Air getting into water system

[bilbobaggins88]

This is the jumble of pipes, the red arrow on one photo leads to the other red arrow where the pipe seems to split to two sizes

 

[Johntheo5]

Can you look on the sides of the pump (red) body, you will see a indented arrow(s), is it pointing upwards or downwards?

 

[bilbobaggins88]

No obvious arrows

 

[Johntheo5]

Can you see which pipe is going to the Honeywell motorised valve?.

 

[bilbobaggins88]

Hope this is clearer? You're not near Reading are you?

 

[Johntheo5]

No, not near Reading, I'm in Cork.

There is a AAV (automatic air vent) on top of a pipe extending upwards just after the (top) Honeywell valve to the cylinder coil, when you are heating the cylinder (see below) slacken the cap nut and remove it from the top of the AAV and see do you get any air.

Can you run the boiler with heating on only to the CH and note the pump power (W), then do likewise with the HW heating on only,you may have to turn up the cylinder stat from 60C? to 70C temporarily to get the boiler to fire, as soon as you have noted the power return the stat to its original setting.
If you know which system was on which shows 19W above, no need to repeat it, just say which system was on at the time.

 

[bilbobaggins88]

It was just the CH when it read 19W. It's safe to remove the cap nut, water's not going to come gushing out then?

 

[Johntheo5]

No, when you slacken it, waggle it about before removing it completely, you can also give it a try as well before firing the boiler, if you wish.

 

[dilalio]

You're not near Reading are you?

Think @muggles is out that way.
May be able to come to you?
He's been summoned now, so guess he'll be able to tell you

Edit.... Nope. Not in his area but I'll leave him to decide.

 

[Johntheo5]

No, when you slacken it, waggle it about before removing it completely, you can also give it a try as well before firing the boiler, if you wish.

Is the pump located upstairs or near the boiler? (downstairs?) If you go to the boiler see can you identify the flow pipe, it will be the hotter of the two, follow this and see if you can see a 22mm vent pipe with another probably a 15mm pipe, the cold feed, very close to it, within 150mm or so, both teed into the flow pipe. These would normally be much closer to the pump than to the boiler.

 

[bilbobaggins88]

Startng to lose me now. The pump is upstairs but about 6' from the boiler.
Whilst I await a plumber, is all the pipe banging (for perhaps 10 seconds) fairly harmless, and will the boiler protect itself, a WB Greenstar Ri condensing.
Just need to stop worrying about it really

 

[Johntheo5]

If the banging is only occuring when heating the HW cylinder then possibly unscrewing that cap on the air vent might help, don't know if the boiler can/will protect itself as don't know what is causing the banging but air in the circuit is a prime suspect, or just possibly shortage of water , the pump power on HW only heating might tell something.

 

[bilbobaggins88]

Pipe up to AVV feels cool when compared to the through -pipe just below it. This suggests it's full of air perhaps and that the cap might not be venting like it should please?

 

[Johntheo5]

True but there may be no air in the pipe and the AAV is shut off because the pipe is just full of water in which case it will feel cool. I dislike these AAVs because they are proon to blockage and you never really know whether they are working or not, did you note the pump power?

 

[bilbobaggins88]

Recorded this with just HW cycle, typical that it didn't flare up, but then we've not drawn a full bath of water tonight. At one minute is probably noisest water, but nothing like the problem sounds and at 3mins I turn tank thermostat down to cease the cycle.

New video by Tony White

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