Bump and grind

[naughtydog]

Hi I am new here and I am looking for a little advise.

I recently had a leak from the waste water pipe on my bath, at the time I did'nt know what the problem was - just water dripping through the kitchen light !

I turned off the cold water and ran the hot tap until it was running dry ( 1st mistake I think).

On repairing the bath waste my leak was cured but know my central heating and hot water system is throwing the towel in.

On turning on the hot water, my water pipes bang like mad for a few minutes. I have been into the loft and I have 2 tankls, a large and small one, both have water in them so they seem Ok.

I tried to bleed the radiators but the dont seem to have any air in them, my wife thinks I'm a muppet!

Here is my tank in the airing cupboard. It has a red valve and I'm sure this was turned off prior to the water leak, this tap is in the pipe which feeds to the top of the pump.

Any ideas you guys.?

Here are a few pics of my system.

 

[bobthebender]

That looks like the cold feed to the heating system and should be open.
The banging is probably lack of water and lots of air.
why was it closed and did you drain anything other than the domestic ?

 

[bobthebender]

Plus i notice you only have a 15mm return pipe on the HW.
Open that brass bleed and see if there is any air.

 

[naughtydog]

Hi Bob,

I have opened the bleed and no air seemed to have escaped - I'm not sure how far they open those little bleeders - if you undo them too far do they fall apart?

The tap in what you think is the cold water feed I felt sure was closed, there is another bigger tap higher up that is also open.

If i try just the heating and not hot water the radiotors do get warm but when they are both on, the system makes a racket and the rads dont seem to warm up. I am just trying it again with the valve open and heating only.

On the HW cylinder, is the feed in normally the bottom pipe?

I did'nt drain anything else on the system.

Why dont the pipes get labeled up at installation so people know what pipe does what?

 

[naughtydog]

Is there any other way of expelling air from the hot water system. By bleeding radiators I dont seem to be getting any air escaping but I'm sure the hot water system has a lot of air in it. I assume that bleeeding teh radiators only affects the heating - not the hot water?

 

[gas4you]

If no air from rads are you getting water

 

[clf-gas]

Dont know if its my eyes but from the fuzzi wuzzi piccis, that looks like the by-pass, does it not?. which would have been partially open but to the unknowing would appear closed.

took me ages to type this. hic.

 

[naughtydog]

Hi guys,

gas4you - i am getting water out of the rads.

clf-gas - what does the by-pass do? I have it open at the moment

With central heating only (no HW) the system seems to work OK.

 

[clf-gas]

allows the pump to keep a sufficiant flow through the boiler should the TRV's on the rads close down.

Fully close it and then open about 1/4 turn.

 

[naughtydog]

Thanks CLF

Any ideas why it would be noisy with the HW on?

It seems fine now just the CH. I will try it again in the morning

 

[clf-gas]

Thanks CLF

Any ideas why it would be noisy with the HW on?

It seems fine now just the CH. I will try it again in the morning

Sorry a litle drunk now, but reading your posts you have air in the system, this needs bleeding out.

EDit, ps bleed with towel to hand and boiler/pump runnig

 

[naughtydog]

Craig, should I bleed at the radiators or somewhere else in the system?

 

[clf-gas]

Bleed all the rads sterting down and working up, then with the aid of a partner ask them to switch over to hot water demand whilst you have the air vent open at the cylindeer towel in hand.

excuse the typos fingers aint doing wot the stella and JD is tellin um

 

[naughtydog]

Thanks Craig - what does the air vent at the cylinder look like - is it like this?

 

[clf-gas]

Thats the fella, unscrew the top but dont take it right off.

check the little header tank has water in it. good luck tomorrow wont be able to help as improving my handicap on the greens.