Radiator mystery

[spidereyes]

which is probably not mysterious in any way but I know hee haw about plumbing so here goes...

One radiator is cold. Done the bleeding thing but nothing comes out. No air and no water. Nothing. Is it empty and if so how and what do I do?

It's a new build house, 2 years old, sealed system (i think that's what you call it) and everything else works perfectly.

I'd be grateful for any ideas. ta

 

[palerider45]

as its a sealed system you need to input the water yourself via a filling loop, and check gauge reading , this gauge/ filling loop will be either on boiler if its a combi or near boiler or in airing cupboard all depends what boiler /system you have. system usually filled to 1-1.5 bar. then bleed rad then check pressure, once rad filled fill system to 1-1.5 bar cold.

 

[spidereyes]

We did all that earlier on today when we removed a different radiator. The cold radiator (which has been cold since last winter I think) made a glugging noise like water was going into it but there's no change. The rest of the system is fine.

After the re-fill we bled the other radiators (which were all full apart from three in a line) and they're all fine just as they were before.

Bleeding the radiator isn't doing anything because there is nothing, air or water, coming out of it when we open the valve.

 

[mickyg]

turn the rad valves off both sides. remove the bleed screw and poke a pin in the hole. could be blocked

 

[twgas]

Check the pressure gauge, it should read 1bar(ish), bet it's on 0, top up pressure then bleed rad again, then recheck pressure.

 

[spidereyes]

thankyou mickyg. A good poke with a hair grip loosened the blockage behind the bleed screw.

 

[bengasman]

Blockage in a 2 year old system?
Sounds like someone did not bother to get the flux out of the system.
You should flush the system just in case, rinse thoroughly, and treat with inhibitor.
Ideal boiler by any chance?

 

[namsag]

get a grip ben it is not unusual for those bleed valves to block can be caused by anything even too much paint from new

 

[bengasman]

get a grip ben it is not unusual for those bleed valves to block can be caused by anything even too much paint from new

Can't help but wonder how they were bled 2 years ago.
I must be the luckiest installer in the country, this never happens with my installs.
Surely it is not because my materials and workmanship are of a higher standard than the subcontractors working for the contractors working for the builder who get 300 squid for plumbing a whole house in 2 days.

 

[namsag]

Absolute nonsense i would imagine 99 percent of guys have come across blocked bleeds on rads with nipples at the back can be caused by never being fully tightened after bleeding

 

[bengasman]

99% of guys have come across poor installs, the remaining 1% probably only started this week.
Am still curious how the rad was bled initially if it still had the paint on.

 

[namsag]

Paint blips on edge being pushed into hole when nipple replaced

 

[bengasman]

Fair enough.