Bord Gais / Plumbing

[leinster80]

Been getting some pretty high gas bills recently (last one was over 300).. and struggling to relate it with usage. Trying to think of anything that could be causing it before getting on the phone to Bord Gais and entering a roundabout conversation. We were having some problems with water pressure in the boiler and continually have to top it up, tried to sort this out with the landlord but previously but they didn't seem to concerned. Although, I thought I read somewhere that constantly topping up the system can damage it??? Anyone any idea if this could possibly be affecting readings, or have experience of problems with higher than expected gas bills?

[johng]

Been getting some pretty high gas bills recently (last one was over 300).. and struggling to relate it with usage. Trying to think of anything that could be causing it before getting on the phone to Bord Gais and entering a roundabout conversation. We were having some problems with water pressure in the boiler and continually have to top it up, tried to sort this out with the landlord but previously but they didn't seem to concerned. Although, I thought I read somewhere that constantly topping up the system can damage it??? Anyone any idea if this could possibly be affecting readings, or have experience of problems with higher than expected gas bills?

We turned up the temp a few notches at the boiler end this year and got LASHED out of it. And I mean LASHED. Partially the raise in prices anyway, and partially the fact that we switched to the ESB who are robbers on gas and have no payment plan to balance it out across the year. But mainly that slight tweak we did.

[ronk]

Well, it's been really really cold.

How's the heating system working aside from that? Is it taking a long time? Some radiators hotter than others? Heating water at odd times? Any areas of the gaff losing lots of heat.

How much fill water are we talking about? Hundreds or thousands of litres, that'd be significant.

Constant top-up shortens the life of the system because it increases corrosion. All the dissolved oxygen gets used up in a sealed system, but if there's fresh water coming in then the reaction doesn't stop.

Check the meter to see if there's any pattern. If it's going up while the system is off then it's probably leaking. It might be an option to talk to the neighbours and see if it's just you.

[fourthirtythree]

Absolutely lashed out of it this year too. 30% price rise wasn't it? And on all the bleedin' time. Really, really expensive. Not sure what more insulation we can do but looking into it.

[leinster80]

Maybe Im just underestimating those price hikes. I need to top up the pressure every 3-days, so need to get back on to the landlord to get it sorted before it leads to more serious problems. Going to try and really reduce the thermostat and see if I can get it down a bit... 300+ on a gas bill is not sustainable! I might see can I get a meter check as well (if possible), there is a lot of trust on the customers behalf that it is correctly measuring usage.

[ronk]

Maybe Im just underestimating those price hikes. I need to top up the pressure every 3-days, so need to get back on to the landlord to get it sorted before it leads to more serious problems. Going to try and really reduce the thermostat and see if I can get it down a bit... 300+ on a gas bill is not sustainable! I might see can I get a meter check as well (if possible), there is a lot of trust on the customers behalf that it is correctly measuring usage.

Pressure probably isn't it then.

I meant to check the meter yourself (assuming you have access) and get a pattern of your usage. For example, if you worked out how much gas was being used over 24 hours then you wouldn't have to wait for your bill to notice if a change in the thermostat was having an effect. Or if you turn off everything that uses gas and leave it for a few hours then the reading shouldn't move.

[gizmo82]

Its seels like you have a boiler fault, you really shouldnt be topping up the water pressure more that once or twice a year. in terms of your gas bill if you have access to your meter over the course of a week take down the meter read , say at night. Before you go to bed when your not usings and just make sure its the same in the morning.

[johng]

We has a similar issue. You may not be as bothered as you are renting but we used to have to release water into the system on a weekly basis. It is a nightmare to find a tiny leak like this as it can be under a floor or anywhere. We put a bottle of some type of radweld type stuff into the system. Now we only have to top once every six months or so.

Heating systems are supposed to be a sealed system which does not require topping up.

[ribs]

By the way, it is likely this was an Estimated bill rather than an actual - worth checking.
I'm with Flogas - back in the Autumn they estimated that no gas had been used in the 3 months to the end of that bill (that's right - none at all). The approved price rises then came in and the next bill had an actual reading - resulting in me paying the increased per unit rate on all the prior months too. Sneaky b*stards

[Oldschool]

Been getting some pretty high gas bills recently (last one was over 300).. and struggling to relate it with usage. Trying to think of anything that could be causing it before getting on the phone to Bord Gais and entering a roundabout conversation. We were having some problems with water pressure in the boiler and continually have to top it up, tried to sort this out with the landlord but previously but they didn't seem to concerned. Although, I thought I read somewhere that constantly topping up the system can damage it??? Anyone any idea if this could possibly be affecting readings, or have experience of problems with higher than expected gas bills?

If you are having to top up the boiler a lot then you're losing hot (or warm) water out of your system and it's being replaced by cold water.
That would have a serious impact on your gas consumption.
You have a water leak, you're leaking heat and money. Also next year you could be paying for the water.