Cold radiator

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Wiltshire
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Please please can anyone help we have 1 cold radiator, so far we have put fernox 5 in the radiators twice and changed the valves each side of the radiator but still cold, the small pipe leading to one side of the valve is warmish but not heating up the radiator it just does not make sense!! by the way we do not have a trv on either side so would it help if we put one on.... Many Thanks Jenny
 
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Two main points come to light:
The system may just need balancing (as per the FAQ's somewhere)
The water circulation through the radiator may be interrupted either by a solid blockage or an air lock.
Bleeding water through the top of the rad doesn't prove anything really, as water can come through from either pipe, not just the flow.
A TRV isn't needed at this time.
John :)
 
Thanks for your reply, would it help if we took radiator off the wall and washed it through??? or is a power flush the only alternative?
 
Check the balancing issue first - basically the hot water will take the easiest route through your heating system....reducing flow through a few other radiators could well force hot water through your cold one.
However, if you suspect a blockage, turn both rad valves off, and disconnect them from the radiator - catching the water from the rad in a shallow tray.
Then, opening each valve in turn should allow water through. If one doesn't flow, then you have a blockage or air lock somewhere along that line. If the water that comes out is particularly black, then the system is likely to be sludged up somewhat.
John :)
 
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Further to the good advice you've already had from Burnerman. If you isolated all other radiators, does the duff one get hot?
 
And further to that - is it a microbore ( ie. smaller than 15mm pipe to rad) system :?: How wee is your wee pipe going to the rad ;)
 
Hi, Yes we have turned the other radiators off and it remains cold and yes the pipe is the small type. Jenny
 
Yes. The microbore pipes due to their smaller size are more prone to blockage from oxide sludge that is often found in heating systems.

You could try taking the rad off, then (with heating off) opening each valve in turn into a bucket. This may 'wash' any blockage out, but can be messy. Protect your carpet, the black sludge will stain!

Fernox DS40 or Sentinel X400 would probably be a better idea to try and clean an older system.
 
However, if you suspect a blockage, turn both rad valves off, and disconnect them from the radiator - catching the water from the rad in a shallow tray.
Then, opening each valve in turn should allow water through. If one doesn't flow, then you have a blockage or air lock somewhere along that line. If the water that comes out is particularly black, then the system is likely to be sludged up somewhat.
we have done as above the left side as you look at it came through with black water but the right side no water ....but we now have a split in the pipe but strangely water is dripping out so we seem to have a blockage but we now have a dripping pipe to go with it.....think we need to blow up the house!!!! :cry:
 
Chances are its blocked again, Jenny. This black magnetite sludge knows no bounds....check please that the tank in the loft is still filling though.
Errrr - a split in the pipe? :eek: Whats all that about?
John :)
 
We are going to give it a couple of days and try to drain it again, if the other radiators are hot would that not mean that the tank is filling up. jenny
 

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