Heating/hot water problem help required..

[ElCapitano]

Hi

We've moved into a family members empty 200 year house that needs a bit of work done to it. I thought I'd do the bathroom first and having stripped it bare, removing several layers of 2x1, chipboard, asbestos, plaster and lathe, then getting rid of massive wasps nest and capping off the bath and sink taps last night we have no hot water, and now no heating either.

The weird thing is that last night the heating was working and the only thing that happened after that was an old tap valve coming from the pump burst. I replaced it this morning and now even the heating doesn't work.

As far as I can gather, it is a vented system. In the roof level there is a pair of small, square tanks, which I imagine are the F&E tank(s) with an overflow type pipe going out onto the roof. In the bathroom (next door) there is what must be the vent pipe which goes vertically up through the roof an into an umbrella handle shape.

The pump is gently vibrating and the pipes on the outlet side of the 3 way motorised valve are both hot, but there is no hot water or heating anywhere. There is no water coming out of the hot water taps at all.

The pump type is a Grundfos selectric UPs 15-50 130
The boiler is an Ideal standard E-Type CF 100 Conventional Flue Boiler

Anyone got any ideas what could be up?

Cheers

Paul

 

[ElCapitano]

A wee correction.... the pipes coming out of the 3 way motorised valve are hot coming out of it, but the pipes aren't hot around 4 feet away from it. The pump is making a humming sound when on the highest setting, but I don't know what it is supposed to sound like if it is working.

I have loosened the big screw thing on the front of it, but couldn't hear air escaping and left it loose for several seconds and no water came out.

Have I shagged the pump?

 

[seco services]

did you take the screw out while it was running ?

 

[BingoBongo]

check the header is full as it sounds as though there isnt any water in it

make sure you have opened the pump valve you changed

 

[ElCapitano]

Cheers for the quick replies gents.

I did open the screw while the pump was on, there isn't any water in the header tank and the new pump valve is definately open.

It's an unwieldy setup with the boiler being on the basement level with a hot water tank, there is a hot water tank on the 1st level too and the small tanks in the roof level. None of them are filling up with anything, although the strange thing was that the heating was working yesterday.

If the pump was working I should have got a hot air/hot water jetwash when I loosened that screw, eh?

 

[bellairaphon]

u need to have water in the f&e header tank for the heatingcheck the operation off the float valve

check u havent isolated the feed



nath

 

[seco services]

you needto get some water in the header tank.
is the ball valve working in the header tank ?

 

[ElCapitano]

There isn't any water in the small tanks in the roof level and the ball cock appears to be operational. On the 1st floor the hot water tank in the kitchen doesn't have any water in it, I think.

What's the diagnosis?

edit: I don't think I've isolated the feed.... the hot water at least is definately coming from the 3 way motorised valve.

 

[seco services]

if the ball vales as you say are operational then you should be able to fill then bleed the system.

don't run it till you have.

 

[ElCapitano]

sorry, that wasn't clear. The hot water was definately coming from the 3 way. Not any more.[/i]

 

[ElCapitano]

if the ball vales as you say are operational then you should be able to fill then bleed the system.

don't run it till you have.

The only problem with that is I have had the hot water and heating turned on all afternoon to see if it would sort itself out (I know, I know). How do I fill it without turning on the boiler/pump?

 

[BingoBongo]

turn on the main stopcock

have you left drain valves open?

where in glasgow are you?

 

[seco services]

if the tanks are empty in the loft the ballcocks will drop so the water should enter the tanks.
unless the water is isolated to the ballcocks then they won't fill the tanks.

 

[ElCapitano]

There is a stopcock next to the small tanks, but there ain't any water flowing when opened (anti-clockwise I assume) or closed.

If the main stop cock is the one for the cold water then it is on, but I at the mo I couldn't say where it is if that isnt it or whether there are any drain valves anyway. Where are they normally located?

BingoBongo, I haven't updated my profile since joining but we've moved to Paisley now.

 

[seco services]

check the ball valves are working.
lift them up/down and check the centre pin moves in out and isn't stuck in.