air in pump

[janeoxon]

Hello again -

On the basis that taking a picture of the top of the boiler to check for vents was the easiest option of the suggestions put forwards so far, this is what I have done.

I'm guessing that the green yucky pipe in this picture does show what you are talking about?

If it is how do I check that it's working properly?

 

[janeoxon]

sorry...........
did re-size the picture, but clearly not enough!

 

[chrishutt]

Yes, the green yucky pipe (GYP) is otherwise known as a manual air vent (MAV). While the boiler is off and cool, could you loosen the small knurled cap at the top of the GYP. It opens anti clockwise looking down on it from above. Air may be released. When water is released retighten. This might possibly improve things.

I think the pipework arrangement is potentially dangerous since the vent pipe does not appear to be directly from the top of the boiler. there is no natural escape route for air or steam. I think you should get a heating engineer to look at it with a view to correcting the pipework.

 

[janeoxon]

Thank you for that.
I will have to wait until tomorrow now to check the vent as suggested as the heating is running at the moment! (to be expected this weather).

I have been back and with much contortion and the aid of a torch established that the vent pipe actually comes out of the back of the boiler near the top and then goes upwards. Is this ok?

The other thing to mention that has started to happen is that the pump runs on after the timer goes off. ie all the lights on the controller are off but the pump is still running - to stop it I have to go and turn the room thermostat to match whatever the room iss at (it clicks) then the pump stops.
Is this perhaps related to what's happening with the air in the pump?

 

[chrishutt]

I have been back and with much contortion and the aid of a torch established that the vent pipe actually comes out of the back of the boiler near the top and then goes upwards. Is this ok?

That's as it should be, but I don't think that was visible in any picture that you've posted. In that case I am curious to know what the two pipes are that rise vertically from the horizontal branch above the pump. I previously assumed that they were the feed and vent pipes, but it now seems that the vent pipe is elsewhere.

 

[gas chap]

drain the system and take the expantion off the top of the boiler.

 

[gas chap]

sorry didn't see page 2

 

[janeoxon]

I'm amazed at just how many pipes we do have in our airring cupboard...
I've taken another look to try and indentify what the two are that you asked about and I'm afraid I'm none the wiser.

We have a total of five pipes that go up from the cupboard through the ceiling to the upstairs, and then onwards into the roof.
One is a gas pipe - I had forgotten that when we moved here 29 years ago there were two gas convection heaters on outside walls upstairs in rooms that didn't have radiators, hence the gas supply going upstairs.

The other four pipes ar all water. I guess they will make more sense if I tell you that our main water supply also comes in through the airring cupboard where the boiler is - we have mains pressure throughout the house.
I guess that one of the four remaining pipes is the cold water supply up to the loft and upstairs bathroom etc., another one will be the hot water supply for upstairs and a third will supply the heating upstairs (which just to be a little different is small bore, unlike downstairs!) This leaves just one pipe, which I can't guess at.

Do these sound like reasonable guesses?

ps the airring cupboard also houses the electricity meters and all the spaghetti that goes with that....

 

[chrishutt]

I would expect 5 pipes to run up to the tanks in the loft. In 15mm size the mains water supply to feed the tanks via the float valves and the feed & expansion pipe from the CH header tank (the small one). In 22mm size the vent pipe from the CH header tank to the top of the boiler, the cold feed to the base of the HW cylinder from the HW feed tank (the larger one) and the vent pipe from the top of the HW cylinder to the HW feed tank.

 

[janeoxon]

Latest update -

Don't seem to have a problem with air in the pump since Friday night - no idea why, hadn't changed anything.
Still went ahead and checked the manual air vent and got nothing but water out of it, it seemed to be working fine.

However............. we do have a problem with the boiler and pump running on, regardless of what the controller is set to. As noted before the only way to stop it is to tweak the room stat. This doesn't happen every single time it's supposed to turn off, but most times.
Is this likely to be the same problem manifesting itself in another way, or a different problem.
Any thoughts and or advice would be much appreciated.

 

[chrishutt]

the boiler and pump running on, regardless of what the controller is set to.

Sounds like a microswitch sticking on in one of the motorised valves. you need someone competent in basic electrical testing to track down the fault.

Incidentally, did you ever work out what pipes do what around your boiler? I'm still curious about the two vertical ones!