Please bear with me when you read this – for the avoidance of doubt, (a) I don't know what I’m talking about, and (b) I know I should get a proper plumber to do it. Trouble is, the one we used for years let us down very badly, skimping on things, bodging etc – took us a long time to realise what a cowboy he was. And it seems impossible to get any other one to come out for anything short of supplying a new boiler etc. If I could, I would – believe me.
OK. I moved into this house 6 years ago, and had a new oil boiler fitted. It works well, but there’s one perplexing problem. The small kitchen radiator fills up with air quite quickly. I’ll be sitting there, and suddenly there’s a big loud gurgle. This will happen several times over a few weeks or whatever, and it gradually fills with air. I asked the old plumber about it at least a couple of times, but his standard response was “Meh – don't worry about it.”
Somebody suggested it might be hydrogen, but I’ve held a match to the bleed nipple when the gas is coming out, and no bang. Also, not sure a fault could generate enough hydrogen to fill a rad in a couple of days?
So I assume there has to be a leak. None of the other rads have needed bled in 6 years. But there’s no pool of water, or dampness anywhere in the house. The pipework comes up out of concrete flooring, so I assume it’s kind of sealed in concrete?
It doesn't bother me having to bleed the thing from time to time. But I realise as the system is constantly replacing its water from the little header tank in the attic that the Fernox stuff must be constantly getting diluted, so there’s probably none left now.
Unfortunately, due to a spinal problem, my days of crawling into attics are over. So I wonder… when the rad is nearly empty, could I squirt Fernox into the kitchen rad through the bleed nipple hole while it’s filling up, and so refill the system that way? I have some old hypodermics I could use…
Thanks
OK. I moved into this house 6 years ago, and had a new oil boiler fitted. It works well, but there’s one perplexing problem. The small kitchen radiator fills up with air quite quickly. I’ll be sitting there, and suddenly there’s a big loud gurgle. This will happen several times over a few weeks or whatever, and it gradually fills with air. I asked the old plumber about it at least a couple of times, but his standard response was “Meh – don't worry about it.”
Somebody suggested it might be hydrogen, but I’ve held a match to the bleed nipple when the gas is coming out, and no bang. Also, not sure a fault could generate enough hydrogen to fill a rad in a couple of days?
So I assume there has to be a leak. None of the other rads have needed bled in 6 years. But there’s no pool of water, or dampness anywhere in the house. The pipework comes up out of concrete flooring, so I assume it’s kind of sealed in concrete?
It doesn't bother me having to bleed the thing from time to time. But I realise as the system is constantly replacing its water from the little header tank in the attic that the Fernox stuff must be constantly getting diluted, so there’s probably none left now.
Unfortunately, due to a spinal problem, my days of crawling into attics are over. So I wonder… when the rad is nearly empty, could I squirt Fernox into the kitchen rad through the bleed nipple hole while it’s filling up, and so refill the system that way? I have some old hypodermics I could use…
Thanks