Forum Topic

Heating

My daughter's lower-ground floor flat is pretty cold even though she has gas-fired central heating.  Any suggestions please for a secondary heating source - we have an oil filled radiator but were advised that these are expensive to run. 

Maria Pettit ● 5765d12 Comments

Maria,Are you sure the ch is working properly and that the radiators have been bled of captured air?The radiators should be warm from top to bottom if air has been bled out.Bleed keys easily purchased(Robert Dyas poss)Remember though that the pressure in your boiler(I'm no expert but it should be about 1.5 on the gauge)may drop if the radiators are bled.Boiler may need a service?.You can buy reflective sheets to fit behind radiators too but how effective they are I do not know.

Keith Iddon ● 5765d

To repeat what Keith said, the radiators should be equally hot at top and bottom. If the bottom is too hot to touch, and the top only warm, then much of the space inside is filled with gas which, when bled off, lets the hot water fill the radiator.The oil-filled radiator is almost certainly powered from the electric mains, so is electric heating, which is expensive.Sounds like warm clothing would make a good Christmas present!

Ian M Green ● 5765d

Thank you for replies.  Yes, the radiators are functioning properly but the rooms just don't seem to get 'cosy' - it's an old place so there is no possibility of cavity wall insulation. I guess it's just down to warm clothes until the really cold spell is over..... or, as you say, hefty electricity bills for the oil-filled rad.

Maria Pettit ● 5765d

You could buy one of those portable calor gas heaters but the room needs to be ventilated and they shouldn't be left on for too long.Certainly not overnight or anywhere where you might nod off.Have you got decent draft insulation on the windows?There is an easily fitted temp. double glazing system called Magnatex I think which works ok usually.

Keith Iddon ● 5765d

It's called Magnatite.

Keith Iddon ● 5765d

I have a little convector heater, they are only about £25 and add a good amount of heat to a small room

Miriam Kerketta ● 5765d

Extra radiators or larger radiators? Or are the old radiators old and furred up? Are the radiators so hot  that you cannot put your hand on them. If not up the temperature setting in the boiler a bit. Draw the curtains . Get thick curtains. Do draughts come up through the floor or the front door? Double glazing. Horlicks every half hour and keep moving? Don't know why but cashmere is so much much warmer than lambs wool.Quite a few and probably more things to check.

George Knox ● 5765d

Maria, is there a concrete floor in the flat - if so that could also need insulating.

Dee Cook ● 5764d

Good thinking. Also be aware that hydrocarbon-based portable heaters (e.g. butane or paraffin) put out water vapour, which will condense on the coldest surface. If using one, be sure to install a carbon monoxide detector.

Ian M Green ● 5764d

I also have a lower ground flat: it'll probably be the concrete floor! When I first moved in and couldn't afford decent carpets it was like wading about in 6in of cold water... Even now with good carpeting and thick underlay, there's still a 3 degree difference in temperature between head height (where the thermostat is) and floor level.Is it a temperature problem (i.e. measured with thermometer) or a perception problem - she just feels permamently chilly? I suffer from that at times, too, and the answer is warm clothes (at the moment I'm wearing thick sweaters  that some winters never come out of the drawer) and thick furry slippers - warm feet are very important (though Ugg boots or equivalent are probably more acceptable to a younger person than slippers!). Don't sit too near solid walls (I have them too) as they just radiate cold, use draught excluders, especially the front door, and thick curtains closed at dusk. Get your daughter to check the actual temperature with a reliable thermometer and top up the heating if it really is too low - I find a quick blast with a fan heater boosts warmth when first coming in.It's a struggle during a very cold winter, but it makes up for it by being blissfully cool in a hot summer...

Lorna Dodd ● 5764d

It may be that all the 'cold' walls/floor need proper insulation with the best quality materials available.  Sounds as though the whole flat needs to have the walls lined and insulated.

Dee Cook ● 5764d

Thank you for all your suggestions - she has just bought the flat (first time buyer) so will gradually make good all draughts.  In the meantime Horlicks, Uggs, Cashmere jumper and a good fan heater on the Christmas list :o)

Maria Pettit ● 5764d