Apologies...this is a slightly long post, but here's a quick summary to save you falling asleep:
- Old style (30+ years old) boiler/CH system
- Single rad in upstairs bedroom hot at the bottom/cold at top
- Bleeding didn't work
- Rad replaced - same problem
- System now out of balance too!
Long version:
We have an old style 30+ years old boiler/CH system (NOT combi)
There was a single panel radiator in an upstairs bedroom that was not warming up fully - warm at bottom of rad only/cold on top, although it was working ok last year i believe.
Attempted to bleed it, but didn't even get the slightest hiss of air let alone any water dripping out. This (incorrectly?) led me to believe that the rad was on its way out.
Initially I took rad off and flushed it with a hose, it was full of loads of black gunk, stuck it back on, manually topped up the header tank* (see below), bled the radiator plus the bleed valve in airing cupboard, but problem remained, in fact was possibly marginally worse...i.e. heat just sitting right along the bottom now.
So took it off again and flushed it with a hose again (i know... i should have worked out that air in the system was probably the cause by then!) Put the rad back on, topped up the header tank*, bled the whole system this time - i.e. all the other radiators/airing cupboard valve, but problem remained...so then..... i fitted a whole new rad! Fully bled the whole system, but guess what - rad still cold!
Although I did notice the new rad did actually expel air when bleeding this time.
Anyway can I assume it wasnt the old radiator at fault right?
Some other points worth mentioning:
- All other rads in the house are/were fine in terms of heating up properly
- Since starting this "work" none of the other two upstairs rads have bled water, only a little bit of air
- *The the ball cock in the header tank(?) may be faulty as i have manually top up the tank myself
- i dont think the system has ever been properly flushed or neither has anyone put any inhibitor in it!!
- there is always air lock issues/low header tank level when we start using the system again every year
This thread from 2003, and in particular the post by Paul the Plumber seems very relevant to my problem?
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1388
I have tried to follow Pauls suggestion of going round opening and the bleeding each rad at a time, this seemed to help somewhat i thought, as the problem rad was getting a fraction warmer in the top right hand side, but now all the rads upstairs are cold! I think that they are out of balance now or I've moved the air lock???
All downstairs rads are fine however.
So my questions are:
1) Is/was it an air lock in the pipe work leading to this rad causing the problem?
3) How do i get this air lock out of the system???
4) How do i balance the system - is there a quick guide?
p.s. anyone in Leicester able to look into this for me...its really doing my nut in now!
- Old style (30+ years old) boiler/CH system
- Single rad in upstairs bedroom hot at the bottom/cold at top
- Bleeding didn't work
- Rad replaced - same problem
- System now out of balance too!
Long version:
We have an old style 30+ years old boiler/CH system (NOT combi)
There was a single panel radiator in an upstairs bedroom that was not warming up fully - warm at bottom of rad only/cold on top, although it was working ok last year i believe.
Attempted to bleed it, but didn't even get the slightest hiss of air let alone any water dripping out. This (incorrectly?) led me to believe that the rad was on its way out.
Initially I took rad off and flushed it with a hose, it was full of loads of black gunk, stuck it back on, manually topped up the header tank* (see below), bled the radiator plus the bleed valve in airing cupboard, but problem remained, in fact was possibly marginally worse...i.e. heat just sitting right along the bottom now.
So took it off again and flushed it with a hose again (i know... i should have worked out that air in the system was probably the cause by then!) Put the rad back on, topped up the header tank*, bled the whole system this time - i.e. all the other radiators/airing cupboard valve, but problem remained...so then..... i fitted a whole new rad! Fully bled the whole system, but guess what - rad still cold!
Although I did notice the new rad did actually expel air when bleeding this time.
Anyway can I assume it wasnt the old radiator at fault right?
Some other points worth mentioning:
- All other rads in the house are/were fine in terms of heating up properly
- Since starting this "work" none of the other two upstairs rads have bled water, only a little bit of air
- *The the ball cock in the header tank(?) may be faulty as i have manually top up the tank myself
- i dont think the system has ever been properly flushed or neither has anyone put any inhibitor in it!!
- there is always air lock issues/low header tank level when we start using the system again every year
This thread from 2003, and in particular the post by Paul the Plumber seems very relevant to my problem?
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1388
Hi. This is Paul, Im a plumber. This sounds very much like you have an air lock in the flow or return circuit pipes before this rad.
Solution. Close of all radiator valves on all radiators that are on that floor and run the heating as usual. After a while the rad will become hot. Bleed as usual then begin to open up the valves you closed on the other rads.
I have tried to follow Pauls suggestion of going round opening and the bleeding each rad at a time, this seemed to help somewhat i thought, as the problem rad was getting a fraction warmer in the top right hand side, but now all the rads upstairs are cold! I think that they are out of balance now or I've moved the air lock???
All downstairs rads are fine however.
So my questions are:
1) Is/was it an air lock in the pipe work leading to this rad causing the problem?
3) How do i get this air lock out of the system???
4) How do i balance the system - is there a quick guide?
p.s. anyone in Leicester able to look into this for me...its really doing my nut in now!