Boiler problems!

[Alison79]

I have numerous problems but just a quick query as I've recently had the pipes replaced. There are 2 pipes coming out my boiler. One is central heating and the other I assume is hot water but when I followed it it went into an actuator and a pump. Is this correct or has it been put on backwards! Should the water come through the actuator and pump then the pipe on the boiler go straight to the cylinder? Thanks

 

[sooey]

Some pictures of the pipework in your airing cupboard would be worth a thousand words.

 

[Agile]

All gas boilers that I have seen have a minimum of three pipes!


Make and model?

Tony

 

[Alison79]

Sorry new to all this! It's a sterling oil boiler. There are 3 pipes overall, radiator in and out and hot water. Cold is via a feeder. I've taken some pics. I can't work out if I gave a boiler problem or pipe work problem. We had the pipes replaced then the oil line.

 

[gigz]

Always pump first, actuator(s) second. It could be the direction of the pipework thats confusing you. From cold feel the temperature of the pipe, it should get hot as it approaches the pump first, then the actuator(s) directs it to either heating or hot water (or both depending on your system).

 

[Alison79]

Thanks for that. That's one thing resolved in my head! When we switch water on to heat I felt the pipe out the boiler like you said and it is hot but only a couple of inches and it cuts out. Am assuming we have a problem with the boiler now then rather than pipe work?

One more thing (sorry) the central heating out was on the front of the boiler. We disconnected this and moved it to the connection at the rear (same side as the water one like you see in second pic) now when we switch the water on to heat, for the five minutes it fires up it seems to be heating the central heating pipe too as well as the water. Should I move it back to the front connection? Could we of attached the heating out pipe to an additional water one? Hope that makes sense?

Really appreciate the help here.

 

[stardanny]

Look like wrong pipework layout.

Where do the pipe that goes to bottom of pump come from?

Also the pipe from left hand of actuator goes to?

And where do the pipe on right of actuator goes to?

Fitting a stopcock on a heating pipe is a bad idea and not only that, wrong way, possible stopped flowing due to dropped jumper. Remove it.

Daniel.

 

[Alison79]

Untitled

• Alison79
• 5 Aug 2014
• 1

The one on the left into actuator is central heating return?
The one out the right is the hot water pipe.

That's how the system is plumbed now. Is that right?

My plumber is adamant he just replaced current pipes that were there and didn't mix any up! Should the heating return feed into the actuator?

Thanks

 

[sooey]

The one on the left of the actuator is the c/h flow. The one on the right with the gate valve is the h/w flow, the gate valve is for balancing the flow through the cylinder and is fine.

 

[stardanny]

Untitled

• Alison79
• 5 Aug 2014
• 1

The one on the left into actuator is central heating return?
The one out the right is the hot water pipe.

Should the heating return feed into the actuator?

Thanks

No, it should be heating flow. The heating return feed into bottom of boiler.

Pipe layout:

Boiler top connector flow pipe > pump > actuator > either heating flow or hot water flow or same time > cylinder or radiators > both return pipe to bottom boiler connector.

Leave the hot water off, Does the heating ( radiators ) work?

Daniel.

 

[stardanny]

The one on the left of the actuator is the c/h flow. The one on the right with the gate valve is the h/w flow, the gate valve is for balancing the flow through the cylinder and is fine.

It is not the gate valve, it is the stopcock and it's the wrong way. Jumper inside May had dropped and stopped hot water flowing.

Daniel.

 

[sooey]

You're right, should have gone to spec savers.

 

[Alison79]

Ahhhh ok so the pipe on the right of the actuator is correct is it's the hot water feed? The pipe out of top of boiler does go through pump-actuator-hot water tank in loft.

The pipe on left of the actuator is the central heating return when in fact it should be central heating out? Sorry am not very technical but am wondering if previous plumber has mixed up the 2 central heating pipes? Should we swap them around then?

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Alison79]

I forgot to say Daniel.... The boiler keeps cutting out after 5 minutes so not enough chance to check the system

 

[stardanny]

Where is the hot water return? Where does the bottom ( below hot water flow connector ) of cylinder goes to?Possible connected to heating return?

Why was it changed, replaced?

You will really need to get a heating engineer in.

The stopcock need to be removed.

Daniel.