SystemLink Heating System Problems

brokenbad

Looking for some advice from anyone that might be using a Systemlink SystemLex heating system on their solid fuel boiler?

Last week i noticed that some of the rads in the house would only be lukewarm after the stove had been lit for hours - some of the rads didnt heat at all.

You can hear the pump "clicking" in when the thermostat hits 60 degrees but it looks like the hot water is not been piped around the system.

When we use the central heating (oil) everything works fine - and all rads are piping hot.

Had a plumber out and he bled the system thinking an airlock was the issue but still no joy.

The circulating pump is running and all valves are open as they should be.

Where is all the hot water going if its not circulating around to the rads - there's no pipes banging or anything like that.

The stove is a Stanley Reginald 5 years old with a back boiler - never had any issues.

The plumber thinks it may be an electrical issue - any thoughts before calling out a spark?

brokenbad

Some images of the system

Builderwoman!

As a matter of interest brokenbad did you get your system link issues fixed please? And can you recommend some not to fix it please? We have new one and guy who tried to install if didn’t get it working. Thanks so much.

brokenbad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120331338#Comment_120331338

Not fixed yet, was hoping for some advice on this forum before forking out more money to an electrician.

John.G

Is the pipestat/pump switching on/off rapidly, if so, pump speed too high or maybe stove heating surfaces fouled not giving proper heat transfer if this problem is progressively getting worse. If pump running continuously then you can check it out yourself, shut the isolating valves on the pump, remove the 4 securing stud bolts and pull the head off the pump body, inspect the pump impeller and clean the vanes by pulling/pushing a tiewrap through them, flush the pump ports by alternatively opening the isolation valves.

Not familiar with the systemlink, are there any non return valves in the system?, when the stove is running on its own feel the boiler flow/return pipes, should be cold.

brokenbad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120334593#Comment_120334593

Pump switches on for short intervals and then off again. Havent checked the Impellers in the pump - assumed it was working ok because you can hear it kicking in and even when adjsuting the speed controls can also hear it speeding up / slowing down.

John.G

In a ideal world the pump speed would change up and down to match the stoves output, this can't happen in real life but all A rated pumps have several different operating modes and settings so you pick one to match as much as possible the circulation flow rate required to remove the stove heat and give it to the rads continuously rather than in short bursts.

Can you post a link to your pump?, what is its present mode and setting?

brokenbad

Setting 2 is current Setting

John.G

Nothing smart about that pump, reduce it to speed 1 for a start.

Can you expand/explain the photo in post #2, you show a pipe coming from the wall and going into the pump bottom, another pipe from the pump top going somewhere vertically and a pipe with the pipestat coming from the wall horizontally as well, how are these connected?

Shane732

Was there ever a solution to this?

We have a system link and when we turn the heating on our hot water seems to disappear and takes hours to reheat.

Does anyone have any recommendation of someone who is familiar with these systems?

G-Man

These pumps fail silently in two ways 1… Its just stuck after being off for the summer , the rotor needs to be unblocked. You can google for your specific pump, but in some models that big screw also unscrews completely and reveals motor shaft with a slot you can manaully force to turn and that clears the blocking… Second way is that they just fail, very often plumbners will just replace when suspicious of it… You could prevent that by trying the unblock method for 1 first…