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- 10 Feb 2021
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I have 2 cold radiators (tall towel rails to be exact) which stubbornly refuse to heat up. I have an oil boiler and an F+E tank in the loft. The towel rails do not have TRVs, but have a lock-shield on each pipe instead.
I started by bleeding all the radiators in the house with no effect. I've tried closing off all the other radiators in the house, but I only achieved a whining central heating pump. I then took one of the cold radiators off and blasted it with a hosepipe to remove a small bit of sludge build-up, and it was at this point I realised that there is no flow through one of the lock-shield valves. I can open the bleed and the left-hand valve and warm water will eventually flow through into the radiator, but if I open the right-hand valve only the faintest few drops come out. I then tried attaching a hand-pump to the right-hand valve (thanks to a tip on here somewhere!) but after putting quite a bit of pressure in I wasn't able to clear any blockage. The pipes run under the tiled floor so I can't follow them to see which is the flow/return.
1. Do you think it is a blockage in the pipe or might it be an airlock?
2. Would draining the system and adding X400 (or similar) help, given that there is no flow going into/out of the radiator? Could I add it directly into the cold rad instead?
3. Is it worth paying out for a powerflush or is there anything else I could try first?
Thanks in advance!
I started by bleeding all the radiators in the house with no effect. I've tried closing off all the other radiators in the house, but I only achieved a whining central heating pump. I then took one of the cold radiators off and blasted it with a hosepipe to remove a small bit of sludge build-up, and it was at this point I realised that there is no flow through one of the lock-shield valves. I can open the bleed and the left-hand valve and warm water will eventually flow through into the radiator, but if I open the right-hand valve only the faintest few drops come out. I then tried attaching a hand-pump to the right-hand valve (thanks to a tip on here somewhere!) but after putting quite a bit of pressure in I wasn't able to clear any blockage. The pipes run under the tiled floor so I can't follow them to see which is the flow/return.
1. Do you think it is a blockage in the pipe or might it be an airlock?
2. Would draining the system and adding X400 (or similar) help, given that there is no flow going into/out of the radiator? Could I add it directly into the cold rad instead?
3. Is it worth paying out for a powerflush or is there anything else I could try first?
Thanks in advance!