Vaillant ashp (my battle with).

[ProDave]

18 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

How do I turn this subject off? I have deleted "follow" but will still see anything from the respected contributors whom I don't want to turn off.

You just need the will power not to click on the thread.

[Nickfromwales]

“Use the force, Luke……”

[-rick-]

1 hour ago, saveasteading said:

How do I turn this subject off? I have deleted "follow" but will still see anything from the respected contributors whom I don't want to turn off.

 

I don't know how your browse activity on here but if like me you use the activity view then switching it to the condensed version makes it a little better if you want to ignore things (or even just not see every update).

[saveasteading]

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

just need the will power not to click on the thread

Oops, done it again.

 

I've been forgetting which thread is the annoying one.

[SimonD]

2 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

Oops, done it again.

 

I've been forgetting which thread is the annoying one.

 

You're not alone. I think there must be a gravity well here. I keep on unsubscribing to the thread and as my finger moves itself to click on the mouse button, my head is going, no, no don't do it, and then I'm back in again, uh!

[marshian]

3 hours ago, ProDave said:

You just need the will power not to click on the thread.

 

@saveasteading @Nickfromwales@SimonD

 

Alternatively go to your profile

 

 

Manage followed content

 

Find the "Unfollow" this thread and update preferences

 

[Nickfromwales]

3 hours ago, SimonD said:

 

You're not alone. I think there must be a gravity well here. I keep on unsubscribing to the thread and as my finger moves itself to click on the mouse button, my head is going, no, no don't do it, and then I'm back in again, uh!

It’s called trying to help. 
 

Can’t say we didn’t try. 

[marshian]

8 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

It’s called trying to help. 
 

Can’t say we didn’t try. 

 

I compare it to bashing your own head repeatedly into a wall

 

It's nice when you stop.............

[JohnMo]

4 minutes ago, marshian said:

 

I compare it to bashing your own head repeatedly into a wall

 

It's nice when you stop.............

Bit like the OP then

[Mr Punter]

I put him on ignore a few years ago as I thought he was trolling.

[sharpener]

On 01/03/2026 at 12:29, -rick- said:

He has a 9kw heatpump that will work most efficiently with relatively cool radiators. A 30kw AGA pumping out heat to the radiators at 70C will have a much easier time heating the air quickly for short bursts than Zoots heatpump.

 

Nothing to do with radiators. The AGA consumes oil at a rate IIRC of 6 or 7 kW, and maybe half of this is lost through the cladding to heat the kitchen directly. A small amount of heat goes through the uninsulated ceiling to the master bedroom directly above, and the flue contributes a bit more as it goes in a duct up through the bedroom from which the air is extracted by the MVHR to keep the false wall free of the penetrating damp in the W-facing gable end.

 

The diner half of the room has UFH of unknown spacing which gets the slate floor just perceptibly warm. All the rads are in the rest of the house.

[zoothorn]

Right I'm not playing anymore. Well until I do an update that is in 2 months, & in the meantime FYI I've set the HP up to:

 

Setback 16*C (including night goddamit). Required Temp 18*C.
3x blocks of Timer period: 7:30-9:00 then 12:30-14:00 then 17:30-21:00.

 

So on -far more- continually than I had it before. So far.. I cannot tell a fart of difference (& even saw my breath as per usual in the bathroom yesterday, 11*C outside temp). But I shall give it time.

 

--

 

Secondly. I remember a situation which is the BEST example of this OTT wet climate atmosphere thing, which you all ridicule & so certain simply cannot be true..

 

One job my builder did (along with the 2021 extention, thankfully well-built) was put in a new back door & frame. Bought from Howdens in town, with a basic hardwood frame. Now, my builder was reknown as the best around, most experienced. My extension proof enough. 
 

Door opened outwards (giving me more room in my back hall), & all fine. Swung open great. Nice solid heavy feel, quality hinges & handle. I painted 3x with Sadolin stuff he recommended. 4x coats on the top edge, & bottom edge. 
 

1 month later the door was sticking, a week on, it was jammed shut. He trimmed a bit off edge, I repainted, rehung. I saw a good gap now. 6mm min. 6 weeks later, door was jammed solid again. Builder called, now a bit 'welsh angry' forced it open. Jigged it. Door was ok. 2 months on, again, it had jammed solid. Builder refunded me for the whole door job! Very decent of him, as it wasn't his fault. I took it off, trimmed another 5mm, rehung it, now at max possible trimming area. I noticed it had also got a slight bow in it too. It opened ok.
 

2 weeks ago, first open since winter proper, jammed solid again. It hasn't jammed solid, each time, due to any dampmess within the cottage/ in the immediate area: IE the door back entrance area to my (cold yes, but perfectly dry) 80's exention. I have never had any damp issues in the extension. Not the kitchen, bathroom, the small hall, nor any evident in the loft area above. It is quite simply, a dry extension.
 

