Unit 208: Central heating systems

Outcome 1 (part 1)
Types of domestic central
heating systems installed in
domestic dwellings
 Legislation
Building Regulations part L: Conservation of fuel and power
BS EN 12828: Design of water based heating systems
BS EN 14336: Installation and commissioning of water
based heating systems
BS 4422: Manufacture of radiators

CHeSS: Central Heating Efficiency System

Specification (basic and best practice)
 Legislation
Building Regulations part L: Conservation of fuel and power
L1a: In new dwellings
L1b: In existing dwellings
L2a: In new, other than dwellings
L2b: In existing, other than dwellings

Domestic Heating Compliance Guide

 Types of systems
The main purpose of central heating is to provide thermal
comfort within a property. An open fire gives heat in one
room but central heating can give heat in every room.
Thermal comfort is attained when the desired heat balance
between the body and surroundings is met within the
customer’s economic constraints.
 Types of systems
Full central heating
This allows all rooms in a property to be heated at the
same time to a specific temperature set by the customer.
This comfort temperature must be reached even when the
outside temperature is -10C.

Selective central heating

This allows for some rooms in a property (parts of the
property) to be heated at the same time to a specific
temperature set by the customer. These rooms would be
selected by the customer. This comfort temperature must
be reached even when the outside temperature is -10C.
 Types of systems
Background central heating
This can be the same as full or selective but this type of
heating is installed mainly on cost basis. A smaller boiler or
heat emitters may be used, which will only take the chill out
of the rooms and heat the rooms to a lower temperature.

If a system cannot achieve the customer’s desired comfort

temperature when the outside temperature is -10C, the
system would be classed as background heating.
 Types of systems
Over the past 100 years the open fire in each room has
developed and been replaced with:

Gravity hot water system

Pumped heating with gravity hot water

Fully pumped system

Central heating is now preferred to an open fire, as it heats

up the whole property.
 Types of systems
This development over the years has seen a change from
the use of solid fuel to heat the system, to the use of gas,
oil and electricity to heat the system.

The customer will be cost conscious, not only at the point

of installation, but also with the running costs of the system.

•Maintenance
•Efficiency
•Performance
•Controls
 Types of systems
Modern domestic central heating systems fall into two
categories, which are based on the way the system is filled
with water and the pressure that the system operates at.

Low pressure, open vented systems

These are fed from a feed and expansion cistern located at
high level. These can be fully pumped or gravity systems.

Sealed, pressurised systems

These are fed directly from the mains cold water and
incorporate an expansion vessel to take up the expansion
of the heated water. This type of system is a more modern
fully pumped or combination boiler system.
Types of systems
 Types of systems
Gravity or semi gravity systems
These are older systems that use convection currents to
circulate the water around the pipework. They usually have
28mm primaries associated with solid fuel boilers and the
need for convection currents.

•One pipe semi gravity

•Two pipe semi gravity
•C plan semi gravity
•C plan plus semi gravity system
•Two pipe semi gravity with heat sink
 Types of systems
Full gravity systems
These systems are no longer installed but you may come
across them in older properties.

These offer background heating and use large diameter

pipework that has to be laid at the correct fall to allow
convection to work properly.

There was no pump in the system for either hot water or

heating, so the heat-up time was lengthy.
 Types of systems
Old and rarely seen now, but still in use in some older
houses, are single feed or primatic hot water cylinders.
There is no F&E to fill the primary circuit; this is done via
the cold feed to the cylinder.

Because of this, no inhibitor can be added to this type of

heating system. It is a gravity only system and cannot be
converted to pumped or the air lock separating the two
waters will be lost.
 Types of systems
One pipe gravity system
This is an older but simpler system that consisted of a one
pipe circuit going from, and returning to, the boiler. This
circuit would be pumped but the flow and return stems to
each radiator relied on gravity to heat them up. This meant
the installation cost was cheaper due to only one ring pipe
being installed.

A drawback of this system was: as the return water from

each heat emitter entered the main ring, it would cool the
flow water down to the following emitter. So, progressively
each radiator was cooler than the one before.
 Types of systems
One pipe gravity system
 Types of systems
One pipe gravity system

Advantages:
•Cheap to install

Disadvantages:
•Each radiator progressively cools down
•Only the main ring is pumped
•Uncontrolled room temperature
•Boiler could cycle
•Not compliant to Building Regulations part L
•Boilers connected to these systems are low efficiency
 Types of systems
Two pipe semi gravity
This system has gravity circulation to the hot water circuit
but pumped circulation to the heating circuit. Having
separate pipes for the flow and return, water was forced
into the heat emitters and the flow and return waters did not
mix. This allowed the heat emitters to achieve the same
temperature.

