Honeywell V4073A1088 I have removed the actuator. advice pls

Pangloss · 25 Jul 2012

I have had the usual problem of the radiators getting warm when HW is on.

I have read other posts on this forum including the FAQ: Mid-position valve working and Diagnostics.

I have removed the actuator from the valve but I have not yet disconnected it. I am a bit reluctant to do this because all the electrics in the airing cupboard have been connected to a 8cm square electrical outlet. I doubt very much the installer used a 10 way connector as recommended in the Sundial Y plan wiring diagram.

The valve can be turned with some resistance using pliers. I intend to lubricate it.

The motor doesn't seem to turn when I set the controller to either HW or HW +CH or HW. I assume it's dead.

Is it OK to continue to use the boiler for hot water only with the actuator removed and still connected?

If so which positions to I need to leave the motor and the valve in. I assume fully anti-clockwise but I would appreciate confirmation of this.

Is it better to disconnect the actuator while I order a new one?

Is WD40 a good choice of lubricant for the valve or do I need a more specialist lubricant?

45yearsagasman · 25 Jul 2012

I intend to lubricate it.

Waste of time IMO. Your best bet is to replace the valve body complete.
The ball assy can be replaced as a spare, but it sounds as though your valve may have crud inside preventing 100% closing of the ch port.
As for the head, it may only be the synchron motor that has failed.
A complete valve would cost £75 or there abouts. Don't disconnect at the junction box, but simply use an in line male / female connector to connect the valve cable.

Pangloss · 25 Jul 2012

Update: I have turned the valve back and forth a number of times, I can turn it by hand now

45yearsagasman · 25 Jul 2012

You may be lucky and have extended the life of the valve. Refit the head and check both ch and hw operation. Try hw first and see if the rads remain off.
Then try the ch and see how it goes. Come back if still a problem.

Pangloss · 26 Jul 2012

I think my valve might be passing but I would appreciate it if somebody could comment.

With the prorammer set to HW and the valve fully clockwise, ie in rest position, I thing I would expect B - HW to get hot and A -CH to remain cold. In fact both B and A heated up.

With the programmer set to HW and the valve fully anticlockwise, ie I would have expected B to remain cold and A to get hot. In fact both A and B heated up.

I haven't yet put the actuator back on because if the valve is passing I will need somebody to either repair the valve mechanism or replace the whole unit.

ChrisR · 26 Jul 2012

iT'S DOING EXACTLY WHAT i'D EXPECT IT TO. (soRrY)!

It has to have the head connected to apply enough pressure to the ball to make a seal on the seat, to work. Getting the head back on can be a fiddle. Make sure you start with the tab in the right place to line up with the hole in the head. You usually have to push the lever across and fiddle to get the head to seat properly. Doing the screws up is much easier with a Torx 10 screwdriver.

Once freed off like you have, expect it to stick again in a year or so.

Pangloss · 26 Jul 2012

ChrisR";p="2468134 said:
iT'S DOING EXACTLY WHAT i'D EXPECT IT TO. (soRrY)!

It has to have the head connected to apply enough pressure to the ball to make a seal on the seat, to work.

"a little knowledge is a dangerous thing"

I got the actuator back on, it seems to be working OK.

With a demand for CH only it turns fully CCW and only CH is hot.

With demand for HW only it turns back CW but so slowly the movement is almost imperceptible.

I know the synchronous motor is unidirectional so the torque to drive the motor CW is given by the spring.

The question now is, is the spring too weak and do I need a new actuator anyway?

How many seconds should it normally take for the spring to drive the valve back to the rest position?

twgas · 28 Jul 2012

the movement to HW only, from CH only, would normally take just a few seconds - maybe 5 at most.
I would tend to agree with earlier post about the dirt in valve and advise a complete new one and a system clean is always a good idea if dirt is creating problems.

Pangloss · 28 Jul 2012

Thanks Mick. At least it's no longer heating the radiators when I request HW now.

I gather that I can't expect the 3 way valve to last long so it will need replacing.

I have the boiler serviced every year. It's only ever needed vacuuming, (that is after the original PCB was swopped out for a Siemens one).

Other than having to bleed the radiators every year and the TRV heads failing due to old age I have never had any other problems until now.

When I have asked, the visiting service engineers have told me it was not worth either draining down the system or even topping up the inhibitor.

All this leads me to think that although it will be necessary to drain down the system and clean the water tanks, it won't be necessary to have a powerflush. I realise this is a controversial subject on this forum but I would appreciate any comments before I go ahead and commission some work.

Thanks to all for taking the trouble to help me understand how to rectify the problems on my system.

Pangloss · 20 May 2014

Well 2 years later it has failed again. This time I couldn't get the valve to work by freeing it up so I have ordered a new one.

There's an additional problem though. If I set the controller to central heating, the heating does not come on. The hot water works fine though. I was wondering whether one of the microswitches in the valve might have failed as well or whether I need to consider buying a new controller as well.

Any other suggestions?

Pangloss · 10 Jun 2014

I had a close look at the microswitches, I realised the actuators had jumped out so the synchronous motor was turning continuously and was no longer opening and closing them. I pushed them back into place, checked functionality then ordered a new valve.

After 14 days the valve hadn't turned up so I did a bit more research and I decided to try replacing the synchronous motor.

I found this video very helpful: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yyn_fBEH90U

http://www.heatingcontrolsonline.co....html/do-heating-synchronous-motor-p-887.html

I found it reasonably easy to fit. The motor was delivered with a couple of single ended splice connectors so no need to order the connectors from ebay.

After I installed the motor the spring in the actuator was able to back drive it.

The 3 port valve now seems to be working perfectly. It no longer allows hot water into the radiator circuit when only hot water is required.

jeff the gasman · 10 Jun 2014

If the heating doesn't work at all the synchro motor is shot.
The diverter valve electrics are not used for hot water as the valve is in rest position and all power is supplied through the cylinder stat.
Bung a new valve in!
Jeff.
PS. YOU CAN GET A 5 wire plug from Plumb Center allowing you to cut the black wire and re connect outside the box.
Sorry for the CAPS.

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Honeywell V4073A1088 I have removed the actuator. advice pls

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