Tips for preventing heating problems in the current cold days
It’s every householders nightmare – it’s freezing outside and the heating hasn’t come on. Many things could cause this, but if you have a condensing boiler it is worth checking to see if the condensate pipe has frozen.
This small pipe usually runs from the boiler to a drain (sometimes outside of the property), and if it the condensate gets frozen it will most likely stop your boiler from working. Condensate pipes that are installed outside of the property can be prone to freezing and should be insulated to help to prevent this from happening. Warning signs may be error codes or flashing lights on the boiler’s display unit.
If your condensate pipe freezes, defrost the condensate pipe with warm (not hot) water and then reset the boiler to see if the boiler fires. If that hasn’t worked, you’ll need a qualified professional to have a look at it.
Danny Davis, Operations Manager at the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) says:
“Prevention is always the best course of action. Householders usually insulate the pipes in the loft, but forget about the condensate pipe. If you live in a property and your condensate pipe has frozen in previous years and no further action other than defrosting has been taken, now is the best time to either insulate, or possibly look at having the pipe relocated internally if possible.”
Danny added:
“To make sure you are getting the best out of your heating system, it’s worth bleeding the radiators if they are not heating up to the correct temperature. It’s quick and easy to do and can make a big difference. However, if you have a combination boiler or a boiler installed onto a ‘sealed system’, don’t forget to top up the pressure in the system, as the resultant pressure drop from bleeding radiators can be enough to prevent the boiler from firing.”
Copper can be helpful in controlling fungi from HVAC systems
Copper can be helpful in controlling the emission of fungi from heating ventilation and air-conditioning systems, concluded a recent study presented at the US Environmental Protection Agency’s recent Committee on Indoor Air Quality.
The data presented builds on laboratory work at the University of Southampton assessing copper’s antifungal properties.
Professor Bill Keevil, chair in environmental healthcare at the University of Southampton, tested the effectiveness of copper as an antifungal surface to be used in air-conditioning systems as an alternative to aluminium. Significant fungal growth occurred on the aluminium, whereas copper proved antifungal and also prevented subsequent spore growth.
In densely occupied buildings, airborne microbial contaminants can have adverse effects on human health by causing infections, allergic responses or toxic effects. Consequently, microbial growth in HVAC systems and subsequent contamination of the indoor air environment is of increasing concern. Professor Keevil’s research concluded that copper offers a valuable alternative to aluminium, and could be used in air-conditioning systems in buildings.
Over in the US, Dr Michael Schmidt, professor and vice chairman of microbiology and immunology at the Medical University of South Carolina, presented data from comparisons of HVAC systems using copper versus systems using aluminium during use in buildings. The work was conducted in Fort Jackson, the US Army’s largest basic training base, and was supported by the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command.
Dr Schmidt’s presentation concurred with the UK research, and recommended additional research to explore the impact of copper HVAC systems in occupied spaces and copper’s effect on typical bacterial levels.
Four million solar panels to be fitted
The energy minister is set to propose that four million solar panels, covering land the size of 3,400 football pitches, should be built on government land and property, including schools and prisons.
Greg Barker is expected to disclose plans for one gigawatt of electricity generated by solar panels on the “government estate”. It could mean huge solar farms on government land, as well as panels on thousands of public buildings.
In a speech earlier this month, Mr Barker said:
“We need to make the government itself a leader in solar deployment.
“Government public buildings should be at the forefront of the move to renewable energy.”
He added:
“So next year you can expect to hear more from me on my ambitious plans to ensure the government estate plays its part in the decentralised energy revolution. The government is sitting on huge potential; we need to do much more.”
The Solar Trade Association said that one gigawatt of solar would equate to about four million panels. Its land use estimates suggest that if these were deployed as solar farms it would require up to 6,000 acres of land – the equivalent of 3,400 football pitches. The Ministry of Defence is one of Britain’s largest landowners, creating the potential for solar farms to be built on its land. School and hospital roofs could also be potential sites.
Mr Barker has said his “ambition” is for Britain to have 22 gigawatts of solar power installed by 2020. But official government documents suggest that there would actually be far fewer farms, with between 2.4 GW and 4 GW of “large-scale” solar developments such as solar farms.
There is no fixed timetable for the implementation of Mr Barker’s plans, it is understood.
A Downing Street spokesman said:
“We said in the Coalition Agreement that we would take measures to improve energy efficiency in public sector buildings. We have already taken steps to achieve this in Downing Street and across the government estate and this work is ongoing.”