B Gas engineer has swapped lockshield valve & radiator valve

[littlewren52]

Hi,

Could somebody plse help with this query?

A British Gas engineer came out a few days ago to service my boiler. (Actually it may have been a contractor as he didn't wear a B Gas uniform & had parked his van away from the house so I couldn't tell from that either).

I had mentioned when booking the service that the radiator valve on my bathroom radiator was stuck and therefore I couldn't turn it on or off. (For some reason, even when the control is set for Water On/Heating Off it's always heated up, so in the Summer I have to turn it off and then back on when I need heating in there in the Winter).

While I was downstairs he was in the bathroom upstairs sorting it and then came down and said 'I've loosened it for you so it's fine now.' I thanked him, he serviced the boiler and went on his way.

When he'd gone I went in the bathroom and what he'd done was swap over the lockshield valve and the radiator valve! He hadn't loosened it all, so he lied to me. I got on to B Gas, spoke to someone who said they'd contact him, which they did, he just told them it was safe. That's not my issue as I would hope he wouldn't do something unsafe anyway! Looking on the internet it seems that it can possibly cause problems if you swap over the valves, cause the system to be unbalanced etc., sorry, I know nothing about central heating systems.

I also read that it's not a problem for newer systems, but this system is 40 years old although the boiler is only 4 years old.

I'm really cross that he lied to me, why he didn't just explain what he'd done I don't know. I could have then questioned him about it.

I already had problems with B Gas booking an engineer for me without my knowledge and other stuff, I'm not impressed with them at the moment.

Can anyone tell me if swapping over the valves like this will cause problems in the system plse?

 

[Mottie]

Do you have a gravity hot water system? I think you have to leave one rad open all year with them and it's usually the bathroom one. We had that in our house until it was converted to fully pumped.

 

[CBW]

Have a look on the valves, if there’s any arrow markings on them, if you can’t tell, post a photo of the valves.

 

[Ihavenojob]

I doubt he swapped the valves, probably just the heads, the valves are most likely the same valves but with different caps. Not an issue, but it could be an issue if you turn the radiator off and it turns out it is part of the bypass on the system.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Unfortunately the quality of the Engineers attending varies considerably with BG, but it also depends what he was contracted to do. A Boiler Service is just that, looking at Rads would be additional work he may not have been paid for.

As an aside, Bathroom Rads were sometimes hooked up to the Hot Water side of the system to allow Towel warming during the warmer seasons when the CH isn't required. It could also be set up as a bypass, so really needs ascertaining what quite has been done, and whats best to do going forward.

 

[ianmcd]

If your heating was origionally solid fuel, then the bathroom rad would be connected to the HW side as a heat dump

 

[Mottie]

If your heating was origionally solid fuel, then the bathroom rad would be connected to the HW side as a heat dump

That must be why our one was. Although we had a floor mounted boiler in the kitchen when we first moved in with its own sectional asbestos (I think) flue that went up it's own chimney, I have always wondered how the inside of the chimney had soot and tar on it. A 30 year mystery solved. Thanks.

 

[littlewren52]

Do you have a gravity hot water system? I think you have to leave one rad open all year with them and it's usually the bathroom one. We had that in our house until it was converted to fully pumped.

I've got a cold water tank in the loft and a tank in the airing cupboard, so I think that means it's gravity hot water system doesn't it? I've never been told to leave the bathroom radiator on all year and couldn't anyway, because as I say, that radiator comes on when I've just got the control to Water Only in the Summer.

 

[littlewren52]

Have a look on the valves, if there’s any arrow markings on them, if you can’t tell, post a photo of the valves.

There's just a white cap on the lockshield valve with no markings and plus & minus markings on the radiator valve, but of course now they're swapped round anyway.

 

[littlewren52]

I doubt he swapped the valves, probably just the heads, the valves are most likely the same valves but with different caps. Not an issue, but it could be an issue if you turn the radiator off and it turns out it is part of the bypass on the system.

Oh that's worrying then as the radiator is off and on depending on the weather.

 

[Mottie]

I've got a cold water tank in the loft and a tank in the airing cupboard, so I think that means it's gravity hot water system doesn't it?

No. Could be either. I always had the two tanks when it was gravity and fully pumped. Only got rid of them a few years ago when we converted to a sealed system and unvented hot water.

 

[littlewren52]

Unfortunately the quality of the Engineers attending varies considerably with BG, but it also depends what he was contracted to do. A Boiler Service is just that, looking at Rads would be additional work he may not have been paid for.

As an aside, Bathroom Rads were sometimes hooked up to the Hot Water side of the system to allow Towel warming during the warmer seasons when the CH isn't required. It could also be set up as a bypass, so really needs ascertaining what quite has been done, and whats best to do going forward.

Hmm, I did mentioned when I booked the boiler service about the radiator valve being stuck and was told the engineer would be able to look at that at the same time. Not sure how I'm going to find out what has been done though, getting through to B Gas is difficult at the best of times.

 

[littlewren52]

If your heating was origionally solid fuel, then the bathroom rad would be connected to the HW side as a heat dump

No, it's never been solid fuel, it's been gas central heating since I moved here in the early 80s.

 

[Ihavenojob]

Oh that's worrying then as I keep the radiator turned off for reasons mentioned above.

If you keep it off and it all works OK with no strange noises, then it is more than likely not on a bypass. If you are able to turn it off now he has swapped things around then I would just leave it as it is.

 

[littlewren52]

No. Could be either. I always had the two tanks when it was gravity and fully pumped. Only got rid of them a few years ago when we converted to a sealed system and unvented hot water.

Oh I don't know then whether it is or not