Drain down and cold rads questions - Now with piccy :)

[Estrella]

Hi Guys ,
I have replaced an upstairs rad and removed a downstairs one to decorate.

When I drained the system down I noticed that a couple of the rads downstairs were still full of water. All the upstairs rads emptied as expected. The rad downstairs that did not drain may be lower than the system drain point, can i assume that this is why it didnt drain ?

On firing up my central heating, for the first time in 12 months, 3 of the downstairs rads remained flat cold. 2 did warm up. All upstairs rads warmed up. The 3 rads that remained cold also had cold pipework leading to and from them at either end.

Does this sound more like a balancing issue or a blockage ?


Many thanks

 

[Bahco]

Read here

 

[Estrella]

Thanks Bahco ,
And well done with the smoking by the way!

THis suggestion from the FAQ has started to bring the offending rads to life.

Air lock in heating pipe work (not radiators). Turn off all the other rads to force the flow into the cold one.

Does this method force the air into the rad instead of the pipe work, which means that the air can then be bled from the rads ???

 

[Estrella]

Hi Guys ,
All rads now in the full on position , some warm ,some hot. I noticed that my Grundfoss Selectric pump was on setting no.1 , so I cranked it upto setting no.2 , are there any problems with this ?

thanks

 

[Bahco]

The pump will be a bit faster now.

Balance your system now which is covered in the FAQs

 

[Estrella]

Yep , seen it and read it . Thanks Bahco, i appreciate it .

Simon

 

[Bahco]

No good just reading it!!!!!!!

 

[Estrella]

LOL... point taken , I'm going to attack it tommorow when I've got a temp gun. I dint want to mess it up

 

[Estrella]

Hmmm, the plot thickens !

Since winding up the pump to setting no.2 all rads seem to be getting hotter, pretty much to what I would call a satisfactory level. Is there any benefit in winding it up to setting 3 ?

What are the pump speed setting implications ? i.e. more oil used , reduced pump life etc etc ??

 

[Estrella]

OK , a few more Q's present themselves.......

1. The rad closest the boiler is making noises that sound like water is rushing around inside it. The rad is piping hot. Rad has been bled.

2. There is a drain on what I suspect to be 22mm pipe that comes from the boiler, but it is a good 2 ft above the boiler. What is this drain for ?

3. When i drain the system most of the downstairs rads remain full of water, I suspect that this is because they are just below the height of the drain. Is there anyway to remove this water without removing the rads ?

Any ideas please ?

 

[Estrella]

And another Question.....

This quote was taken from the FAQ.

Vented systems:
A pump won't pump if it has (any) air in it. Check around where the boiler pipes go into the hot water cylinder, often there's a bleed point there.

Check there's plenty of water in the header tank, and make sure you're bleeding the system with the motorized valve(s) open i.e. push small lever on end to "manual" position.

If all else fails consider turning the pump round to push the air to where it can be bled out - then turn it back again!

The bold bit above , can someone tell me where the motorized valves are ?[/b]

 

[Bahco]

1. The rad closest the boiler is making noises that sound like water is rushing around inside it. The rad is piping hot. Rad has been bled.

Probably just the valve so leave it if its working

2. There is a drain on what I suspect to be 22mm pipe that comes from the boiler, but it is a good 2 ft above the boiler. What is this drain for ?

It will be a bleed point to clear the air. Open it and close when water escapes

3. When i drain the system most of the downstairs rads remain full of water, I suspect that this is because they are just below the height of the drain. Is there anyway to remove this water without removing the rads ?

Put a draincock at the lowest point

Do you have a cylinder or sealed system? A motorised valve is in the FAQS number 5 ish

Now leave me alone!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Estrella]

LOL !
Thanks Bahco.

It will be a bleed point to clear the air. Open it and close when water escapes

The reason i asked whether is was a drain was because it is identical to the system drain. Excuse the crap quality , but is this a bleed as opposed to a drain ?

I have a cylinder with what has been to date a very reliable 20 - 25 yr old Worcester oil fuelled boiler

 

[Bahco]

It is a drain. Where does the pipe lead to and have you sorted this problem yet

 

[Estrella]

It is one of 4 pipes exiting the boiler, which is approx 2.5 - 3 foot downpipe from the drain you see in the pic. I have just bought an additional drain for what i suspect to be a lower rad in the system to do the 8th system drain of the week. LOL

I'll report back when I've drained and refilled .

Many thanks