Hot water/heating, am I being a bit thick here?

[HughieCopse]

Ok, so we recently had our boiler replaced, along with a new Drayton 3-port valve and pump. The thing is, whenever we set the programmer to heating only, and leave the water switched off, we still get the water in the immersion tank heating up, and it gets very, very hot. Much hotter than when we have the programmer set to water only, and I can't help thinking it's costing us a great deal to heat all this water that we don't need. I've asked two plumbers and an electrician, and they all say it's working as it should be, but surely I should be able to heat the radiators without the water heating up too, I used to be able to do this?

 

[cross thread]

if its piped and wired correctly you should have heating only, next time you put the heating only on feel the flow pipe to the cylinder is should stay cool,if its hot then the valve is faulty or wired wrong

 

[HughieCopse]

Thank you so much gordongas, I was beginning to think I was going mad!

So please forgive my ignorance, which is the flowpipe, one of these or the one at the top of the tank?

 

[Hot&Cold]

your photo is upside down

Opps its not but the drayton 3port valve is upside down and could have some system dirt preventing the valve to close when no demand for hot water.

HughieCopse I've asked two plumbers and an electrician, and they all say it's working as it should be

Have they actually visited and done a few checks,if so then it should be wired correctly and any immersion off.

 

[cross thread]

as old and cold said the valve is upside down should really be vertical the hot water will be marked with a B on the brass body

 

[stem]

.....and if the spindle develops a leak the water will enter the powerhead. It's not rocket science, the Drayton instructions make it quite clear which way up it should be mounted.

we recently had our boiler replaced, along with a new Drayton 3-port valve and pump.

This would be a good time to get the installer back to rectify their faulty work. If they can't get the basics right, then I wouldn't be surprised if the wiring was wrong too.

 

[HughieCopse]

Thanks all, very helpful. We've had the workdone under the ECO bolier grant scheme and the installers won't come back to look at it, they say we must arrange repair ourselves and then invoice them. Truth is, they don't believe there's a problem, so it's been good to hear from you all that there most definitely is!

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

I would be going to the scheme provider with your issues, before doing anything else, if the original installer is refusing to rectify the problem. Getting work done by a 3rd party may cause you further issues, if other faults develop in the future and arguments start about who has done what.

As Stem has said, the valve should never have been fitted that way up, all manufacturers state quite clearly in the installation instructions that valves (and pumps) should always be mounted in such a position that in the event of any leak from the valve (or pump), the electrical parts wont get wet. This is fundamental, simple, rule of installation, if they cant get that right, (and it also appears the wiring may be wrong, hence your post in the first place!), then god only knows what else could be wrong....