Boiler jargon
Here are some helpful videos
to better explain what is meant by some of the more technical boiler jargon terms used by boiler installers. We explain what they mean and what is actually happening in your hot water and heating system.
Q: “Your expansion vessel has lost its pressure.”
Q: “Your Boiler Needs a Service.”
Just like a car or other complex household appliances, regular servicing is essential to extend the life of your boiler and keep it running efficiently.
Q: “Your Condensate Pipe is Frozen.”
Condensation is a normal by-product of a boiler and is made when the gas is burned to create heat. This condensation is discharged automatically into a drain either inside or outside the house.
Q: “The Fan in Your Boiler Needs Replacing.”
Boilers produce waste gases which must be safely released. Your boiler contains the fan that pushes the waste gases through a pipe, known as a flue, to the outside of your home, where the gases are safely released into the air.
Q: How the Boiler Works?
If you’ve ever thought of how your heating system boiler works, this is going to be an introduction to the domestic heating system.
Q: “Your Time Switch is Faulty.”
Time switches turn the boiler on or off at the times you set. If the time switch fails, the boiler may not work.
Q: What is an A rated boiler?
A rated boiler refers to the Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK (SEDBUK ) Boiler Efficiency Rating.
Q: Why is my boiler not firing?
It’s important to talk to an expert boiler engineer before taking any action.
Q: Why a Boiler makes noise?
Boilers make noise for many reasons. Boiler engineers often refer to the noise as ‘kettling’. They usually divide the causes for it into two groups, chemical and mechanical.
Q: “Your Diverter Valve is Sticking.”
The diverter valve is a part inside the boiler that switches between hot water for your taps and the central heating. Valves can jam or become ‘sticky’, preventing them from working properly.
Q: “Your Printed Circuit Board is Faulty.”
PCB is short for Printed Circuit Board. Modern boilers are controlled electronically and the PCB is the ‘brain’ of the boiler.
Q: How to bleed a radiator?
To bleed a radiator, you will have to release basically pockets of air trapped in the central heating system that keeps it from functioning properly.
Q: “Your Pilot Light Has Gone out or Isn’t Working Correctly.”
A pilot light is a small constant gas flame that ignites your boiler when heat or hot water is needed. Pilot lights are only found in older boilers.
Q: “Your PRV is dripping.”
PRV is short for ‘Pressure Release Valve.’ This is a safety device, built into a boiler that activates if the water pressure rises to a level the boiler cannot cope with.
Q: “I’m Gas Safe-Registered.”
The Gas Safe Register is the official list of gas engineers who are qualified to work safely and legally on gas appliances.
Q: “You Have Poor Flow Rate From Your Taps.”
Flow rate is the term used to describe the rate at which water comes out of your taps or shower. A poor flow rate means that the flow of water from some or all of your taps or shower, will be low.
Q: “You Have Sludge in Your System.”
Sludge is the material that has settled to the bottom of a heating system, usually your radiators. It will make your heating system run less efficiently and can lead to boiler parts failing.
Q: “You Have Air in Your System.”
Heating systems should contain only water. Your system has air in it, which needs to be removed as it’s either causing a problem or threatens to.
Q: “Your Radiators Need Bleeding.”
Bleeding is the term used for letting air out of a radiator and heating system. Bleeding a radiator involves opening a small valve at the top of the radiator to allow any trapped air to escape.
Q: “Your Flow Switch Isn’t Working.”
Flow switches are a major part of a combi boiler and would be familiar to a competent installer. The flow switch’s job is to sense when you turn on a hot-water tap and the boiler.
Q: “The Water Pressure Needs Topping up on Your System.”
Combi and system boilers and your heating system work under pressure. If the pressure drops below a certain level the boiler will not fire.
Q: “You Should Have a Filter Installed on the System.”
Your boiler system will benefit from having a filter installed. A filter will help keep the water in the system as clean as possible.
Q: “We’ll Need to Flush Your System Before Fitting the New Boiler.”
Your heating system should be thoroughly cleaned by flushing it with pressurized water in line with the boiler manufacturer’s instructions. This should always be done before installing a new boiler.
Q: “You Should Upgrade Your Radiators with TRVs.”
TRV is short for Thermostatic Radiator Valve. This is an adjustable valve connected to each radiator that allows you to alter the temperature of each room by regulating the flow of hot water to each individual radiator.
Q: “Would you Like Weather Compensation Control to Make Your System More Efficient?.”
Weather compensation control is an optional control available for modern boilers. It works by monitoring the temperature outside and using this information to help the boiler work as efficiently as possible.
Q: “Would You Like to Have Wireless Controls?.”
Radio Frequency (RF), or wireless controls, pass information between the controls and the boiler without the need for wires.
Q: “Have you Considered the Type of Control you Would like with Your Boiler?.”
You have a choice of what controls you can have fitted to help you manage your boiler. Better (more sophisticated) controls will give you greater control over your heating system and can make it more efficient.
Q: “You Should Consider Changing Your Back Boiler as They are Really Inefficient.”
You have an old boiler, located behind a wall and fire front, that is inefficient and should be replaced.
Q: “You Need to Upgrade From a Standard-efficiency Boiler to a High-efficiency Boiler.”
You have an old boiler that isn’t working efficiently. Recent changes in the law mean all new gas boilers fitted in the UK should be high-efficiency condensing models.
Q: “This Boiler is Very Efficient and Has a Fantastic SEDBUK Rating.”
The boiler your installer is showing you is a very efficient model. SEDBUK stands for Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK.
Q: “A Combi Boiler Won’t Meet Your Hot-Water Demands.”
A combi boiler will not be able to produce all the hot water you need. This means you will not get enough hot water out of all of your taps at the same time.
Q: “You Might Benefit from Changing Your Open-vent System.”
An open-vent system may not be the best boiler system for you. Usually this is because you want to make changes to your home such as adding a loft conversion or freeing space currently needed for a cylinder (for example an airing cupboard).
Q: “You Need a Combi Boiler, System Boiler or Open-vent Boiler.”
Your installer is recommending what sort of heating system best suits your house. There are three main types of boiler systems:
