We had to call British Gas yesterday - the sixth or seventh time since Paul's been here (my first). Vince came today, and it was very educational for me.The boiler had overheated (again), and so I was quite miserable yesterday in a flat with no heat. Vince from British Gas was very helpful however, and pointed out (very kindly), our failure of logic. Paul had been turning off all the radiators (but one) in the flat to save on energy. This strategy, plus the fact that the pipes are only 8mm rather than 15mm, meant that the boiler cannot push the hot water away fast enough, and so it overheats and shuts down as a safety precaution. Instead, we have now opened all the radiators, so that the hot water can circulate freely, and turned down the water heat on the boiler. The boiler now hums instead of knocking and shutting down.
This solution was perhaps quite obvious to many, but we were both raised in hot-air furnace households, so we had no idea! I'm reminded of my fathers story of heating a coal fire in Wales many years ago. It just doesn't occur to ask how to manage your heating some days.
At least the laundry went well.
