilerMate should switch the boiler off when it gets up to temperature & not switch it back on until a good quaintly of the stored heat has been used so that the boiler runs for a longer time without cycling on & off.
At least that is my understanding of how they work.
Insulation is worth adding to pipes & around the store if you can.
You can't adjust the temperature of the stored water in the store which should be at least 70deg C to allow the good hot water production. It will be what ever the boiler stat is set to produce, which is why Users Instructions say make sure it is on max.
However the BoilerMate should switch the boiler off when it gets up to temperature & not switch it back on until a good quaintly of the stored heat has been used so that the boiler runs for a longer time without cycling on & off.
At least that is my understanding of how they work.
Insulation is worth adding to pipes & around the store if you can.
the store setting should be 70c and it should let the store back to 60c before firing the boiler again to top up the store. these are preset on the pcb but it is supposed to change these slightly to accomodate the boiler max temp. as youve taken off the front cover of the boilermate and had a look youll see there is no knob to set temps. if you download the full manual it tells you how to see store settings using sw1 and sw2 on the pcb. it shows you how to view current store temp, max store temp setting and temp store should refire boiler again
I have one which is 20yr old & still going strong.
As previously mentioned in another post powered by a potterton suprima (was a pile of crap until potterton sorted out issues with boiler).
As long as your boiler mate has had a regular clean/flush & treatment then you should have no real issues & the bonus of potable hot & cold water through the house.
Make sure you insulate the pipework in airing cupboard though as you will lose a lot of heat there,
Hope this helps,
Andy
As previously mentioned in another post powered by a potterton suprima (was a pile of crap until potterton sorted out issues with boiler).
As long as your boiler mate has had a regular clean/flush & treatment then you should have no real issues & the bonus of potable hot & cold water through the house.
Make sure you insulate the pipework in airing cupboard though as you will lose a lot of heat there,
Hope this helps,
Andy
There is no reason the boiler could not be updated and thereby efficiency improved without removing the thermal store.
Were you giving monthly readings prior to the smart start being fitted? It could be that the previous bill was partly estimated/averaged for the year and now you're paying what you actually used that month? I've had a couple of people say their bill went up immediately after having a smart meter fitted and I think this is the reason.
i've got a boiler mate Ov, powered by a potterton promax, its the same type of thermal store but smaller than the boilermate2000, been running for 15years no hassles at all.
If i were you i'd change gas suppliers or at least look into your bill structure, those nasty energy companies have a habit of upping your costs when you're out of your tariff
If i were you i'd change gas suppliers or at least look into your bill structure, those nasty energy companies have a habit of upping your costs when you're out of your tariff
I was giving monthly reading to my gas supplier, so there's definitely no issue with incorrect estimated usage. Their prices aren't that bad either as I'm currently on a fixed tariff; it's just the amount that I'm using that's the issue. My most recent bill was £45 for gas and the heating hasn't been on once.
Someone mentioned trying to add insulation. How would I go about this? Not much of the pipes are exposed and it seems a lot of heat is being lost through the entire unit. The insulation inside must be quite poor. I attached a couple of pics show show how it looks.
Someone mentioned trying to add insulation. How would I go about this? Not much of the pipes are exposed and it seems a lot of heat is being lost through the entire unit. The insulation inside must be quite poor. I attached a couple of pics show show how it looks.
Most of these systems will heave a timer for when you don't want the boiler to run.
E.G - Overnight during the small hrs when a noisy older boiler would wake you up by using the timer function it would not allow the boiler to fire up until maybe an hr before you got up for work.
That way you would get up, the hot water functionality would be at it's best & maybe have a nice warm house if the radiators kicked in.
Other option which is maybe a bit drastic is turn it all off at night but be aware that the PCB's can sometimes be a bit sensitive to constant power switching off/on.
If the system is that bad then other option is to replace with an alternative but make sure you have been made aware of different systems/setup's & there limitations.
Hope this helps,
Andy
E.G - Overnight during the small hrs when a noisy older boiler would wake you up by using the timer function it would not allow the boiler to fire up until maybe an hr before you got up for work.
That way you would get up, the hot water functionality would be at it's best & maybe have a nice warm house if the radiators kicked in.
Other option which is maybe a bit drastic is turn it all off at night but be aware that the PCB's can sometimes be a bit sensitive to constant power switching off/on.
If the system is that bad then other option is to replace with an alternative but make sure you have been made aware of different systems/setup's & there limitations.
Hope this helps,
Andy
Mastermixlee
Gas Engineer
Also another thing to note would don't base energy usage on £ value. Instead measure it as kwh usage on your bills or m3 as that is what will remain a constant. Otherwise its a very difficult thing to measure and accurately say the system is using more gas etc as it could be cost codes etc wrong on the energy supplier end.
Provided the meter isnt inaccurate (which could be tested by performing a gas rate check on the boiler and seeing if kW rating lines up) then I'd go off your previous reading you'd have on your statement and go off of real measurable usage rather than the costs alone.
Provided the meter isnt inaccurate (which could be tested by performing a gas rate check on the boiler and seeing if kW rating lines up) then I'd go off your previous reading you'd have on your statement and go off of real measurable usage rather than the costs alone.
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