Temperature controller for radiators. Centigrade. Five to twenty five. Photo by Angela Lansbury, copyright.
Problem
The temperature rose. I could not turn off the heating.
Heating has always been a mystery to me. Whether I am at home, in a hotel, a place I've rented, or in somebody else's flat when they are asking me, and everybody else, what to do.
How do you know what is affecting the boiler and what is turning the radiators? Where is the controller? What do the mystery numbers mean? What temperature do you set?
Answer
Now I know. My son who had a degree in engineering explained. I can't believe how simple and obvious it is, once you know.
Finding The Controller
I remember watching an electrician looking for a flat's heating controller and finding it on the lounge wall. I always wondered how he knew which sets of dials operated what.
What Is It Operating?
You can tell by both the location and the temperature setting.
You might have a dial or two in the kitchen in the boiler cupboard or timers next to it. They set start and stop times.
Is It Working?
You go into a new flat and nothing seems to happen when you fiddle the dials or set the times. Is it a 24 hour clock or a 12 hour clock. Aha!
So before you call out somebody to check, you can do your own check.
If you can't see which is which, you should be able to tell within ten minutes whether the water has got hotter, by turning on the hot tap, and within an hour whether the radiator is working, by feeling it. (Make sure it is turned on, as well. Look at the radiator. Does it have a dial?)
Story
I turned off the switch in the hot cupboard but the kitchen and house were still stifling hot. I called my son to come and help.
Finding The Controller
He asked, "Where is the temperature controller?"
What controller?
He walks into the hall and looks. "Look! There's a dial on the wall."
"Oh, yes. Outside the water boiler cupboard. I thought it operated the water boiler. How do I know it regulates the radiators and temperature of the rooms?"
Checking Temperature Range
"Look at the temperature. What does it say?"
"Er? Five to twenty five. It is centigrade. I grew up with fahrenheit."
"This is centigrade. What is boiling point?"
"A hundred?"
"Yes. In theory a boiler goes up to a hundred. But this only goes up to 25. That would be pretty cool for water. So it isn't boiling water; it's warming the air.
"In centigrade body temperature is much lower than boiling point, about 28ish. You swim in water that's about 30. A hot tub would be much hotter. Let's say 40 maximum - you can look it up and check.
"The control setting in an airing cupboard is controlling the boiler. The cupboard gets hot and can stay hot for hours, when the room temperature has gone down, so a controller measuring the heat in the air would not tell you the right thing if it measured the temperature in your cupboard. The boiler might be set to run at 50-60 degrees centigrade. Not a hundred, because people would keep scalding themselves.
Boilers temperature controls start at 50 degrees. Not five. So your dial going from 5 degrees to 25 is not heating water but the air, so it is not for the boiler but the radiators.
How The Dial Works
"To pick up the temperature of the house, the dial is in the living room, sometimes the corridor. If you've just moved in, look around at eye level in the living room and corridor. The electrician just walks into the living room or corridor, then scans the walls, turning his head, until he spots a little box on the wall. He might ask you where it is first. If you don't know, he finds it."
Air Conditioning
"In Singapore in a community centre, the box controlling the air conditioning is usually by the door. The leader of the club often knows what to do without calling the management."
"That's air con, in a public building or hotel in a hot country.
Controller Position
Let's continue looking at the heating. To pick up the temperature of the entire flat, rather than the kitchen cupboard, the controller will be in the living room or corridor.
Setting Temperature
"You set it to a temperature like 20 degrees. You'll find advice all over the internet and sometimes in a leaflet with your electricity bill. If your bills are too high in winter, you may want to turn down the temperature.
How Room Temperature Controller Works
"When the corridor gets lower the controller turns on. It's a heat sensitive dial. It aims at the target temperature, and turns on until you reach the target temperature. Then it turns off. When the temperature goes down again, it turns back on."
The Moral Of The Story
I have lived in the UK, USA, Spain and Singapore and stayed in numerous buildings and been to conferences and clubs. Now I shall look at every controller, for lights, air con, or heating, and learn what to do.
Next time it won't be somebody else explaining to me. It will be me explaining to somebody else. I dare say the same applies to you.
Tips
http://www.thehottubandswimspacompany.com/about-us/blog/item/576-what-is-the-best-temperature-for-your-hot-tub
Hot Tub Temperature
PS The hot tub temperature, according to the industry, should not be above 40 for health reasons. 38-9 max would be about right.
The lowest temperature is about 7, even when nobody is using it, not zero, to be sure it doesn't freeze and cause damage.
http://www.ragsdaleair.com/blog/why-wont-my-central-air-conditioning-unit-turn-on-4/
Best tip - make sure it is not set to heat. Set it to cool. Just think about it. You told the poor controller to heat and then you told it to cool.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
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