Radiator problem

jamesd

Just wanted to get idea's on this.
My upstairs radiators all work except 1 of them in my ensuite, I tryed to bleed it but there was no air in it and the water flowed strongly from it, it dosent even get warm.

I got a plummer out and he either turned on or off all the other upstairs radiators and then the one on the ensuite heated up fully, so he then put all the other radiators back to normal - all worked fine for 3 or 4 nights and then the ensuite was the same again so stone cold.

He came out again and did the same thing and it worked for another 3 or 4 nights and then back to stone cold ensuite radiator.

Any idea's??

crosstownk

I don't think the electrical forum is quite the place for this - I'd say you'd get a better response in the DIY forum.

It sounds like you have air trapped in the system somewhere. I'd say bleed all the upstairs rads and see what happens. Be sure that you don't relieve system pressure as you bleed - keep an eye on the pressure gauge and top up if necessary.

delly

Moved to DIY.

ART6

jamesd wrote: »

Just wanted to get idea's on this.
My upstairs radiators all work except 1 of them in my ensuite, I tryed to bleed it but there was no air in it and the water flowed strongly from it, it dosent even get warm.

I got a plummer out and he either turned on or off all the other upstairs radiators and then the one on the ensuite heated up fully, so he then put all the other radiators back to normal - all worked fine for 3 or 4 nights and then the ensuite was the same again so stone cold.

He came out again and did the same thing and it worked for another 3 or 4 nights and then back to stone cold ensuite radiator.

Any idea's??

Sounds like your rads need balancing. Try closing the balance valves on the other rads until they all remain hot while allowing the en-suite one to heat up. The valve is the one that doesn't have a screw knob -- pull off the cap and use the knob from the valve on the other end to close it in, say, halfway on each rad and experiment until you get the condition you want. It can happen because the other rads are claiming all of the water, and is not unusual if the affected rad is furthest from the main ring pipes.

darcy.jonny

if ur balancing the system , like the previous poster said but close them far more than halfway if u want me to talk you trew the process pm me cheers

Stratocaster

You could still have a small air pocket in the pipe work, rads full but no circulation. Also this could be a sign that your circulation pump is on the way out, hasn't got the power to cover all the rads.

This is a good way to balance your rads and everyone who reads this should do it as it will eliminate most problems with rads and save you a few quid by making the system more efficient.

First turn off your heating and let the water go cold. Turn your heating back on and get a pencil. You have to mark each rad on the side that heats first. The reason is sometimes the wrong cap is on, you might not even have a cap. You need to be able to determine the flow and return to each rad. Its sometimes tricky as some rads might have both pipes at same temperature so If you can round up some helpers you can get to the rads quicker.

Once you have determined the flow and return you can balance the system correctly. With the heating on open all your flows almost fully and as a rule of thumb your return should only be opened 2 turns at the closest rad to the boiler. Its difficult to determine how your system is piped so I suggest opening all downstairs returns 1 1/2 turns and all upstairs returns at 2 turns. This gives you a good all round setting and should you find some rads are slow to heat you can experiment by restricting some more returns to balance it out.

I find most systems are unbalanced from the start and returns are fully open letting the water race through and it doesn't give time for the heat to be dissipated. You must restrict the outlet to allow the heat from the water to dissipate.

If you have TRVs installed its a bit different as sometimes they can be installed to either flow or return so the process is a bit more detailed.

Another factor to consider is the coil on your cylinder. With the heating started up from cold, you can do this the same time as when you mark the rads. Feel the connections to the cylinder and find out which heats first. If you have trouble finding out which pipes are which let me know. Lets say you know the flow and return to the coil, make sure there is a balancing valve on the return. This valve should only be opened a max of two turns. Again this is to dissipate the heat. If its fully open the water is again just rushing through and the heats not been delivered efficiently. Also a lot of the circulating power is lost and by restricting the flow you send the power to the rads.

Now your all balanced to force any air out of the system and hopefully solve the problem rad. Turn on your boiler. Close off all of your flows except the problem rad and close off the balance valve on the coil. Make sure you leave the problem rad open because the boiler must be able to circulate for safety reasons. Let it circulate for a while 5/10min, you will probably hear a lot of air in the system moving around and that's a good sign. It should make its way to the rad and you can bleed it out then.
Once bleed open all your flows again and open up the coil at 2 turns.

If your enthusiastic about balancing a system correctly pick up a cheap water temp sensor and check the temperatures at the boiler flow and return. Your return pipe should be 10 degrees cooler than your flow. By balancing an old system you have to take a risk on board, sometimes idle rad valves can start weeping if there adjusted, what happens is the fiber/rubber seal inside the valve becomes brittle and when you adjust the valve it breaks the seal and you'll get a endless weep. Time to replace rad valves.