Now. The cause of the door doing this. You will list a,b,c as possible/ probable causes. But you'd do so as excuses, rather than accept the blindingly obvious: the local particularly & unusually damp atmospheric conditions, seeped into the fabric of the door, swelling it. A ludicrous ammount. Not only width, but warped it. As a consequence, it's NOW useless/ junk/ needs replacing again. It was a decent-quality door when new, but within a very short timeframe has --become-- junk. Because it has changed, structurally. It has been ruined. No iffs, no buts. That is an absolute fact.
 

This was HOWDENS. And treated especially well, especially carefully by me 1) because it it was my door, & B) because I was aware of the damp (local area air) facet. I knew it existed. I did my utmost to keep it at bay, keep itmout of the structure of this door, but even this was a fruitless exercise. THAT is how pervasive, it is. How ruinous. How it leeches into every aspect of your life here. Without respite almost 365 days a year you feel it.

 

This is absolute proof of it. This & the always-wet feeling limp post, I collect each day, from outside my front door/ that I collect from outside my dwelling........ are categorical proof.

 

Whatever you guys say. You guys, some migjt be builders, most let's say very experienced amateurs/ &/or semi-pro standard. Without any question far above my level of knowledge. But look, so was my builder, when he said "oh no, I wouldn't want to do that/ no sorry I'm not happy with that idea" & refused the job of pouring 2 large concrete foundation 'pads' for my log cabin's base. I got a local guy to do the job. And with help from BH, the job was done, cabin is a success.

 

So, the builder 65 yrs old, hugely experienced & known as the best around (& with it a premium in his quotes), who knows the area like back of his hand, whose ancestors lived in my very cottage 1855 or so... he was wrong. And you guys (not up to his standard)... were correct.

 

And so by the same token, I am correct with regards to this strange & indescribable local wet air facet, & you naysayers who say it doesn't exist.... you all of you who club together singing from the same denial-hymnsheet on it.. are purely & simply wrong.

 

That is all. Update in 2 months.

 

Thank you, Zoot

Edited March 4 by zoothorn

[DownSouth]

Is the moral of the story don’t live in a rain forest? Or beware trolls?

[-rick-]

50 minutes ago, zoothorn said:

Setback 16*C (including night goddamit). Required Temp 18*C.
3x blocks of Timer period: 7:30-9:00 then 12:30-14:00 then 17:30-21:00.

 

So on -far more- continually than I had it before. So far.. I cannot tell a fart of difference (& even saw my breath as per usual in the bathroom yesterday, 11*C outside temp). But I shall give it time.

 

Thanks for the update and I'm glad you are trying this. I assume with the controller still in the upper bedroom?

 

If our guesses about your building are correct, it will take some time to warm.

 

So while you are running this experiment I suggest the following:

1. Keep internal doors open - you want the air to be able to move around to equalise all the internal space*

2. Daily, open the windows for a good ten minutes to ensure the place has a good blow through (I think you said you did this anyway).

3. Regularly check the radiators with a thermometer

 

ideally something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ERICKHILL-Thermometer-Non-Contact-Adjustable-Emissivity/dp/B0C72MDQ2Z?crid=2V242L59HQZZ8&sprefix=ir%2Bthermom%2Caps%2C225&sr=8-6&th=1

 

The radiators should be warm and at approximately the same temperature (guessing around 50C) if the room with the thermostat in it is colder than 16C.

 

If some radiators are colder than others or if the radiators are often not hot then there may be a problem with the system that needs fixing before things will warm up.

 

*If you get hot at night or if you leave the bedroom window open at night, close the bedroom door to isolate the room from the rest of the house. You can also turn that specific radiator off at night and back on in the morning if it helps with bedroom temp (a good idea if you have the window open anyway).

 

I know you said you will try this for 2 months but if you don't feel things improving at all in 2 weeks then maybe come back then.

 

[Nickfromwales]

1 hour ago, DownSouth said:

Is the moral of the story don’t live in a rain forest? Or beware trolls?

Both. All hope just got dashed.

 

News-flash, wood absorbs moisture..........

 

Can't wait for the 20mm gaps when it dries out in the summer......... Will be like a saloon door in the wild west then.

 

Builder gave a full refund so he could walk away without any damage to his reputation. Surprised he didn't garnish it with a credit.

 

Please......... nobody 'like' this post, thanks.

 

@-rick- you sir are a legend, god bless you and all who sail in you.

[zoothorn]

On 04/03/2026 at 22:14, -rick- said:

 

Thanks for the update and I'm glad you are trying this. I assume with the controller still in the upper bedroom?

 

If our guesses about your building are correct, it will take some time to warm.

 

So while you are running this experiment I suggest the following:

1. Keep internal doors open - you want the air to be able to move around to equalise all the internal space*

2. Daily, open the windows for a good ten minutes to ensure the place has a good blow through (I think you said you did this anyway).

3. Regularly check the radiators with a thermometer

 

ideally something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ERICKHILL-Thermometer-Non-Contact-Adjustable-Emissivity/dp/B0C72MDQ2Z?crid=2V242L59HQZZ8&sprefix=ir%2Bthermom%2Caps%2C225&sr=8-6&th=1

 

The radiators should be warm and at approximately the same temperature (guessing around 50C) if the room with the thermostat in it is colder than 16C.

