Heating suddenly stopped! - coal boiler working though

[JohnD]

I don't think his wife will let him.

maybe tomorrow.

p.s Busybloke. have you found the drain cock?

 

[Busybloke]

If that is tank2 in the photos, then no..I can't safely get to it at the moment due to it's position in the loft.

All the rads had water in when bled, but I know I need to check everything to be sure. I'll try and figure a way to get to it in the morning. The loft is a nightmare.

 

[Busybloke]

If the drain is the nossle and valve at the lowest point in the system, then I think so - it's just by the boiler. If it's something else, then...not yet.

 

[JohnD]

typically

 

[Busybloke]

Yup it looks like that (although inverted and at the bottom of a three way junction - sound about right?

BTW - thanks for taking the time to be so helpful. Are you guys around tomorrow during the day?

 

[Busybloke]

I have to call it a day for now - Thanks very much for your time - I'll be back on it tomorrow.

 

[Busybloke]

I'm back on the forum again now if anyone is able to still help with this.

 

[JohnD]

Have you looked at the F&E yet?

 

[Busybloke]

looks like i'm going to have to make a cat walk in the loft to get to it - it's a bit Indiana Jones up there!!! If you look at the "tank2" pic, there is a beam to the right og the tank - the table top next to it is just lying on insulation and straight ontop of plaster...the nearest beam is about 6 foot to the left - perhaps I need to get some timber to put across and then board it - not sure...could be a Christmas in casualty - but I need to get it working. Any thoughts before I go down to Wicks in B'stoke and see what they have?

 

[JohnD]

I can't understand that.

Looking at

I can see sloping roof timbers to the right.

Unless your house was built by a very eccentric person, these will be part of triangular members with a horizontal that you can walk on. I would expect them to be about 500 to 600mm apart.

 

[Busybloke]

just gone up for a closer inspection. The beams running along to that wall are 5" by 2" and are about 72" apart. They seem to be sat on some 3" by 2" beams (which I hadn't seen under the insulation) which are about 15.5" apart. However - these don't look all that sturdy - certainly the one nearest the loft hatch is a composite of 2 nailed together. Perhaps this is why the last family, in 19 years ownership never ventured up there.

 

[JohnD]

some 3" by 2" beams

you can step on them.

 

[Busybloke]

Thanks for advice - mission accomplished.

The tank has about 6.5" of water in. some scale on the bottom. the ball arm moves when tested and water comes into the tank.

I took some pics if needed.

 

[JohnD]

now we want to check for blocked feed.

tie up the ball valve

draw half a bucket out of the drain cock

go back up to the F&E and see if the water level has dopped by half a bucketful.

 

[Busybloke]

should I switch the pump off whilst doing all this?