Intermittent Hot Water Issue...

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Lancashire
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I hope you could possibly help with an issue that (admittedly) started a while ago, but is now getting to the point where we have no hot water more often than we do :oops:

I will try and supply as much detail as I can, but if anymore is needed, then please let me know. I must warn you, I know nothing about CH systems but am learning as I go ;)

I have an old BAXI WM532 RS boiler in the kitchen. HW cistern in the airing cupboard upstairs etc. Within the last couple of years the pump, 3 way valve and HW tank thermostat.

The pump always makes a racket while its doing its job (but only on HW it seems, flick to supply the radiators it quietens up). The room stat is turned right round (so off basically) as its been summer (we always do) and the timer (manual dial one) has it all coming on for a 3 hours or so from 6am and then from about 4pm. The HW tank stat is set to about 65 degrees, and the stat on the boiler is set to 2.5 (these aren't really touched).

When the timer kicks things into motion I can hear the pump starting, and the boiler fires up, the boiler stays on for a couple of mins or so, then goes off - now the HW isn't being supplied the boiler doesn't appear to be firing up as much as it used to, and the HW is luke warm at best, and that runs out after a few mins of running the taps - mean while the pump is grinding away (same noise with this pump, as with the last one).

If we turn the room stat up so it "clicks on" the 3 way valve opens and the pump/boiler does its thing - and the radiators do warm up, hotter than the HW we have that's for certain.

I'm sorry the above might sound very basic, but its what happens to the lay-man. As the components mentioned above have been changed I am assuming these are ok, which leaves air in the system (believe the HW and radiator system is separate?) or an issue with the boiler, which again ashamedly, defo hasn't been serviced in the last 6-7 years or so.

Any pointers from the above, apart from gross negligence :(

Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers
Dan
 
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Sounds like poor circulation to the cylinder, as a starting point...

Check the small header cistern for the heating system has sufficient water in it.

See if there's an air vent on the top cylinder primary connection (the boiler pipework) and bleed if necessary.

See if there's a lockshield valve on the primary pipework to/from the cylinder..if so open it up for a few minutes and close it back down to its original setting (sometimes they get clogged with carp).
 
Thanks for the pointers.

The small cistern in the loft sometimes overflows a little bit (did a bit today) so I can assume this has sufficient water.

I will check the boiler pipe work and bleed if so.

There is a "valve" above the cylinder that seems like a bleed valve really, I assume this is what you refer to as the lockshield valve, strangely I opened this (not sure what it was) and we've had hot water today, but I only did it for a few seconds, I will do it for longer and see if this helps.

Thanks again.

Dan
 
If the f&e tank overflows from time to time and the pump, from the symptoms you describe, I would suspect the system has a restriction in the cold feed/open vent connection area.
 
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Or, due to the pump noise...it could be over pumping due to the pump speed being to high, setting 3.

If it's on 3 switch to 2 and try it there.

The central heating tank in the loft should be a qtr full pretty much all the time and if it's overflowing, somethings wrong and needs to be sorted ASAP.

Got any pictures of hot water cylinder and pipework?
 

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