can't find repressurizing valve!

[rjrcooper]

I've seen lots of posts about repressurizing boilers and it sounds simple enough... if you can find the repressurizing valve. I've looked at YouTube videos but none of them looks like my set up. All the valves are pretty obvious.
My pressure gauge is reading zero but I can't see a way of getting that higher. The closest I can see to a valve is a red knob that only goes one way - anti clockwise. When I turn it anti clockwise it raises up and it sounds like water is flowing but I've left it like that for a couple of minutes and my gauge doesn't move! How do I know my gauge isn't broken??
If I turn it a bit further anti clockwise it drops back down again. I'll see if I can post a picture of it. It doesn't appear to turn clockwise...or it's very, very stiff.
I've uploaded images to an album. Not sure how to put the link to the album in this post.
Help greatly appreciated!

 

[andytw]

You have turned the pressure relief valve and emptied what water and pressure can get out. It will have gone outside.
If you tell the forum what type of boiler you have then no doubt someone will help you. Have you looked in the manual ? Have you looked for a manual ?

andytw

 

[mcmoby69]

i have found filling loops behind the panelling in kitchen base units!

hae a good look round

 

[rjrcooper]

Thanks for the replies
It's an Ideal Classic boiler and the link to the two photos is here: //www.diynot.com/network/rjrcooper/albums/14002

The boiler is in our utility room on the end (external) wall. The only thing below it is the counter and a tumble dryer below that.

Isn't that thing on the top of the boiler in the photo the filling loop? It just doesn't have any valves on it.

 

[rjrcooper]

By the way, I did find a manual online but it simply said if the pressure drops to zero, get someone in to look at it!

 

[andytw]

Isn't that thing on the top of the boiler in the photo the filling loop? It just doesn't have any valves on it.

No its a flexible connection going to the expansion vessel.

andytw

 

[yerino]

You must have a filling loop somewhere.

Common places I have found them.

Airing Cupboard.
Inside the boiler.
Under a kitchen sink (normally nearby).
In some boxing near the boiler.

Do not get confused. The flexible hose on top of the boiler is not a filling loop and neither is the pressure relief valve (with the red top) by opening that you are releasing even more water out of your system.

 

[rjrcooper]

Ok, I found it. Thanks for the persistent messages telling me to "keep looking"!

Remarkably, it was on a different floor to the boiler. WTF??? The boiler is in the utility room on the ground floor and the filling loop is in the airing cupboard on the first floor in a most inaccessible place. I foolishly had assumed that the filling loop would be in a place where I could see the pressure gauge. Silly me.

So I had to get my son to shout up the stairs to let me know what the pressure was

The problem now is that it won't go above half a bar. We have a tank in the loft so is the maximum pressure that can be applied to the system related to the distance to the loft? Is there a way to get it up to one bar?

 

[rjrcooper]

I'm wishing I hadn't tried to bleed my daughter's radiator now! This morning I woke to find that the boiler won't ignite at all now. Pressure is still at about half a bar.

Wondering if I did some damage to it yesterday by releasing even more pressure from it by turning the pressure relief valve (thinking it was the repressurization valve).

When I try to ignite it by switching it off, turning the boiler thermostat knob to 6 and switching it on, I hear the two little clicks that I normally hear when igniting but then nothing. Just a very low hum - the same hum that I hear when the boiler is switched to off but the electricity supply is on. It's silent when the electricity supply is off.

Any ideas of stuff I can check myself before I call an engineer out?

Thanks!