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

  • 22-01-2024 4:53pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭


    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!



Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 119 ✭✭hydrus21




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,321 ✭✭✭ongarite


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



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭Rowley Birkin QC


    is that the pump inside the boiler casing? Thank you


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



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 119 ✭✭hydrus21


    is that the pump inside the boiler casing? Thank you

    Yes.

    1. Pump
    2. Zone valve
    3. room stat


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,321 ✭✭✭ongarite


    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



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,321 ✭✭✭ongarite


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



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,830 ✭✭✭Gusser09


    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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭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!

    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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 841 ✭✭✭stephenmarr


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



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 119 ✭✭hydrus21


    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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭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!



  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 6,331 Mod ✭✭✭✭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.

    Please follow site and charter rules. "Resistance is futile"



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,626 ✭✭✭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.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 119 ✭✭hydrus21


    Can you take a pic of this unused

    Motor.valve? With general pipework in the area.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭Rowley Birkin QC


    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?




  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 6,331 Mod ✭✭✭✭Wearb


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

    Please follow site and charter rules. "Resistance is futile"



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭Rowley Birkin QC


    Okay, so I should open it manually to full?

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

    Thanks again!



  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 6,331 Mod ✭✭✭✭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.

    Please follow site and charter rules. "Resistance is futile"



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭Rowley Birkin QC


    • 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
    • 🙃




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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,792 ✭✭✭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.



  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 6,331 Mod ✭✭✭✭Wearb


    Are you getting water from bleed point on downstairs rads?

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

    Please follow site and charter rules. "Resistance is futile"



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭Rowley Birkin QC


    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!




  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 6,331 Mod ✭✭✭✭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.

    Please follow site and charter rules. "Resistance is futile"



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭Rowley Birkin QC


    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!



  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 6,331 Mod ✭✭✭✭Wearb


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

    Please follow site and charter rules. "Resistance is futile"



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,830 ✭✭✭Gusser09


    Id be 90% sure its the circulating pump.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭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!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 119 ✭✭hydrus21


    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. 🤞



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭Rowley Birkin QC


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




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 119 ✭✭hydrus21


    Looks to me that the pump was replaced with a genuine part.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 119 ✭✭hydrus21


    Sorry.

    Just seen the " genuine part" sticker.



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