HELP- 3 heating engineers stumped!!

[sweeper]

Thanks for the tips. I'll try taking the radiators off.

I was wondering, if I shut off all of the radiators on two out of the three levels, should that allow me to identify on which level the blockage is, or are the pipework runs much more complicated than that?

 

[Softus]

You might have more than one blockage.

 

[sweeper]

Oooops hadn't thought of that. In fact today what little heat is getting through is coming out of 1 rad on the middle level with nothing on top level, so I guess its either more than one block or its moving. would this be a correct assumption?

 

[Softus]

Look, I sympathise with your need to reduce the work and to attempt to second-guess where the blockage is, but you're just putting off the inevitable.

Personally, I would shut off all rads, then start at the top of the house and remove each one in turn, opening the valves to run water through the pipework (or find that it doesn't), and flushing the rad out in the garden.

You will find a wet vacuum cleaner invaluable. Wickes do a very cheap one.

 

[Agile]

I doubt that all three engineers were really "all stumped".

I suspect that they just did not want to spend the time required to identify and solve the problem. Perhaps this was because you did not want to pay? Or their agendas were to sell you a new boiler rather than to fix the problem.

Faced with a severe problem as you seem to have we quote for powerflushing as that amount will enable us to put the time into finding the real problem and giving a guaranty on our work. If it turned out to be a lesser problem then we would charge less.

A short visit of an hour is not likely to be enough time for anyone to identify the problem. Just calling 10 different people will not find it either. It needs one competent person who is going to spend 2-3 hours!

Tony

 

[Nige F]

2-3 hours .......that`ll be £20-£30 at Sussex rates, then

 

[Blasphemous]

sweeper,

A Power Flush (performed the way Agile states), sounds like the solution to me. Agile and any other reputable firm will take each rad off in turn and flush it out as well as the system. That way they will identify where any blockage may be and either shift it or even replace a section of pipework if required (which would normally incur an extra charge).

Try Softus' recommendation first: 'shut off all rads, then start at the top of the house and remove each one in turn, opening the valves to run water through the pipework (or find that it doesn't), and flushing the rad out in the garden'.

You may find it useful to buy a 'Washing Machine Tap'. The kind you might have under your sink. Attach a length of hose to the tap using a short length of copper pipe and a jubilee clip. Run the hose to a drain outside. Now drain your first rad down. Once it is drained you will find that the other end of the Washing Machine Tap (attached to your hose) should screw onto the radiator. Once you've attached it, open the other radiator valve and allow water to run for a while. If water fails to run... you've found a blockage to that area. If you haven't guessed yet, the Hose is used to save you having to fill countless amounts of buckets with the water you run through the rad. Repeat the process for each rad and remember to flush the rads out well (a friend with a separate hose to flush out the rads and reconnect them while you work on the next part of the system is useful here... A crate of Bud may also be required ). Once you've run a decent amount of water through a section, remember to close BOTH rad valves before you remove the rad for flushing.

As I said, it'll take you a good few hours, you may even need to perform the whole job over a few days depending on your level of competence, confidence and your ability to con a friend into helping you but if you solve the problem great! if not, then what have you lost apart from your own time and your mate's... oh, and a crate of bud!

You will also find several old rags/towels come in VERY handy for mopping up any spillages/leaks.

Hope that helps. Happy New Year.

edit: Forgot to say, make sure you switch OFF the boiler.

 

[sweeper]

softus, Agile, Thanks for your help. Not being willing to pay for to get this fixed isn't the problem. We've had no heating for three weeks and until I came onto this forum my issue was the differing opinions. As you say my biggest problem was getting someone to spend time trying to find the problem. At least now I seem to have a common opinion that the problem is most likely caused by a block.

NigeF, wish the professionals in my area charged those rates!!

Blasphemous, thanks for the detailed description, I will try this first and if it fails to work will call in a company to do a powerflush. I'll let you know how I get on and again thanks for all inputs. Have already bought the buds -- now just need to get my wife to sweettalk a mate or two

 

[drivewasher]

Could it not be the by-pass open to much?
feel the tube along by pass back to boiler return

 

[Softus]

Worth checking for the effort that it would take.

 

[Slugbabydotcom]

Could it not be the by-pass open to much?
feel the tube along by pass back to boiler return

Good idea but there shouldnt be a by-pass on this boiler as it is a cast heat exchanger

 

[Nige F]

Yes, but look and read Who installed it what should be and what is are many miles apart

 

[bab]

There should be a by-pass if all the rads have trv's on s plan.