 

If some radiators are colder than others or if the radiators are often not hot then there may be a problem with the system that needs fixing before things will warm up.

 

*If you get hot at night or if you leave the bedroom window open at night, close the bedroom door to isolate the room from the rest of the house. You can also turn that specific radiator off at night and back on in the morning if it helps with bedroom temp (a good idea if you have the window open anyway).

 

I know you said you will try this for 2 months but if you don't feel things improving at all in 2 weeks then maybe come back then.

 

Hi Rick, 

 

as I said in PM, I'm not understanding the principle of buying the thermometre ( I mean the children on here will laugh saying I don't understand what a thermometer is dummy or something pathetic of course). By this I mean: I'm not understanding why I would need to buy this gadget.
 

I mean the system makes the water heat, then circulates it in within the rads., which are connected up lets just say "in parallel" within the same single circuit. So how any one's internal temp would or should be any different to any other, is beyond me (& therfore why the need for the thermometer).

 

If you're suggesting I buy it, in order to ID any rad that needs bleeding..?? the answer is a resolute no. Because I bled them all myself. I expelled air in each one that needed it, upon installation, at the installer's request. Half the rads needed it until water bled out/ tightened it up with the key. And the other half bled out immediately without the need to expel air. 

 

So I know, the rads are recently all bled, & assuming their valves are correctly set to be open, they will surely (& to me just plain logically) all therefore have the same rad temperature water, circulating within them. The only difference one rad to the next, being the size: a bigger rad with more surface area will emit more heat of course. 

 

So, surely all I need to do, is find out what temp the system's circulating rad water is. If it's 70*C = too high, so I turn it down. I then just set it to 'medium' (someone on here might be decent enough to tell me a 'good efficient figure') & as I hear on R4 programme right now, Evan Davies etc, that 45*C will mean the system runs 3x more efficiently than 70*C.. I mean surely I just need to dial that figure in, & knowing my rads are bled, the system is set up. As I said in my PM though I can't understand why this seemingly absolutely pg 1 aspect of the sytem's rad water circulating temperature, hasn't really been part of the discussion. If at all.
 

And furthermore I can't understand having searched anywhere & everywhere within the controller just to see what my current circulating rad water temp figure is, let alone where to set it better should it need changing.. it's nowhere to be found. 

Thanks, Zoot

 

 

 

[SteamyTea]

35 minutes ago, zoothorn said:

I mean the children on here will laugh saying I don't understand what a thermometer is dummy or something pathetic of course

Those children know why you need to get a thermometer, which temperatures to take, why you need to take them and how that can help.

But this child is just going to be childish, except I am no ones child any more.

[zoothorn]

2 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

Those children know why you need to get a thermometer, which temperatures to take, why you need to take them and how that can help.

But this child is just going to be childish, except I am no ones child any more.

Of course you will ST. So helpful on this thread. So kind with the replies.

 

 

 

 

 

[SteamyTea]

4 minutes ago, zoothorn said:

Of course you will ST. So helpful on this thread. So kind with the replies.

Which is why it hurts when good advice is totally ignored.

[Redbeard]

57 minutes ago, zoothorn said:

I hear on R4 programme right now, Evan Davies etc, that 45*C will mean the system runs 3x more efficiently than 70*C.. I mean surely I just need to dial that figure in

Before you can 'dial it in' you need to know what flow temp the system was designed for. I always used to ask for a re-calc if I saw a quote assuming a flow temp of 55 degrees. That can be a way of getting out of changing many (or even any) rads, but I'd rather consider changing them and get an answer as to what the CoP would be at a lower flow temp.

Edited 1 hour ago by Redbeard

[-rick-]

@zoothorn

 

Will reply to your PM in a bit, been a bit busy last few days.

 

Firstly, the thermometer is useful for other things than just checking the radiators. Once you have it I would like to you measure the temp of various things in your house, such as the different walls.

 

However, the reason for suggesting it for the heating is two fold.

 

1. It's a way of working out the approximate flow temperature without having to know how the Valliant menus work. That's something you've had some issues with and I don't have any experience with Valliant menus specifically so can't easily help with what steps to take.

 

2. It is not correct that the radiators will always be the same temperature if the incoming water temperature is the same. Water will take the easiest route, so if you have two radiators connected in parallel, but one has 10m of pipe between it at the heatpump and the other has 1m of pipe then a large portion of the water will flow through the shorter pipe starving the more distant radiator of heat.

 

The way this problem is addressed is called balancing. This is done by adjusting the locksheild valve that is hidden on the caps at one end of the radiators. This restricts the flow of water to radiators so you can reduce the amount of water the nearest radiators get. This forces more water through to the more distant radiators.

 

Do not attempt to adjust these valves right now. I would hope that your system is already balanced, getting the thermometer will help confirm that. If the temps vary significantly from one radiator to another then it's something that needs looking at.