Radiators dry?

CrinkElite

hi folks.

I am trying to get the heating going in our house.

I'll explain the setup

It's an oil system with a boiler out the back in the shed.
A line runs underneath a small yard and into the house in the kitchen where there is a copper hot water cylinder.

Of the three rooms/radiators upstairs only one appears to have water in it when I bleed them. That one is hot.

The other two made a slight brief hissing sound when opened but no water came out. They're cold all the way through.

I can't bleed the radiators down stairs as the bleed-screw faces into the wall (I think I'd need a ratchet)

I read that I should try opening a valve in the hot-press until a gauge measures 1bar. however there are no gauges in the hot-press or anywhere for that matter.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Micky Dolenz

Have you a small tank in the attic?

if so, turn off your heating and then try bleeding rads.

CrinkElite

Ok. I'll give it a shot, when when the other tenants are around the heating hasn't been on all day.

thanks.

Micky Dolenz

have you a small tank in your attic? is there water in it?

CrinkElite

I can't tell, I've no flash lamp or ladder. I'll wait till someone gets in and they can give me a leg up.
What should I do if there's no water in the tank?
Does fiddling with the ball cock sound like a good Idea? (well, I know it doesn't sound good but you know what i mean)

thanks

CrinkElite

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

Have you a small tank in the attic?

if so, turn off your heating and then try bleeding rads.

tried this, no change.

JamesM

CrinkElite wrote: »

I can't tell, I've no flash lamp or ladder. I'll wait till someone gets in and they can give me a leg up.
What should I do if there's no water in the tank?
Does fiddling with the ball cock sound like a good Idea? (well, I know it doesn't sound good but you know what i mean)

thanks

If there's no water in the tank, fiddle with the ballcock . Move it up and down a few times to loosen it off. Water should flow in - then bleed rads.
Jim.

DS Plumbing

CrinkElite wrote: »

hi folks.

I am trying to get the heating going in our house.

I'll explain the setup

It's an oil system with a boiler out the back in the shed.
A line runs underneath a small yard and into the house in the kitchen where there is a copper hot water cylinder.

Of the three rooms/radiators upstairs only one appears to have water in it when I bleed them. That one is hot.

The other two made a slight brief hissing sound when opened but no water came out. They're cold all the way through.

I can't bleed the radiators down stairs as the bleed-screw faces into the wall (I think I'd need a ratchet)

I read that I should try opening a valve in the hot-press until a gauge measures 1bar. however there are no gauges in the hot-press or anywhere for that matter.

Any help would be much appreciated.

ok your heating system has insufficient pressure.
check if you have a small tank in the attic and see if it has ran dry.
if it has remove the ball cock and clean the ofifice(probably has a bit of grit in it)after refitting this wait for the tank to fill and start bleeding the system starting with the downstairs rads and finally upstairs.

you should have good pressure when venting the system!

You only have to fill the system to say 1bar if it is pressurised,if you had a pressurised system then filling the system via the filler loop would stop the problem,but dont forget to urn off the loop after it reaches circa 1bar pressure

if neither of the above solves the problem then there may be a leak in the system...

is your heating system done in copper or gunbarrel piping?

David@DS Plumbing & Heating