OneGuyFromBarlick

What intrigues me about all that is that while DEFRA are considering banning the import of all trees into the UK for growing on, Drax can import diseased trees! Some sort of mismatch there?

Now that I am retired and at home all day I don't see the point of timing the boiler activity or shutting it down in summer. I just leave the thermostat to look after it.
I don't know whether you have noticed but the more modern boilers have an element in their programming that fires the circulation pump up briefly once a day to ensure that the bearings don't get seized up during the summer lay-off. This is a good thing and if you turn the boiler off I suspect it wouldn't do this, I might be wrong but leaving it on makes sure the programme works.

Tripps wrote: ↑04 Jun 2019, 21:27 Yes - thanks for that - I've had a look, but the owner isn't shown. My interest was mainly in the use of the land rather than the owner, and now I've seen that the trees were probably grown for their timber, and (I'd guess) they will be replanted, I'm OK with that.

Do you know if the trees were conifers or broadleaves? If the latter I'd expect perhaps willow or poplar which are both fast growing.

Tizer wrote: ↑24 Jun 2019, 08:29 Do you know if the trees were conifers or broadleaves?

Broadleaf I think - I've spoken to 'next door' who's hot on gardening, and he guessed Poplars.

Here's the link to Google Earth. Have a play with it and see what you think.

Trees

It's difficult to tell from a vertical aerial view and the trees are being grown very close together which doesn't allow them to have the same appearance as if they grew naturally.

I have looked by dragging the view down onto the A10. You can zoom in from there but I think the perimeter trees may be a different type to the main distribution planting when looking from above.

Yes - I'd come to the same conclusion as both of you. I did something like that too Ian, but didn't link to that view, since as you say it shows the perimeter trees which are not at all like the plantation types. They weren't cleared and are still there. Not sure what they will do next - it has greened over nicely with weeds, in the meantime.

I'll keep asking, and may get some more information in the fullness of time.

You've reminded me of how much I like a good tree..... Thanks.

We love trees and where we now live has an abundance of them and a great variety of species, both native and exotic. We make a point of identifying them on our walks and now have a about 5 books on tree ID!

Stanley wrote: ↑24 Jun 2019, 05:11 Now that I am retired and at home all day I don't see the point of timing the boiler activity or shutting it down in summer. I just leave the thermostat to look after it.
I don't know whether you have noticed but the more modern boilers have an element in their programming that fires the circulation pump up briefly once a day to ensure that the bearings don't get seized up during the summer lay-off. This is a good thing and if you turn the boiler off I suspect it wouldn't do this, I might be wrong but leaving it on makes sure the programme works.

I'm with you on this one Stanley. Turning the heating off altogether is fruitless. If its summer temperatures it doesn't come on anyway. If we get a cold bit it does. As far as the boiler is concerned it doesn't know if a switch or the thermostat is controlling it if its left powered which it should be to stop the pump seizing. Have a look at the connections inside a boiler , there's no magic.

Boilers have come a long way since the 'automatic' coke fired one that heated the garage and greenhouse on top at Napier Road in the 1950s.... It had a damper in the flue controlled by an exterior chain from a bi-metal bar in the boiler. It worked fine and gave no trouble at all.

Pluggy wrote: ↑25 Jun 2019, 10:51

Stanley wrote: ↑24 Jun 2019, 05:11 Now that I am retired and at home all day I don't see the point of timing the boiler activity or shutting it down in summer. I just leave the thermostat to look after it.
I don't know whether you have noticed but the more modern boilers have an element in their programming that fires the circulation pump up briefly once a day to ensure that the bearings don't get seized up during the summer lay-off. This is a good thing and if you turn the boiler off I suspect it wouldn't do this, I might be wrong but leaving it on makes sure the programme works.

I'm with you on this one Stanley. Turning the heating off altogether is fruitless. If its summer temperatures it doesn't come on anyway. If we get a cold bit it does. As far as the boiler is concerned it doesn't know if a switch or the thermostat is controlling it if its left powered which it should be to stop the pump seizing. Have a look at the connections inside a boiler , there's no magic.

Our combi condensing boiler has three settings: On/Boiler/CH. In these warm days we have it set on Boiler for hot water only. Are you saying we should have it on CH all the time and the thermostat turned down instead? Does the pump not get a protective flush when we're on the Boiler setting too?

