How To Set A Manual Timer On A Boiler – Illustrated Guide

To support the running costs of Moral Fibres, this post contains affiliate links. This means Moral Fibres may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to readers, on items purchased through these links.

Have you moved into a new house with a manual or mechanical boiler timer, and don’t know what you’re doing with it? Don’t worry, I have a mechanical timer, so let me show you how to set a timer on a boiler. I’ve got a step-by-step photographic guide to make things as easy as possible for you.

I’ve written about setting the timer on your boiler in the past to save energy. But the other day it dawned on me: what if you don’t know how to set a timer? Don’t worry. Let me show you how to set a timer on a boiler.

I have a combi boiler and it has one of those mechanical timers on it. Being used to digital timers I’ll admit I was a little flummoxed by the timer when we first moved into our house. I got the hang of it though, and now I want to help you out too!

Table Of Contents

Video Guide On How To Set Your Manual Boiler Timer

YouTube video

First off, I’ve got a handy video for you, which talks you through the full process. The video should appear above. If you can’t see the video in your browser, then here’s a direct link to the video on YouTube.

Although it is made for Worcester boilers, this video is useful for most makes of boilers. It certainly did the trick for our Valiant boiler. This is because almost all mechanical timers work the same, regardless of the make.

Step By Step Mechanical Boiler Guide With Photos

dog sleeping next to a radiator with a blue text box that reads how to set a timer on a boiler.

If you can’t get the video to work, or if you would prefer a step-by-step guide that walks you through setting a timer at your own pace, then let me run you through exactly how to set a manual or mechanical timer on a boiler. You’ll soon have yours working in no time:

1. Set The Time On Your Boiler

First of all, ignore all the little tabs for now. What you need to do first is set the clock to the right time.

You can do this by turning the dial around clockwise until the arrow points to the correct time in the inner portion of the dial.

It’s important to bear in mind that boilers work on the 24-hour clock. So make sure you’ve set it to 24-hour clock time, otherwise, your heating will come out at odd hours of the night! If it’s 1:30 pm (13:30 in 24-hour clock speak) then you want the arrow to be halfway between the 13 and 14.

2. Set The Time When You Want Your Boiler To Turn On & Off

Once the time is set correctly, you can now set the times that you would like your heating to come on and off at.

This is where the little tabs come in. These tabs on a mechanical boiler timer can be overwhelming as there are so many. However, I promise you that they are not as confusing as they look. All that they do is represent 15-minute periods. 

To set what time you want your boiler to turn on, simply push those tabs in for the times that you want your heating on. Let me talk you through this, in case this sounds complicated.

how to set a timer on a boiler

After you’ve set the time properly on your boiler, you’ll notice that each tab lines up with each 15-minute segment of the 24-hour clock. So, to tell your boiler that you want your heating to come on between 5:45 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. you are going to want to push in all of the tabs that represent that period.

Once you’ve done this you should have all 7 consecutive tabs pushed down between 5:45 am and 7:30 am. All of the other tabs should be up. See the picture of my boiler timer above, so you can see exactly what I mean.

When I took the photo, the time was 1 pm so you can see that the arrow points to 1 pm (13). You can also see that my heating is set to come on twice a day. Firstly between 5:45 am and 7:30 am (we are early birds!). And secondly between 6 pm and 8 pm.

If you look closely you’ll notice the tabs are down at these times, and all of the other tabs are up. It can be quite tricky to see so I have annotated the photo to make this a bit clearer.

It’s quite easy to accidentally twist the dial and change the time when you’re adjusting the tabs. Therefore, you may have to readjust the time at this stage! Just something to be aware of.

3. Next Steps

Now you need to tell your boiler that you want it to run to your scheduled programme.

To do this, simply turn the switch that you would normally switch the boiler on to point to automatic scheduling. This may take the form of a picture of a clock or of a stopwatch. It will depend on your boiler – mine’s a stopwatch.

Your boiler should now come on and then switch off automatically at the desired times! And that’s how to set a timer on a boiler!

Energy Efficiency Tips

I always love a two-for-one deal. So as well as telling you how to set the timer on your boiler, do let me share my top energy efficiency tip for your boiler.

It typically takes about half an hour for your house to warm up once you’ve switched your boiler on. It then takes around half an hour for your house to cool down again once it’s switched off. So, with that in mind, if you get up at 7:30 am and leave the house at 8:30 am, it’s most energy-efficient and comfortable for you if you set your boiler timer for your heating to come on at 7 am and off at 8 am.

Looking for more energy-saving help? You can find lots of energy-saving tips here if you’re looking to save money on your heating bills!

Found this post useful? Please consider buying me a virtual coffee to help support the site’s running costs.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Join The Mailing List

Be part of the community and get all the latest articles, news and tips on green living from Moral Fibres straight to your inbox, once a month, free of charge.