The control on the heating was sometimes by a room stat,

which only witched off the pump. The hot water had no
such control and was often very hot.
 Types of systems
Two pipe semi gravity
 Types of systems
Two pipe semi gravity

Advantages:
•All heat emitters reach the same temperature
•Two pipe system is quicker when heating up
•Cheaper to run

Disadvantages:
•Uncontrolled heat
•Boiler cycling
•Not compliant to Building Regulations part L
•Boilers connected to these systems are low efficiency
 Types of systems
C plan two pipe semi gravity
An updated version of a two pipe semi gravity system that
includes a cylinder thermostat and zone control on the hot
water. The C plan plus includes a room thermostat, TRVs
and zone control on the heating, as well as controls on the
hot water.

The C plan plus is the minimum acceptable compliant

system with Building Regulations part L1b and the
Domestic Heating Compliance Guide, which states the
system has to incorporate a thermo mechanical thermostat.
 Types of systems
C plan two pipe semi gravity
 Types of systems
C plan two pipe semi gravity

Advantages:
•All heat emitters reach the same temperature
•Two pipe system is quicker to heat up
•Compliant to Building Regulations L1b
•Full control on heating and hot water

Disadvantages:
•Not fully pumped
•Boilers fitted to this system tend to be lower efficiency
 Types of systems
Two pipe semi gravity with heat sink
Used with solid fuels, which are not as controllable as gas
or oil boilers. If gravity circulation stops due to the flow and
return being the same temperature, the boiler is still
producing heat. This can be dissipated through the heat
sink without the boiler overheating.

The heat sink is generally a radiator with two lockshield

valves.

The boiler thermostat on a solid fuel boiler is often as

simple as an air damper, rather than an electrical control.
 Types of systems
Two pipe semi gravity with heat sink
 Types of systems
Two pipe semi gravity with heat sink

Advantages:
•Compliant with Building Regulations part L

Disadvantages:
•Restricted heat control
•Only used on open vented systems
•Overheating possible
•Can be expensive
 Types of systems
Fully pumped systems
These are modern systems that use a pump to circulate the
heated water around the hot water and heating circuits.
This is controlled by installing a cylinder thermostat, room
thermostat and programmer, along with either two zone
valves or a three port mid-position valve.

These systems offer better control, design and boiler type.

The boiler position no longer needs to be lower than the
cylinder.

Heat-up times are much quicker and therefore make the

system more economical on fuel and operating costs.
Boilers can be fueled from natural gas, LPG or oil.
 Types of systems
Pumped central heating
These are older type systems that do not have any
provision for hot water but serve some heat emitters
around the property. The cold feed and vent pipe can be
taken from the boiler (four tapping boiler) or from the
pipework.

It is generally a two pipe system with a circulator to assist

the heat-up time.

The controls consist of a timer, boiler thermostat and

possibly a room thermostat, heating all rooms to a
controlled, comfortable temperature.
 Types of systems
Pumped central heating
 Types of systems
Fully pumped mid-position valve – Y plan system
The three port mid-position valve controls the flow of water
to the hot water cylinder and heating circuit. The valve
reacts to the room thermostat and cylinder thermostat.

The system has an automatic bypass valve, which

connects the flow and return pipe.

The bypass opens if the system pressure increases when

circuits close down due to them reaching temperature. This
allows water to flow through the boiler – stopping lock out,
and it also prolongs the circulator life.
 Types of systems
Fully pumped mid-position valve – Y plan system
 Types of systems
Fully pumped two, two port valves – S plan system
This system uses one zone valve to control the hot water,
which is activated by the cylinder thermostat; and a second
zone valve, which is activated by the room thermostat. The
zone valve acts as an isolator, closing the flow of water off.

If a property is over 150m2 an additional heating zone valve

should be fitted, allowing independent control of upstairs
and downstairs.

As with the Y plan, an automatic bypass is fitted to the

system.
 Types of systems
Fully pumped two, two port valves – S plan system
 Types of systems
Y plan S plan
Full thermostatic control
Building Regulations compliant
Recommended for larger
properties
Can be used with sealed
systems
Can be used with system boilers
Can be zoned
Boiler interlock
 Types of systems
Locking out
This is a protection system within a boiler. A thermostat
shuts the boiler down if it detects the flow is above 850C
and therefore stops it from overheating.

Aeration
This is a big cause of corrosion within a central heating
system. Air plus iron equals rust: rust is iron oxide that
produces magnatite, which is the black sludge. Aeration
also causes system noise and – in extreme cases – can
burn the circulator out.
 Types of systems
Sealed system
This system is not open to atmosphere and incorporates a sealed
expansion vessel, which replaces the feed and expansion cistern
of the open system.

A filling connection needs to be installed, along with a detachable

filling loop. This allows a point at which the system can be filled
under mains pressure. To prevent the possibility of back
siphonage of central heating water into mains water, a double
check valve needs to be installed.

On both of the filling loop connections a means of isolation also

needs to be fitted. The Water Regulations clearly state that this
loop needs to be disconnected after the system has been
charged to the correct pressure.
 Types of systems
Sealed system
A pressure relief valve will need to be installed. This allows
the system to discharge pressure to a safe location if
required.
 Types of systems
Sealed system