Having tried the digital multi-meter thermocouple type, and the 'pocket' IR type, I can assure you that the IR type makes the task an order of magnitude easier. I can't find the one I have online anymore, but these two look similar
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A google search for Andy Hall's posts on calculating what the radiator (and hence boiler) sizes should get you the info you need to check it out.
With an undersized boiler, accurate balancing is even more important to get the best of what you have. If the boiler is undersized, you probably will end up with a larger temp drop across the rads than the oft quoted
11C; that doesn't matter - what is important is to get the same drop across each rad.
I have a friend who managed to connect a wood-burning stove (with back boiler) in parallel with his central heating boiler.
Quite right! Make sure that absolutely NO OXYGEN can get into the house. Then light the gas fire or a gas ring if you haven't got a fire. This should burn off the remaining oxygen and generate lots of carbon monoxide. After that you should have no further problems.
I've never been quite sure what effect a pump has. If the gauge is "behind" the pump, would a drop from the static pressure be expected ? This drop from 1 bar to nearly zero confused me. It only seems to make sense if the pressure behind the pump *can* fall, in which case what the OP is observing is the pump working harder than before, trying to push the water around the upper floor pipework. (We've exchanged emails and apparently all the inter-floor plumbing is hidden from sight, but I suspect too much has been run in 15mm.)
Horses for courses! I have several multi-meters, 1 of which has a thermocouple K-bead on a flying lead , and a maplin food probe.
The maplin probe was great for checking the core temp of a joint of beef but when I tried to monitor the meat as it cooked in the oven the lead melted!! Seems the probe was good for 200C or so, but not the flex cable. Doh!!
The thermocouple K-bead is accurate in melting ice and boiling water, but its not very good at measuring surface temperature because of the difficulty of getting good thermal and mechanical contact between a tiny near spherical bead and e.g. a grubby 15mm pipe. Before I had my IR that is what I used for balancing with a 'clever' arrangement of rubber and aluminium foil glued into a giant clothes peg. It takes time (lots of it) to rig that onto the pipe of a radiator and then to repeat it on the other side, not to mention backache - all that kneeling down and up again.
With the IR, I at first could not get consistent readings, depended exactly which bit of pipe you pointed it at, or at the chrome valve etc. In the end I went for the black emitter idea and stuck a square of black PVC insulating tape to each flow and return pipe just below the valves. With that I get the same reading each time and it is quick. I can run round the house with a clipboard and the IR meter measuring each of the
14 rads in 1/4hr or so.
Sort of. It measures surface temperatures not air temp so you have to open the oven and point it at the hot walls, and no, it won't work through the glass door. I use the thermocouple K-bead DVM for the oven - it measures the air temp and its flex seems to stand up to the heat, and is thin enough to close the oven door on it.
The static pressure will not be affected by the pump. That only affects the... err... dynamic pressure. Think of a closed circuit consisting of a battery and bulb, and float this from one terminal of another battery. Switching on the bulb doesn't affect the voltage of the other battery.
I think its more likely that Simon has lost pressure in the system, perhaps due to bleeding a radiator. Ed Sirret's Sealed Heating System FAQ
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explains what to do in that case.
Or even 10mm. What diameter pipe emerges to feed the rads?
Usually the burner cuts in and out while the pump in the boiler runs continiously, reading the gas consumption off the meter over time and comparing it with the spec should tell if it's at max capacity.
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