Boiler advice

G-man

G-man

Subs Bench
I have a Worcester Bosch green star condenser boiler but a lot of grey smoke comes out of the flue when it’s on,done a little research and finding some that says condenser boilers shouldn’t do this can anyone give me any advice or point me in direction of someone I could get out to have a look,just recieved email from energy supplier saying they are having to increase my monthly direct debit to £185 due to usage trying to work out how I’m using so much in a 3 bed house family of 5
 


Expect most of us are gonna be seeing massive energy increases due to working from home. Spending bugger all on petrol so probs balance itself out
 
G-man said:
I have a Worcester Bosch green star condenser boiler but a lot of grey smoke comes out of the flue when it’s on,done a little research and finding some that says condenser boilers shouldn’t do this can anyone give me any advice or point me in direction of someone I could get out to have a look,just recieved email from energy supplier saying they are having to increase my monthly direct debit to £185 due to usage trying to work out how I’m using so much in a 3 bed house family of 5
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Sounds like steam to me. Like what you get when water boils. In a boiler.

For it to be smoke something would have to be on fire, and you've not mentioned a burning smell....
 
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It’s the hot exhaust gases - you don’t notice them usually but in colder weather you will.

Mines like a factory chimney on a frosty morning.

£185 is just over £1 per person per day.
 
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G-man said:
I have a Worcester Bosch green star condenser boiler but a lot of grey smoke comes out of the flue when it’s on,done a little research and finding some that says condenser boilers shouldn’t do this can anyone give me any advice or point me in direction of someone I could get out to have a look,just recieved email from energy supplier saying they are having to increase my monthly direct debit to £185 due to usage trying to work out how I’m using so much in a 3 bed house family of 5
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You’re all in the house all the time due to covid restrictions and it’s bastard freezing outside?
 
G-man said:
I have a Worcester Bosch green star condenser boiler but a lot of grey smoke comes out of the flue when it’s on,done a little research and finding some that says condenser boilers shouldn’t do this can anyone give me any advice or point me in direction of someone I could get out to have a look,just recieved email from energy supplier saying they are having to increase my monthly direct debit to £185 due to usage trying to work out how I’m using so much in a 3 bed house family of 5
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@Daffy is top Worcester Engineer in the The North
 
What A Waster said:
£40 a week for gas and electric when there's 5 people in the house isn't much is it? £8 a week each probably with tellies, PlayStations, computers, oven, 5 showers or baths a day, lights on in every room. Not a bad deal imo
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£40 doesn't sound much but £2k for owt sounds a lot out of an annual wage . I freely admit to being a tight Yorkshireman
 
What temp do you have your radiators set to? Not the space heating thermostat.

Many people have them set far too high for a condensing boiler, so you waste all the heat from the condensing element.
 
Skandhaless said:
Explain more about that mate please
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Simple terms.
The radiators are on a loop. Hot water goes in, then through every rad, then back into the boiler as less-hot water before being reheated.

In a condensing boiler, the "lost" heat from the flame is sent through a heat exchanger, and the cooled-water goes through that first, before going into the actual boiler. You recover some of the lost heat.
But the condensing temp of the gas is about 60C, so if the cooled-water is still above about 55C, it can't take much (or any) heat from the condenser

My rads are set to 60C. So for sure, the return water is able to get the most out of the condenser. Its 10-15% more efficient that setting them high like we used to with old boilers.


(I didn't look up the condensing temps, but feel free to confirm it for yourself. I did set mine to 60c based on the real numbers, though)
 
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PTR said:
Simple terms.
The radiators are on a loop. Hot water goes in, then through every rad, then back into the boiler as less-hot water before being reheated.

In a condensing boiler, the "lost" heat from the flame is sent through a heat exchanger, and the cooled-water goes through that first, before going into the actual boiler. You recover some of the lost heat.
But the condensing temp of the gas is about 60C, so if the cooled-water is still above about 55C, it can't take much (or any) heat from the condenser

My rads are set to 60C. So for sure, the return water is able to get the most out of the condenser. Its 10-15% more efficient that setting them high like we used to with old boilers.


(I didn't look up the condensing temps, but feel free to confirm it for yourself. I did set mine to 60c based on the real numbers, though)
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Thanks for not complicating it 😄 .
so in even simpler terms my radiators have settings up to 6 what should I have them on for optimal ? My system is a closed one with a tank in the loft .
 
Skandhaless said:
Thanks for not complicating it 😄 .
so in even simpler terms my radiators have settings up to 6 what should I have them on for optimal ? My system is a closed one with a tank in the loft .
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My living room and dining room (all joined into one) are maxed or near maxed. All the others are on 3 i think. No idea if thats right but my thinking was they`d get warmer and get warmer quicker :lol:

edit

actually just looked from my office desk (living room table), dining room is also on 3, living room is maxed. Am sure years ago when i looked into it the numbers correspond with different temperatures, 1 was like 18 degrees , 2 was 19, 3 was 20. something like that anyway i think
 
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G-man said:
I have a Worcester Bosch green star condenser boiler but a lot of grey smoke comes out of the flue when it’s on,done a little research and finding some that says condenser boilers shouldn’t do this can anyone give me any advice or point me in direction of someone I could get out to have a look,just recieved email from energy supplier saying they are having to increase my monthly direct debit to £185 due to usage trying to work out how I’m using so much in a 3 bed house family of 5
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That sounds a lot like, I have a 23 year old potterton boiler - so about as inefficient as possible, 3 bed det, 4 adults all at or WFH. Its like the illuminations in our sitting room on a night, I pay £105 pm wit Avro energy, sounds like your on a high tariff mate, I know next to nowt about condensing boilers but as others have said you need to get it checked out, you also should do a comparison for your energy Cheap Energy Club - Compare Gas & Electricity and Save
 
Skandhaless said:
Thanks for not complicating it 😄 .
so in even simpler terms my radiators have settings up to 6 what should I have them on for optimal ? My system is a closed one with a tank in the loft .
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You mean TRV - settings on each rad? Those are just "limiters" for each room.

I'm talking about the setting on the boiler itself.
Crook Mackem said:
My living room and dining room (all joined into one) are maxed or near maxed. All the others are on 3 i think. No idea if thats right but my thinking was they`d get warmer and get warmer quicker :lol:

edit

actually just looked from my office desk (living room table), dining room is also on 3, living room is maxed. Am sure years ago when i looked into it the numbers correspond with different temperatures, 1 was like 18 degrees , 2 was 19, 3 was 20. something like that anyway i think
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Rads are basically on or off. You're right that the TRV settings are basically individual thermostats.
 

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