boilers

[strain]

my house was recently conveted and i now have 11 radiators  - the radiators are very hot but the house takes a long time to heat - do i need a new pump or boiler and what are these combi boilers?  I would like to have an efficient heating system = at present i am using a supser to boost rooms - there are 2 or 3 very old raidiators without vents - any ideas? 

[incitatus]

if the radiators are all getting hot then it may be that the hoouse is simmply too large or too poorly insulated for the radiator area you have.  However some houses do take a long time to heat.  what I would  suggest at first is that ou leave the heating on for 24 hrs then set up a timed cycle.  the 24 hour heat will warm the walls of th house, meaning it loses less heat during the day.

Do remember that a central heating system is not meant to be turned on and off like a plug in heater- it is supposed to be run on a timer cycle and given time to warm up.  the house is supposed to stay warm.

[strain]

i am out of the house all day and have the timer set  two hours before i get up and two hours before i get home - i also light a fire in the large lounge on a daily basis - how many hours a day should the heating be kept on for - it is is an oil fired boiler and i fill the tank twice a year

[Tweed]

If it's the house that takes a long time to heat up, then adding insulation (in the loft and cavities) will slow down the rate at which heat is lost.

[incitatus]

The length of time you leave the heating on depends on your needs, but if the house isnt warming significantly 30 minutes after the heating is turned on then you have a problem.  If baking the house for 24 hrs has no effect then definitely investigate insulation.  The other thing you say is you light a fire.....a real fire?  because if so then it implies that your house is draughty.

Fitting draught strips to your doors and windows will help, as will insulation...but if there is still no motion then it is almost certain that something is wrong with the boiler.  it may indeed be too small.