Winter tests

Well we are nearly half way through September, and it is definitely getting a bit cooler.  So before it suddenly turns seriously cold, we have been assessing the state of the house, and one important test today was of the central heating.

We actually have two completely separate central heating systems, each with their own boiler.  The one in the basement we know is somewhat screwed up and is getting completely replaced w/c 22nd.  The rest of the house has a modern gas boiler, but the pipes and all the radiators are mid-1930s – it is an entirely gravity fed system called a “Monopipe Loop”.  The story behind this is that in 1930s there were no pumped systems available – instead they put in very big pipes (about 3 inches across) and these were able to make use of gravity to circulate the water and therefore the heat.  These systems only work in big buildings with plenty of room for the pipe work, and they also take longer to warm up than a modern system.

However, they create a lovely warmth once they are going, and the idea with them is that you set the thermostat to a given background heat, and then leave them on continuously over the winter.  Obviously the thermostat would not have been a 1930s feature.

So far all seems to be well.  My idea is to set the background thermostat to 18C and then use fires to spot heat rooms such as the offices where we want warmth for sitting still.  Neither R nor I like warm bedrooms anyway.

One huge advantage of our antique system is that it doesn’t use electricity at all, so it does not produce annoying hums or buzzes – and also operates during power cuts.  So in spite of what my Eco Conscious brother in law thinks, we will not be ripping it out and having a heat pump.  Or solar panels for that matter – I am a fan of these but not in a house like Castlebank.