My combi is a fairly old Valliant, it's permanently on and controlled by the new switchgear I put in for the underfloor heating. It's just a couple of wires from the controller into the thermostat connections (the system never had a room stat originally, you just set the output temperature on the boiler and let the TRVs sort it out).

As Pluggy says, there's not a lot in them

Tiz, I would assume that the circulating pump would only be on call if the setting was CH but these new boilers are smart enough to run the pump anyway. No need to alter the heating stat, if it's set at 18C like mine and sited properly it will only kick in when the house core temperature drops below that or you demand hot water and as Pluggy says, a little blast of heat is needed them for comfort. So if I was you I'd just leave it on and set for CH all year round. In effect you delegate control to the house which never sleeps!

Our boiler is an `Ideal Logic Combi C'. The instruction manual shows:
The boiler pump will operate briefly as a self-check once every 24 hours, regardless of system demand.
Is this the pump you are referring to? I assume it must be what I've always thought of as the CH pump, which, in our previous house, was remote from the boiler.

It also shows:
Summer Conditions - (Domestic Hot Water only required)
Set the mode knob to Hot Water (summer).
Set the central heating demand on the external controls to OFF.

Tizer wrote: ↑28 Jun 2019, 10:53 Our boiler is an `Ideal Logic Combi C'. The instruction manual shows:
The boiler pump will operate briefly as a self-check once every 24 hours, regardless of system demand.
Is this the pump you are referring to? I assume it must be what I've always thought of as the CH pump, which, in our previous house, was remote from the boiler.

It also shows:
Summer Conditions - (Domestic Hot Water only required)
Set the mode knob to Hot Water (summer).
Set the central heating demand on the external controls to OFF.

My aged Valliant has a pump integral to the boiler.

Systems put in in the early 80's or before (before the advent of the combi) would usually have the pump as a seperate entitiy. . Modern thinking is that it's built into the boiler and is controlled by the same They are generally easier and cheaper to put it as there are less connections to be made. On the upside old systems are usually simpler and less costly to repair.

Tiz, probably best to think of the 'boiler pump' as the circulation pump for the CH and from the sound of it yours does the self check once every 24 hours. The main reason for this is to ensure that the bearings don't seize up during the long summer lay-off. My preference, like Pluggy's is to leave the boiler alone and let it look after itself. Experience tells me that the less you interfere with an automatic system, the better it likes it. Far too many 'faults' used to be induced by the annual service! (One was 'testing' the water pressure relief valve. They often leaked after being disturbed!)

I did my end of month meter readings today. Despite yesterday being the hottest day of the year, It's easy to forget that just a couple of weeks ago I had the central heating on, which would account for the fact that I've used more than double the gas than the average of the previous three years.

I still haven't won the Octopus roulette spin yet.

I was only reflecting yesterday on the truth of "One Swallow doesn't make a summer."

Tripps wrote: ↑30 Jun 2019, 21:36 I still haven't won the Octopus roulette spin yet.

Neither have I, however I noticed on their advert the other day that they are voted the best energy supplier and the only one promoted by Which.

https://share.octopus.energy/young-ibis-685

Anyone who want's to switch, click the link and we both get £50.00

PanBiker wrote: ↑01 Jul 2019, 08:49 Anyone who want's to switch, click the link and we both get £50.00

Watch out or you'll have David Whipp chasing you!

Recent weeks have been bad here in Somerset for solar energy generation. Lots of cloud. We haven't reached the level we had at this time last year. We'd be better off with a wind turbine, strong winds seem to be normal now, except they are very gusty winds and I wonder what that does to the turbines.

Tizer wrote: ↑01 Jul 2019, 09:58 Watch out or you'll have David Whipp chasing you!

Ha! David can use the link too if he wants. No real chance as he hasn't been on the site for over two years. Much more political mileage over in FB land which he frequents with gusto.

Perhaps we are yesterday's men and women. As you say, not many votes for him available here even if we all joined his Party.
I note that my new AEG is 'A' Rated. I wonder how they allocate an energy efficient rating to a pure heat appliance like that. After all, even the 'waste' energy is used as it heats the house......

...but it also heats the house on hot days when you don't need any extra heat, so that is wasted energy.