I was lightly dusting my boiler yesterday and it was quite warm to the touch.
The boiler is around ten years old and is tank fed.
Is it normal to feel warm?
Should the boiler be warm to the touch
boiler
Related Solutions
They talk about using EPP-Insulation which is expanded polypropelyne foam:
EPP is flexible foam that is used as a packing material for delicate electronic parts. It is also used in the bumpers of some automobiles. It is a rubbery material that is light in weight, yet very durable.
http://www.flyingfoam.com/FoamTypes.html
Based on that, I think you could do quite well with simply buying some basic pipe insulation
and do some creative wrapping of the insulation around the fitting, adhering it with duct tape (not directly to the device but insulation to insulation only).
Yes this is common in the UK.
The boiler will feed hot water into the heating coils in the tank as well as providing the hot water for the radiators.
The electric (or immersion) heater will be there either as back up (in case the boiler fails) or to heat the water on cheaper electricity (Economy 7) overnight.
There'll be a thermostat on the tank which feeds back to the boiler to turn off the heating when the water is hot enough, but other than that there's no direct communication between the immersion heater and the boiler. There might be communication via the timer used to control when each is turned on, but that's not usual.
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Best Answer
Yes. But it shouldn't be hot. You should be able to keep your hand on it (this is a general idea in electrical products). Newer boilers get less warm, but that's for reasons of energy efficiency (they're better insulated).
If its getting too hot to keep your hand on it, and it hasn't been serviced recently, it may be worth getting it generally checked over.