1 cold radiator - Running out of options

[NJDrew]

Hi,

I have a single radiator downstairs which is not getting warm at all and I running out of options before calling a plumber. All other radiators are perfectly hot.

I have done the following which has not fixed the problem.

1. Bled the radiator. Cold water flowed out
2. Removed the TVR Value head on the outlet side and made sure the pin was free to move. (It was, but am I right in that it should only move a few millimetres rather than a large amount?)
3. Switched off ALL radiator except problem radiator. Now this caused my boiler to stop working. It didnt seem to want to fire and pump any water round. Turned back on the radiators and it fired up perfectly again.
4. Checked that there wasnt a blockage inside the inlet side of the radiator by removing the inlet pipe and checking that water flowed out of the radiator.
5. Checked the inlet pipe to the problem radiator. The water seemed to flow out of it but only a slow trickle. Is this normal? This water eventually got warm but it didnt seem to fix the problem.

Is there any other things to try before phoning a plumber?

Thanks in advance

Neil

 

[namsag]

Although pin is moving that does not mean the inside of the valve is it sounds like the valve is not passing water give the pin a few sharp taps or hit the side of the valve a few times this willnusually free it

 

[Softus]

I have a single radiator downstairs which is not getting warm at all...

Has it ever worked?

If so, then you have a blockage which, as namsag says, could be the TRV.

If not, then it could be anything from a blocked/collapsed/crushed/kinked pipe to the radiator not being connected to the system at all.

 

[hect]

What was your system water quality like, and how old are the rads?

 

[OvertonPlumber]

i feel sorry for the plumber your going to ring.
Kind of fits into the category of it worked before you touched it and its never been a problem before.... honest.

 

[Therig69]

i feel sorry for the plumber your going to ring.
Kind of fits into the category of it worked before you touched it and its never been a problem before.... honest.

idiot

 

[Therig69]

The Rad itself could be blocked with sludge etc causin the poor flow for this rad.

might be worth takin it off the wall and flushin the rad in the graden with a hose as you have tried mostly everything else,apart from fittin a new TRv that is
Does the pipe to the TRV get hot ?

 

[OvertonPlumber]

Hang on a second i am the professionally qualified plumber who gets told that by customers on a daily basis.
Your the unqualified idiot who takes apart there own boiler at the coldest time of year endangering your life and possibly your familys.
You fit second hand parts, presumably as you feel guilty or haven't the balls to walk into a boiler spares place as they might ask for your non existent corgi card.
You link out essential safety devices which is a criminal act under the gsr.
A few things other diynot forum members have said about you. "some people deserve everything they get."
what you said;
"Faulty Central Heating overheat thermostat.
pull the 2 wires off of it, join them together and heypresto,continues to work as it should. "

another concerned user;
"Overheat stat is there for a reason. Now you have a boiler that will not shut down when it overheats. Be prepared to call 999 when boiler blows or cooks someone with superheated steam."

i rest my case...

 

[Therig69]

Hang on a second i am the professionally qualified plumber who gets told that by customers on a daily basis.
Your the unqualified idiot who takes apart there own boiler at the coldest time of year endangering your life and possibly your familys.
You fit second hand parts, presumably as you feel guilty or haven't the balls to walk into a boiler spares place as they might ask for your non existent corgi card.
You link out essential safety devices which is a criminal act under the gsr.
A few things other diynot forum members have said about you. "some people deserve everything they get."
what you said;
"Faulty Central Heating overheat thermostat.
pull the 2 wires off of it, join them together and heypresto,continues to work as it should. "

another concerned user;
"Overheat stat is there for a reason. Now you have a boiler that will not shut down when it overheats. Be prepared to call 999 when boiler blows or cooks someone with superheated steam."

i rest my case...

still got my boiler working with the essence of DIY without the need to listen to the crap "pros" come out with.

end of the day,what i do to my boiler is my concern and i got it working and not one person on here even came close to the fault.this particluar thread is about someone who has a coldrad and the only advice you "pro" can givee is "i feel sorry for the plumber your going to ring.
Kind of fits into the category of it worked before you touched it and its never been a problem before.... honest."

The joinin of both wires was a diagnoses effort,i then fitted a nice new one of these once the old one was diagnosed as going into an open circuit when hot.

http://www.uk-plumbing.com/vaillant-safety-switch-251822-p-33132.html

diagnoses is not in your vocabulary then ?

 

[gas4you]

OP. What type of system do you have?

Sealed/combi or open vent? Microbore or small bore pipe work?

Have you removed the return pipe and checked water flows out of this?

If you push the pin down it should return up by itself, but only about 3-4 mm.

 

[NJDrew]

To close this thread,

I found that the fault was actually a blockage.

One just a little way away from the problem radiator. Managed to unblock that myself.

But while examining the whole system found that there was another one. Blockage from the tank in the loft into the system. So needed a plumber anyway as that needs a full drain of the system.

Wish I had waited till summer thou as the plumber I did get messed up the system even more and even left it leaking. Even ended up having to call an emergency plumber! Cost me 280 quid in total! Not something I need to pay in the current climate.

P.S. I didnt expect an argument to arise from my posting. Since we are in the middle of a recession I cant afford to get a plumber out and fix something which could have been a 5 minute job.
But when I found I did have a job that required a "professional" plumber, guess what? He was a cowboy who screwed it up!
At least the emergency plumber was good so I'll keep him in mind for any future jobs so its not all a bad thing.

 

[davebgas]

diagnoses is not in your vocabulary then ?

I believe the correct spelling 'diagnosis'

Berk... and yes what you do to your boiler is others concerns... they are called neighbours.....
Its people like yourself that kill people, tinkering with things which you are not allowed to do..... are these words not in your vocabulary "IT IS ILLEGAL"