Help with Megaflow heating...

[janejane]

Hello,
I'd be so grateful if someone could try and give me a hand with my hot water system. It's a megaflow boiler which I believe is this one. I don't usually need to use the central heating but it's been so freezing recently I decided to turn it on yesterday. Unfortunately the radiators are not working. In my effort to make it work (this was an error,I know!) I opened the boiler cupboard and looked to see whether the supply to the radiators could be turned off somewhere in there. I accidentally turned one of the valves - the 8 bar expansion valve to be precise. This caused water to flow down through one of the pipes (seemed to be coming from the boiler but I might be wrong there). I turned it off again pretty quickly but ever since I did this the water in my flat has been less hot than it was before (although it is still hot) and the radiators still do not work. I have tried bleeding them and there was no air in them.
Can anyone help me (a) rectify whatever I did by releasing the 8 bar expansion valve yesterday [I only know its name because it has a label, I have no idea what this actually means!] and (b) make my radiators work. I have probably left out lots of crucial information here - apologies! Thanks in advance for any help anyone could give me.
Jane[/url]

 

[Happyplumber]

you obviously havent got clue as to what you are doing and as this is unvented system and you have been playing around with one of the critical safety valves
I suggest you call someone who is qualified to work on the system,a local plumbing heating company

 

[janejane]

You're right that I don't know what I'm doing but I doubt I can get anyone out tonight except at a ridiculous cost. Is it unsafe now in any way? I can always turn the water off at the mains....?

Is there nothing I can do myself? It was only one valve which I turned and plumbers here are so so expensive.

Thank you for your help.

 

[gas4you]

I can't see how operating the 8 bar safety valve can cause you to lose HW

It is more likely another fault and this is just coincidence.

The Megaflo is not a 'boiler' but a HW cylinder, albeit an unvented one.

What gas boiler do you have to heat this cylinder and the radiators?

 

[janejane]

Thanks for helping.

I live in a large apartment block; there are 4 large boilers in the basement of the building which I believe are oil-fired although I might be wrong, it could be gas. Anyway, I have no access to them!

I was a bit confused about the effect of the valve on the hot water. It is still hot just not AS hot as before, which to my (non-plumber's) mind makes it doubly weird ....

Hopefully it is just a coincidence - I will enquire with the building manager soon. Still not too sure what to do about my radiators though! Oh well, it's nearly spring....

 

[gas4you]

Have you 2 'boxes', maybe silver ot cream, with a pipe at each end in the cupboard with the megaflo?

If so one of these is for the heating and the other for the HW.

I would suspect a fault with these or an electrical problem on the heating circuit.

Have you recently turned off any switches in the megaflo cupboard?

 

[janejane]

There is a silver box and a cream box. The silver one has a lift-off cover with some wires etc underneath it and the cream one I would have to get a screwdriver out to open. I am not keen to start fiddling with anything electrical!

Haven't done anything to any switches recently.

I wondered if perhaps the thermostat had somehow been re-set to a lower temp, or something?

 

[gas4you]

Sounds like 2 x 2 port valves from here.

Does the silver one say 'Honeywell' on it by any chance?

Don't touch any wires that may be visible

 

[janejane]

Yes it does! Is there anything I can do to it to try and fix the water? Will not touch wires!

 

[griggs]

When you switch water on at programmer, can you hear the "silver" Honeywell valve motor run?

Like wise, when you switch the heating on at the programmer can you hear the "cream" valve motor?

 

[janejane]

No I can't hear anything at either....

 

[gas4you]

Is there any sign of life on your programmer/timer?

Could be the 3 amp fuse has blown in the fused switch outlet for the heating system.

 

[ManxPlumber]

Is the power on at the fused spur? (i.e. is the red light on)