Bubbling hell!

[drabux]

I fitted repo cast iron rads two years ago and from that day onwards there has always been a serious air bubbling issue around the pump to the extent that there's so much air, it takes ages for the rads to warm up. It's not air in the system due to lack of bleeding because if I run the pump without the boiler, I get no bubbling sounds at all. It's only when the water is heated this happens.

I confess, I made the mistake of not adding inhibitor at the time. But I have flushed and flushed, used DS40 and flushed again, but I still can't seem to get rid of the bubbling.

I removed the heat exchanger today and heated it on my stove. I saw bubbling within 30 seconds of applying heat. What on earth could be causing this? After I flushed it with water for a while, I applied heat again and all was fine.

So my questions are:
1. What is causing this bubbling as soon as the heat exchanger is heated?
2. How can I fix the problem (since flushing for the last two years hasn't worked).

Thanks!
Alan

 

[stardanny]

I removed the heat exchanger today and heated it on my stove. I saw bubbling within 30 seconds of applying heat. What on earth could be causing this?

Hot spot? How old is the exchanger?
What boiler is it?

Should be done by GasSafe if it is a gas boiler, you should not touch it and have rgi check it, make sure it is safe.

Daniel.

 

[drabux]

Boiler is a Suprima 40. Exchanger has been cleaned and then replaced, so I'm inclined to rule that out as the cause.

Thanks.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Can think of a couple of possibilities, but they require a gas safe registered engineer.

Stop playing with things you don't understand.

 

[drabux]

Dan,
The heat exchanger WAS cleaned and then replaced by a Gas Safe engineer. The very fact that he has been unable to fix the problem and seems at a loss to understand what the problem is, is why I am asking for your advice.
Alan

 

[Dan Robinson]

I confess, I made the mistake of not adding inhibitor at the time. But I have flushed and flushed, used DS40 and flushed again, but I still can't seem to get rid of the bubbling.

I removed the heat exchanger today and heated it on my stove. I saw bubbling within 30 seconds of applying heat. What on earth could be causing this? After I flushed it with water for a while, I applied heat again and all was fine.

So my questions are:
1. What is causing this bubbling as soon as the heat exchanger is heated?
2. How can I fix the problem (since flushing for the last two years hasn't worked).

Thanks!
Alan

If this is the improper use of the pronoun I then that's not my fault.

Get a better RGI.

 

[Dextraneous]

 

[drabux]

I did not say that I had not done any work on the heating system. I said that the heat exchanger had been cleaned by a gas safe engineers and replaced by him. I have also cleaned the heat exchanger as well as fit the radiators in the first place.

The fact that you are willing to jump to conclusions says a great deal about your deductive skills as an engineer and your unhelpfulness says a significant amount about how how you might behave towards a potential customer.

So, my experience with gas safe 'engineers' so far has been that the one I employed was clueless, and the one on this forum lacks analytical skills and is unhelpful. Seems to say a lot about the Gas Safe cartel. Little wonder people seek to take the problem into their own hands.

 

[Dextraneous]

Forgive my ignorance, but is the heat exchanger not inside the combustion chamber which should therefore not be accessed yet alone removed, by the likes of you?

 

[Dan Robinson]

I deduce from the plain evidence of your post that you do not realise that nowhere do you mention anybody else other than yourself in the first person.

You also seem unable to read the sidelines of the forum and therefore haven't realised I have been thanked over 3200 times.

The fact is, that being the owner of a successful business does not negate the ability to possess a sense of humour. And my customers like me just fine thank you.

You did in fact say that YOU did the work as shown by my use of the quoting system .

Subsequent reference to a Gas Engineer after your OP lead to my telling you to get a better engineer; as the things I can think of at the moment that cause the problems you are experiencing require a gas engineer to carry out certain tests that you WILL be UNABLE to do yourself.

 

[drabux]

The two of you have had your say. I know what your opinion on the matter of touching systems by anyone other than those saintly people with Gas Safe certificates. Thanks. I will gladly employ a certificated heating engineer if he/she can be directed to the likely cause rather than shelling out for another clueless engineer who replaces parts that do not fix the problem.

So, back to the original question: what might the cause of the bubbling be? I wonder whether magnetite might still be lurking in the system and releasing gas when heated. The Fernox TF1 does collect some of the black stuff.

 

[Dextraneous]

I know what your opinion on the matter of touching systems by anyone other than those saintly people with Gas Safe certificates.

Op - enjoy the forthcoming help and advice now that you've just offended all those gassafe fellas that could have actually answered your question