Blocked central heating pipe

[Lissybits]

Hello everyone,
I’m just after a bit of advice please.
We had a new boiler fitted in the spring but we noticed a few days after installation that the radiator in the lounge (furthest from the boiler) was not getting hot at all. A chemical flush was performed at the time of installation but not a power flush. The company sent their engineer out and he diagnosed a faulty trv and so we booked them in to come and fit a new trv and lock shield to the lounge radiator (they quoted £179 to replace the trv and lock shield on the lounge radiator and £215 for all 8 radiators in the house).
So another engineer came out last week and fitted the trv and lock shield but guess what? Although the trv not popping up, it was not the cause of the cold radiator. This engineer has diagnosed a blocked radiator pipe from sludge and thinks he has located where the sludge is in the pipe. So they have now quoted £450 to cut out the piece of blocked pipe. I suggested a power flush (£385) as I will not have to deal with the mess and redecorating but they said they cannot guarantee a power flush will unblock the pipe.
I am pretty annoyed that I will have to pay out such a big sum of money after already paying for a new blooming boiler! I haven’t yet paid for the trv that was changed...
Any advice please? We are cold and fed up!

 

[ktuludays]

That's exorbitant pricing for such small work?

Have you tried a local plumber instead?

I'm very surprised that they fitted a new boiler without performing a power flush. I bet the cost of the boiler install was high too.

 

[ianmcd]

No kind of flush, be it chemical, mains or power flush will clear a blockage, if the rad was working before the boiler change tell them to get it sorted FOC

 

[Lissybits]

Yes the radiator was working perfectly before the boiler was fitted, and when I pointed this out they told me it’s like fitting a new part on an old car and they cannot be responsible for it as the radiators are old!
I think I will try a local plumber which is what the second engineer suggest I do! He actually said that they shouldn’t have fitted a new boiler without first doing a power flush!

 

[ianmcd]

Yes the radiator was working perfectly before the boiler was fitted, and when I pointed this out they told me it’s like fitting a new part on an old car and they cannot be responsible for it as the radiators are old!
I think I will try a local plumber which is what the second engineer suggest I do! He actually said that they shouldn’t have fitted a new boiler without first doing a power flush!

Not necessarily a power flush, unless that was quoted for, but a chemical flush should definately been a part of the process

 

[ianmcd]

Your installer is at fault and liable for this, get tough and say you are paying nothing more untill it is sorted

 

[Lissybits]

Not necessarily a power flush, unless that was quoted for, but a chemical flush should definately been a part of the process

Yes they did do a chemical flush. But am I rightly annoyed that the blooming radiator worked fine before the new boiler was installed and now they want to charge me £450 to change a piece of pipe, never mind the mess and redecorating? What would you expect them to do for you (if anything) as I have absolutely no idea about anything remotely to do with boilers!

 

[Lissybits]

Your installer is at fault and liable for this, get tough and say you are paying nothing more untill it is sorted

Really? They told me it was like fitting a new part on an old car and it wasn’t their fault there was sludge in the radiator!

 

[D_Hailsham]

We had a new boiler fitted in the spring but we noticed a few days after installation that the radiator in the lounge (furthest from the boiler) was not getting hot at all.

So the pump is not providing sufficient pressure to enable the water to reach the furthest radiator.

What was the make and model of the old boiler? Same info for the new boiler.

 

[ianmcd]

Really? They told me it was like fitting a new part on an old car and it wasn’t their fault there was sludge in the radiator!

But it was working until they introduced sludge into the pipes, they have messed up

 

[Lissybits]

I think we have established that there is a blockage in the pipe. The pipes under the radiator are not hot and the pipe that runs into the room from upstairs is warm but the one that runs out is cold (I think! ).

 

[FiremanT]

Hello everyone,
I’m just after a bit of advice please.
We had a new boiler fitted in the spring but we noticed a few days after installation that the radiator in the lounge (furthest from the boiler) was not getting hot at all. A chemical flush was performed at the time of installation but not a power flush. The company sent their engineer out and he diagnosed a faulty trv and so we booked them in to come and fit a new trv and lock shield to the lounge radiator (they quoted £179 to replace the trv and lock shield on the lounge radiator and £215 for all 8 radiators in the house).
So another engineer came out last week and fitted the trv and lock shield but guess what? Although the trv not popping up, it was not the cause of the cold radiator. This engineer has diagnosed a blocked radiator pipe from sludge and thinks he has located where the sludge is in the pipe. So they have now quoted £450 to cut out the piece of blocked pipe. I suggested a power flush (£385) as I will not have to deal with the mess and redecorating but they said they cannot guarantee a power flush will unblock the pipe.
I am pretty annoyed that I will have to pay out such a big sum of money after already paying for a new blooming boiler! I haven’t yet paid for the trv that was changed...
Any advice please? We are cold and fed up!

What company are you dealing with? Do they employ people, or are they merely middle men lead generators?

One is required to fit a new boiler to a CLEAN system - but not neccessarily a PowerFlush.

If the rad was DEFINITELY working before the install, then something is clearly odd. For them to say it is a blockage is rather shooting their own feet. I would suggest that most decent independants would have sorted this FOC.

As the engineer has diagnosed a sludged pipe (rightly or possibly wrongly), then how can they charge again after you paying for a CF? Does not make sense.

From long experience, I cannot recall a stuck TRV not being openable with a pair of grips - pull up the pin and of it goes. It may stick again and need replacement, but one can always get it going. IMO.

Did they do the industry standard first action? Isolate all the working rads, and try to force through? If not, try that yourself - it could just be air.

Personally, I would talk to a named director, not a telephone operative. Failing that, stop talking and do everything in writing/email. Tell them that you believe that they shoud be sorting at their cost, as it was working properly before. If they refuse, and short of legal action, suggest that they write off the TRV charge, and you will get it sorted elesewhere. You may find that the TRV cost could go a long way towards the repair bill. I woud not trust them with any further paid work.

 

[Lissybits]

It is Home Utility Group in Leeds. Their customer service is shocking - never replying to emails and not returning calls etc etc. Yes the radiator definitely worked before hand. But because I unfortunately don’t know anything about central heating systems, I don’t know what is usual practice in these situations.

As the engineer has diagnosed a sludged pipe (rightly or possibly wrongly), then how can they charge again after you paying for a CF? Does not make sense.

What is ‘CF’?

And yes, when I originally rang them, the following day, after having the boiler fitted to tell them about the cold radiator, they instructed me to turn off all other radiatiors and turn the heating right up. Funnily enough the radiator did get warm then but only at 30 degrees.
I just tried this again: shutting all the other radiators off and turning the heating up to 30 - the radiator got hot at the top and just warm at the bottom. The pipe in is boiling hot but the pipe out is luke warm. So even though I know NOTHING about central heating, the pipe cannot be blocked with sludge can it?????‍

 

[FiremanT]

It is Home Utility Group in Leeds. Their customer service is shocking - never replying to emails and not returning calls etc etc. Yes the radiator definitely worked before hand. But because I unfortunately don’t know anything about central heating systems, I don’t know what is usual practice in these situations.

What is ‘CF’?

Chemical Flush

This may be a bit daft, but weird things get missed. Try to remove the valve cap from the other valve. You may need a small screwdriver, or if no screw visible on top it pulls off. Once off, use an adjustable spanner and turn the spindle fully ANTI clockwise. Count the number f 1/2 turns until it stops. Try heating. Report back

 

[terryplumb]

If rad now gets hot you don't have blocked pipes to it ,but any blockage ( if you had one ) may have shifted to another part of the system.
What boiler did you have ,and what is the new one ?