With the winter season quickly approaching, central heating for your home becomes a priority. In order to keep your home warm, all components of your central heating system must be in proper working order. However, there are some typical faults with the system that tend to happen at the worst possible time. One such common problem is frost damage, which can damage and sometimes destroy boilers and pipes.
Traditionally, central heating systems were designed with the frost thermostat installed in close proximity to the boiler. The thermostat would start and stop the boiler until the desired air temperature was met. When the thermostat registered that extra heat was being released from the boiler, the central heating system would be shut down to conserve energy and prevent overheating of the home.
Modern central heating design has solved the problem of heat escape through improved insulation but in doing so, created another problem. The boiler and pipes are now much more insulated, in an attempt to conserve energy. Unfortunately, the frost thermostat is no longer capable of accurately determining the temperature. As a result, wasteful overheating can easily occur.
The pipe thermostat is one solution. The product is installed on the boiler return pipe. This thermostat detects changes in pipe temperature and prevents overheating by shutting off the system when necessary. There are several UK companies that sell the frost thermostat and low limit pipe thermostat together in one kit. These products allow you to adjust room temperature and provide frost protection for your boilers and pipes.
Installation and set up of these new thermostats is simple and quite intuitive. Guidelines for complete wiring and installation arrive in the kit, ensuring simple installation. The frost thermostat is usually set to 5C and the pipe thermostat is commonly set to 25C. Additional pipe thermostats can be bought for other exposed pipes, to further insure that your system is completely protected.
If the pipe thermostat fails to meet your needs, there are other solutions. A fully programmable room thermostat is one option. These devices can be installed in a number of locations throughout your home, usually in a living room or bedroom. Their job is to measure and monitor the temperature of the room. The thermostat can be set to change the room temperature several times a day, depending on the homeowner's needs. There are several kits that operate by means of radio signal, from the thermostat to the boiler. These Radio Frequency (RF) thermostats require no wiring, which makes them very easy to install.
Thermostats are a crucial part of the central heating system but there are other considerations to heating your home as efficiently as possible. Dividing the home into heating zones can be helpful. By focusing heat solely in the most populated parts of the home, less frequently used rooms can be kept at lower temperatures. This slight adjustment can reduce heating bills and heat the home more effectively.
