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Hi, I need some help!
Recently, I've been hearing an occasional loud vibrating noise coming from the radiators/pipework around the airing cupboard which lasts for just a second or so. It sounds almost like pipe hammer but doesn't last very long and makes the radiators in the house all vibrate a bit.
Now bear with me as I know very little about plumbing so I'm probably about to use all the wrong terminology!
After doing some research, I think what's happening is that the pump is not turning off. On days when I'm hearing the noises (which isn't every day) the pump seems to just stay on all the time, even if the heating and water are turned off at the programmer. The pump is running even when both the valves are in the A position, which I think means they're closed. The pump is audibly struggling with both valves the A position and if I manually push either lever to B the pump gets much quieter and water seems to flow around the system normally.
I have a system which has two 2-port valves near the pump. Pumps and valves are wired to a 5 inch square ACL Lifestyle electrical box in the airing cupboard and an Ideal Classic LX boiler downstairs (all about 11 years old). The valves are also ACL Lifestyle (part 779 H335 30L10).
On days when I don't hear the weird noises and the pump is stopping normally, both the valves appear to operate normally and go into their correct position. The pump comes on if I push either lever all the way across and stops as soon as I let go. I presume from this behaviour that the valves themselves actually turn the pump on using a micro-switch at the far extent of the throw and perhaps one of these switches is getting stuck in the closed position? I originally thought that perhaps there's a thermostat in the boiler that keeps the pump running when the water in the pipes is still hot, but after realising the pump is controlled by the servos/valves then I presume that's not the case?
If I turn the mains off for a few minutes, it makes no difference, but if I turn it off for at least an hour or two, when I turn it back on again everything goes back to normal for a few days. This is the bit that confuses me the most as it makes the problem seem a bit more complicated than a stuck microswitch!
I'm presuming that valves changing position when the pump is already running on full is what's causing the weird vibrating noises as it coincides with when I turn the water or heating on/off.
Should I look at replacing the valves, or could it be something else like the controller board/PCB in either the airing cub? Does anybody know what might be wrong or if there are any other tests I can do to narrow down the problem? I'm wary to call out a plumber at this stage, as the problem is intermittent and I think he could easily turn up when everything's working normally
Any help appreciated!
Thanks,
Nick
Recently, I've been hearing an occasional loud vibrating noise coming from the radiators/pipework around the airing cupboard which lasts for just a second or so. It sounds almost like pipe hammer but doesn't last very long and makes the radiators in the house all vibrate a bit.
Now bear with me as I know very little about plumbing so I'm probably about to use all the wrong terminology!
After doing some research, I think what's happening is that the pump is not turning off. On days when I'm hearing the noises (which isn't every day) the pump seems to just stay on all the time, even if the heating and water are turned off at the programmer. The pump is running even when both the valves are in the A position, which I think means they're closed. The pump is audibly struggling with both valves the A position and if I manually push either lever to B the pump gets much quieter and water seems to flow around the system normally.
I have a system which has two 2-port valves near the pump. Pumps and valves are wired to a 5 inch square ACL Lifestyle electrical box in the airing cupboard and an Ideal Classic LX boiler downstairs (all about 11 years old). The valves are also ACL Lifestyle (part 779 H335 30L10).
On days when I don't hear the weird noises and the pump is stopping normally, both the valves appear to operate normally and go into their correct position. The pump comes on if I push either lever all the way across and stops as soon as I let go. I presume from this behaviour that the valves themselves actually turn the pump on using a micro-switch at the far extent of the throw and perhaps one of these switches is getting stuck in the closed position? I originally thought that perhaps there's a thermostat in the boiler that keeps the pump running when the water in the pipes is still hot, but after realising the pump is controlled by the servos/valves then I presume that's not the case?
If I turn the mains off for a few minutes, it makes no difference, but if I turn it off for at least an hour or two, when I turn it back on again everything goes back to normal for a few days. This is the bit that confuses me the most as it makes the problem seem a bit more complicated than a stuck microswitch!
I'm presuming that valves changing position when the pump is already running on full is what's causing the weird vibrating noises as it coincides with when I turn the water or heating on/off.
Should I look at replacing the valves, or could it be something else like the controller board/PCB in either the airing cub? Does anybody know what might be wrong or if there are any other tests I can do to narrow down the problem? I'm wary to call out a plumber at this stage, as the problem is intermittent and I think he could easily turn up when everything's working normally
Any help appreciated!
Thanks,
Nick