Mend > Home Heating Systems

stop it heating in the night?

i have a firebird combi 90 boiler which has had lots of problems my engineer says it's fixed now and to leave it on all the time instead of just turning it on when we want hot water. This would not be a problem, if it did not start up at 0330 and run for 5 min every morning heating our bedroom and kitchen also waking me up, and at 6 months gone i need a good nights sleep in a room that is not like a sauna.

The Girl
July 2011

Firebird Heating, Home Heating Systems Stop Heating Night

the boiler will have a one way valve beneath the central heating pump..small plastic disc.
these can become stuck 'open' by a pece of solder, dirt etc, and cause the heat store for the hot water to bypass into the central heating circuit.
seen it often.
also, you do not need the boiler 'on' 24/7, get an engineer who knows his job to set your DHW timer for an 'off' period between, say, 00.00 to 06.00, to avoid night time cycles.

mark properjob
February 2012

Start by turning off the radiator in your bedroom (clockwise on the valves). If its been fixed properly, then you should be able to use it properly, not some compromise. I suspect the boiler fires to warm up hot water store within boiler. You should be able to select hot water only during the summer, and use the time clock to govern time periods. Get him back to do the job properly, or find someone else in the area who knows the boiler - failing that ring Firebird for help.

Jim the Boilerman
July 2011