CH Balancing question

I want to balance my nan's heating system, as there are a couple of radiators which do not get very hot. I have bled all radiators and no air has come out. I have read various guides on balancing which tell you to work out from the closest rad to the boiler to the one furthest away. The pump is actually upstairs in the airing cupboard, however the boiler is in the downstairs toilet. Do I need to work out from the pump, or the boiler? I guess I need to work from the pump in this instance but as I haven't done this before, I would appreciate if someone more experienced could confirm (or not) that this is the case. Many thanks.

 

Hi morgz84 and welcome to the forum.

You will find what you want in the FAQ's here.

The closest generally refers to the one closest to the pump (assuming the pump is on the flow and most are). By closest it means with regard to the pipe feeding it, not the radiator physically closest to it. For example there may be a radiator in the room directly below the pump, but the pipe feeding it may travel the length of the first floor before descending downstairs and back to the radiator. So in terms of physical location it maybe the closest to the pump, but in regards to the pipe length actually one of the furthest away. So, with regard to pipe lengths, the radiator closest to the pump will also be the one closest to the boiler.

 

A quicker way might be to just turn down the lock shield on the hottest rads.

Many times you will find that they are all fully open.

Most settings will be open just one full turn or even less.

I would suggest you check the setting on the hottest one first and see where that is.

Tony

 

Many thanks for your quick and helpful replies! I think I'll look at doing it at the weekend as the weather will be more mild. She'll go mad if I turn the heating off when it's below zero! She's got a little halogen heater she can use if necessary. My nan (bless 'er) is a typical 90+ year old. She'd like every radiator to be searing hot and boiler running flat out all the time with no thermostat!

 

You don't need to be turning off the heating while you do the balancing!

 

Be warned that it may not just be a matter of balancing the rads.

 

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.

Please select a service and enter a location to continue...

Plumber / Gas Engineer Electrician Builder Decorator Builders' Merchant Plumbers' Merchant Tile Supplier Flooring Supplier
Start Search

Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local