Balancing Rads

mloc123

Will properly balanced rads reduce heating costs?

It seems like a simple enough process with the correct measuring device, currently most of our lock valves are fully open.. all rads heat fully so balancing isn't needed to get the rads furthest from the boiler to heat.

corkgsxr

If all heat well dont worry about it.

Balencing wont reduce heating bills unless you were in a cold room and left heating on for ages to try get heat into it ignoring the heat of the rest of the house

Merch

As balancing restricts flow to control the distribution of heat evenly,
if say you had thermostatic valves, could you just open the other valve fully (the balancing one) or at least only closed down partially, as the rads nearer the boiler would would heat up quick and the thermostatic valves would close earlier, especially if they required to be set lower?
It would mean less pressure back on the pump, less resistance offered to it and maybe a quicker distribution of heat??

(I dont have thermostatic valves, Im thinking of getting them in certain rads around the house, part of a bigger plan at stepped upgrades around the house over time)

mloc123

As it turns out if I close off the lockshields at all the system starts to pitch again.

Merch

mloc123 wrote: »

As it turns out if I close off the lockshields at all the system starts to pitch again.

Is that when it pumps it up the expansion pipe?

I just googled it, apparently so

Also it seems its an indicator of a problem that an experienced professional might be needed for.
What i found was , leaking coil, higher pressure cold water crossing over mixer taps into hot water circuit, immersion stuck on heating, maybe an expert here will know, I make no claims to be one.

mloc123

Merch wrote: »

Is that when it pumps it up the expansion pipe?

I just googled it, apparently so

Yup. System was constantly pumping over until I raised the expansion pipe and lowered the level in the tank, it seems closing off the rads a bit is just enough to cause it again.

Merch

mloc123 wrote: »

Yup. System was constantly pumping over until I raised the expansion pipe and lowered the level in the tank, it seems closing off the rads a bit is just enough to cause it again.

I'm replying out of interest and curiosity of what causes this, Im not a plumber and I'm currently uncertain of the cause of your problem.

But maybe the original pitching was a symptom of some other problem, the lowering of the water level may have temporarily seemingly sorted it, without fixing the original problem.
(You lowered the level of water in the tank? by adjusting the ballcock?)

maybe someone else can advise here and you might have to get a plumber to resolve it, but no harm knowing what caused it in the first place.

Did it used to work ok? and then just started "pitching"?
how did you know it was pitching? overflow?
If it just started one day, then I'd suspect its not a design/build fault, unless it always happened
otherwise
It sounds like some kind of failure, like an internal leak??

actually, why would you turn off the lockshields, why all of them?
do you mean turn them down?

Billy Bunting

Sounds like a professional is required because its been pi55ed out with by cowboys.

Merch

Billy Bunting wrote: »

Sounds like a professional is required because its been pi55ed out with by cowboys.

Im not being critical, but thats where most people have the problem, they cant tell who is good and who isnt. Are all plumbers RGI? Imsure there are good ones that arent, there is a good possibility that there are RGI's that are terrible too.

How do you figure that (who is good and who isn't) out, especially for someone that might not have an inkling whatsoever? any pointers in that regard.

Billy Bunting

I have always thought that RGII were irresponsible by pushing 10 day wonders, I would only recommend a Gas Service Engineer that has some time and experience in, not a FAS wana be, it’s unfortunate that’s some find the pillicks but to be quite honest I find they find them because they are looking for cheap.

Merch

Billy Bunting wrote: »

I have always thought that RGII were irresponsible by pushing 10 day wonders, I would only recommend a Gas Service Engineer that has some time and experience in, not a FAS wana be, it’s unfortunate that’s some find the pillicks but to be quite honest I find they find them because they are looking for cheap.

I know this is off topic to the OP, but is a Gas Service Engineer a Heating Engineer, do they have a seperate association/body? are they usually plumbers? or something else? engineers with plumbing experience, plumbers that became engineers?, (I dont have some false belief that engineers are our saviours I've come across some very unhandy engineers without actual real practical experience that could not relate the/their theory to reality, but I still have a preference for things to be calculated out.
Im not suggesting experienced and qualified plumbers cant fix this, I think experience counts for a lot, and in this case likely more.