The modern homeowner is fortunate enough to have easy access to all kinds of residential services. One of the most important is plumbing and central heating repairs, because few people have a good working knowledge of how any of this operates. In truth, our plumbers and engineers are so skilled these days that we don’t really need to. As long as you keep a weather eye on your central heating and use it in the recommended manner, you can pretty much leave it unsupervised. This is an underestimated asset, especially considering the vital role it plays in your home. That humming, clanking beast of a boiler might look simple on the outside, but it’s actually a very clever machine. So, if you want to know more about how your central heating pump works, this guide will let you in on some trade secrets.

The Key Components
Most central heating systems in Ipswich contain the following components. They are a boiler, a programmer, a room thermostat, a hot water cylinder, a diverter valve, and a pump. Sometimes, these features vary a little and they might look very different if you have one of the older systems. There are still buildings in the region which have much older gas boilers, but they are in the minority, because these systems are terribly inefficient. In fact, if you do have antiquated central heating, the law says that your next system must be one of the new ones. They are much kinder to the environment and they’ll save you money on your utility bills.
How Central Heating Works
First, it’s important to understand that boilers have two jobs. They heat the water tank and they heat the rest of the house. The internal programmer contains a clock and two time channels which activate the central heating at specified times. Some homeowners use their timer settings regularly, while others prefer to just switch the heating on when needed. The room and hot water cylinder thermostats tell the boiler when it needs to heat up and where it needs to go. Sometimes, both are needed (hot water tank and house heating). At other times, families only need to heat up the water for a shower. The diverter valve is responsible for directing the flow of hot water to the right place. When both are required, it assumes a ‘mid position.’ This allows it to send hot water to the radiators and the tank. The central heating pump is the mechanism used to drive hot water all the way around the building. It is very important, because it maintains the optimal level of heat by consistently circulating cooled water back to the boiler, where it gets heated again.
A Few Helpful Details
The water which is used to heat the radiators is not the same water that goes into your bath or comes out of the kitchen sink. It gets treated with chemicals to prevent corrosion and it is only changed during boiler repairs. Obviously, your drinking water is fresh and clean every time. The boiler water doesn’t have to be, unless it has accrued a great deal of sediment. If your central heating has a ‘pump over run’ feature, you’ll notice that it doesn’t turn off immediately. It may take a few minutes for the boiler to stop heating water after you flip the switch. This is normal and serves to eliminate the risk of static water being boiled in the heat exchanger. In simple terms, it extends the life of modern boilers. To learn more about your central heating or how to get in contact with a qualified repair team, click here to visit Ignis Heating. Or, call 01473 353 599 to discuss the cost of a brand new boiler installation.