Hi all,
Here I have an issue with my central heating and the way water flows through and returns using 10mm small bore pipe work.
Now I realise that what I have is pretty old, and probably pretty sludged up and needs replacing, but despite all this before I replace I need to know whats going on with my downstairs main radiator.
The lounge radiator downstairs is the only radiator downstairs, it’s a double panelled 2000mmx400mm new convector type rad (so pretty big).
The radiator takes an age to completely warm up (a good couple of hours), and the return pipe never really gets hotter then say ‘warmish’.
This would indicate to me that the return pipe at the very least is either blocked with sludge or air, but I assume something must be getting through otherwise the rad would not get hot at all.
Now here comes the killer, this lounge radiator will only work if the radiator in my bedroom is fully on, with both lock shields fully open.
This is also the furthest rad from the lounge rad, being upstairs and at the back, its at literally the opposite end of the house.
This does not effect any of the two other radiators in the house, those being small rads in the bathroom and back bedroom which seem to work totally independently when you switch them on or off, and have no bearing on the rad in my room, nor the rad in the lounge.
Sadly I also have chipboard floorboards, making access a real pain. I have one access hole in my bedroom, and all I have gleamed from this is that the feed is a 22ml pipe that then branches off into the small bore, and the return pipe is 15 ml.
These pipes go off in the general direction of the bathroom and back bedroom, and its under the back bedroom (directly below) that the famous lounge radiator sits.
Additionally the flow return on microbore pipework on the problematic radiator goes at ground level along the floor the length of the radiator (2 meters), inbeds itself in the wall and goes directly upwards towards the back bedroom (at least another 2 meters) and from there I assume it goes into a manifold somewhere, but I doubt if its less then five meters away , and I understand that can also be an issue.
So, the answer it would seem would be to somehow chop away at the chipboard floorboards in the back bedroom, find where the manifold connects it all up and replace microbore with 15mm pipework, which I will get a pro to do.
My fear being that even having done all of that, that rad will still only work with the rad in my bedroom being full on.
Currently when I go to bed in the evening, my bedroom is like a sauna, and after switching it all off I have to open the window to let cool air in before I can get to sleep! Not ideal.
I have tried balancing this radiator , closing both lockshields down to a minimum etc, but still lounge radiator will not work unless both are fully open. Could it be some sort of syphoning effect or something?
Any ideas guys? Am wandering if I need a scientist rather then a heating engineer!
BTW, it’s a Combi sealed system.
I thank you all for taking the time to read my rather too long missive, and i look forward to any feedback, good or bad.
thanks.
Here I have an issue with my central heating and the way water flows through and returns using 10mm small bore pipe work.
Now I realise that what I have is pretty old, and probably pretty sludged up and needs replacing, but despite all this before I replace I need to know whats going on with my downstairs main radiator.
The lounge radiator downstairs is the only radiator downstairs, it’s a double panelled 2000mmx400mm new convector type rad (so pretty big).
The radiator takes an age to completely warm up (a good couple of hours), and the return pipe never really gets hotter then say ‘warmish’.
This would indicate to me that the return pipe at the very least is either blocked with sludge or air, but I assume something must be getting through otherwise the rad would not get hot at all.
Now here comes the killer, this lounge radiator will only work if the radiator in my bedroom is fully on, with both lock shields fully open.
This is also the furthest rad from the lounge rad, being upstairs and at the back, its at literally the opposite end of the house.
This does not effect any of the two other radiators in the house, those being small rads in the bathroom and back bedroom which seem to work totally independently when you switch them on or off, and have no bearing on the rad in my room, nor the rad in the lounge.
Sadly I also have chipboard floorboards, making access a real pain. I have one access hole in my bedroom, and all I have gleamed from this is that the feed is a 22ml pipe that then branches off into the small bore, and the return pipe is 15 ml.
These pipes go off in the general direction of the bathroom and back bedroom, and its under the back bedroom (directly below) that the famous lounge radiator sits.
Additionally the flow return on microbore pipework on the problematic radiator goes at ground level along the floor the length of the radiator (2 meters), inbeds itself in the wall and goes directly upwards towards the back bedroom (at least another 2 meters) and from there I assume it goes into a manifold somewhere, but I doubt if its less then five meters away , and I understand that can also be an issue.
So, the answer it would seem would be to somehow chop away at the chipboard floorboards in the back bedroom, find where the manifold connects it all up and replace microbore with 15mm pipework, which I will get a pro to do.
My fear being that even having done all of that, that rad will still only work with the rad in my bedroom being full on.
Currently when I go to bed in the evening, my bedroom is like a sauna, and after switching it all off I have to open the window to let cool air in before I can get to sleep! Not ideal.
I have tried balancing this radiator , closing both lockshields down to a minimum etc, but still lounge radiator will not work unless both are fully open. Could it be some sort of syphoning effect or something?
Any ideas guys? Am wandering if I need a scientist rather then a heating engineer!
BTW, it’s a Combi sealed system.
I thank you all for taking the time to read my rather too long missive, and i look forward to any feedback, good or bad.
thanks.