Downstairs rads not heating. Have bled rads and cleared magnetic filter. Any thing else?

Rowley Birkin QC

As above. I have no heat in the downstairs rads. Have tried bleeding them all, cleared the magnetic filter and switched off the upstairs ones to see if that would help. No dice. Any other suggestions I can try before getting the professionals in?

Thanks!

hydrus21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058332689/downstairs-rads-not-heating-have-bled-rads-and-cleared-magnetic-filter-any-thing-else

Could be your pump.

Upstairs rads can circulate on gravity only.

ongarite

Do you have zoned heating so that to can heat downstairs & upstairs separately?

Rowley Birkin QC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121655313#Comment_121655313

is that the pump inside the boiler casing? Thank you

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121655334#Comment_121655334

I have 2x wall thermostats so can set different temps. If they are zones, yes. Thank you.

hydrus21

is that the pump inside the boiler casing? Thank you

Yes.

1. Pump
2. Zone valve
3. room stat

ongarite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121655545#Comment_121655545

Check in hot press or boiler room for motorised valve for each zone. Usually yellow or white rectangular box with cable coming out of it.

The downstairs one could be faulty, LED lights up on the motorised valve when thermostat calls for heat. Look for manual override slider and move it from auto position

Rowley Birkin QC

Thanks. Pump in the boiler sounds like it's running but not sure how I can be sure.

No other pumps visible at hot tank.

ongarite

You have to have 2 or 3 of these motorised valves to have zoned heating

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121655671#Comment_121655671

Give the pump a tap a few times. The cold weather recently wont have helped it. I think you'd know if it was running. Its should have bars on it which light up yellow. Mine does anyway.

Rowley Birkin QC

So the boiler was due to be serviced anyway as the control board has been on the blink for a while. Guy from Vokera came out today, replaced the boiler pump & board and serviced the unit. Issue persists with no heat in the rads downstairs. He suggested balancing the rads which I'll have a go at this evening.

I've taken a look at the youtube and it seems fairly straightforward. I do have questions though.

Do both the lockshield and TCV side need to be switched off to begin with?

What's next if balancing doesn't work?

Thanks!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121655787#Comment_121655787

Thanks. There's only one of those motorised valves and it's not wired up. I do remember another plumber mentioning that it was weird it wasn't finished out.

stephenmarr

remove the yellow box head from the motorized valves and make sure the valves are open

hydrus21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121665302#Comment_121665302

Lockshield and Trv valves need to be fully open before re- balancing.

Before you try that, feel the pipe either side of the valve when the heating is on. If there is a definite temp. difference then the valve is closed.

Rowley Birkin QC

I've tried the balancing from cold but still no luck with getting heat downstairs. Have also bled the rads again and turned up a good pocket of air in the bathroom rad which also heats first and roaring hot.

Feeling a little stuck now. Have a plumber mate lined up for next week but still, anything else I'm missing?

1. Allow heating system to go cold
2. Open all rad valves - lockshield and TRV
3. Run heating with room thermostats set to high temp
4. Find first rad to heat, close lockshield and re-open slightly
5. Repeat in order of speed to heat

Have done the above twice but can't get the heat on downstairs. Also tried keeping the upstairs rads closed off, where does the hot water in the circuit go if the rads it usually heats are closed?

Thanks!

Wearb

Try turning off that red wheel valve (count revolutions so you can put back as it was) and turn it on 1/4 turn. See if that helps and report back.

BTW you didn't answer the question about whether the valve was open.

Shoog

Just as likely to be a localized airlock. Turn off all upstairs rads and run the heating, the extra pressure will drive out pipe airlocks. You will likely need to bleed the rads downstairs. Once the downstairs heats up and the rads are bled open the upstairs again.

hydrus21

Can you take a pic of this unused

Motor.valve? With general pipework in the area.

Rowley Birkin QC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121675731#Comment_121675731

Sorry, missed this.

There is a red wheel but it has been removed / taken off, see in the second pic.

The motorised valve also pictured. Important to mention that this isn't wired up, the wiring is loose. Has never been used in my time here. Looks like it needs to be opened with the lever and left on MAN setting?

Wearb

That valve is closed.....bottom pic.

Rowley Birkin QC

Okay, so I should open it manually to full?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121676790#Comment_121676790

I can see that the red wheel came from the valve just above it. Any bearing?

Thanks again!

Wearb

Yes turn it on manually.

That's not the valve I mentioned (leave that one alone). It's the one in the first picture. But don't do anything until you see how you get on after manually opening the zone valve. Turn up (for now) all your thermostats to see how you get on after opening the zone valve.

Rowley Birkin QC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121677149#Comment_121677149

• Done. Opened fully manually |.
• Ran heating.
• Nothing happening downstairs
• Opened upstairs rads a 1/4 turn.
• Bled upstairs rads, bathroom towel rack radiatior left out some air and got blazing hot instantly
• Other 2 rads upstairs heated up fairly quickly after bathroom. I did notice that the lower part of the rads weren't quite as hot so maybe sludge in play?
• Bled downstairs rads, no air and still stone cold.
• Heating sitting at about 1bar
• 🙃

10-10-20

Boiler pressure is near or at 0 too... I'd be increasing that:

Open one of the red-ringed valves 50%, then slowly open the second and let the system fill to between 1 and 1.5 bar.

Close off both taps then afterwards.

Wearb

Are you getting water from bleed point on downstairs rads?

Leave things as they are and try what I suggested with red valve.

Rowley Birkin QC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121677221#Comment_121677221

Yes, cold water from bleed points on rads. No air.

• So leave everything as is now
• Reattach the red wheel here
• Close it fully, counting the turns
• Open a 1/4 and wait

Sound about right?

Thanks again so much for this, tis driving me mad and I can kinda visualise what's happening but it's like trying to make a jigsaw with your eyes closed!

Wearb

No. I don't know how you are missing my point. The valve is prominent it the first image you posted.

OOPS. IT WAS ONGARITE WHO POSTED THAT PIC.

Do you have a similar valve on your coil? You don't seem to have one.

Rowley Birkin QC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121677269#Comment_121677269

No worries :-)

No, no red turn wheel. But I do think it was on the valve circled above. Not to worry if that doesn't make sense. Thanks!

Wearb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121677303#Comment_121677303

Time for experienced eyes on it. Could be a problematic circulating pump or something simple that wouldn't be obvious until on-site

Gusser09

Id be 90% sure its the circulating pump.

Rowley Birkin QC

Thanks! Just out of curiosity, is the circulating pump part of the boilder?

Asking as the boiler was serviced this week and a new pump fitted inside the boiler housing. I can't see any other pump near the hot tank and not sure where else it might be?

Thanks again for the advice!

hydrus21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121677731#Comment_121677731

You have a combi or system boiler where the pump is in the boiler casing, if that pump has been replaced then the problem is elsewhere.

The pic showing the valve has the lever in the auto position. Move it over to the manual position and lock it in. 🤞

Rowley Birkin QC

Just went back to look out of interest and this is on the box of the pump that was replaced!