New boiler, radiator expanding under pressure?
- Thread starter rjb852
- Start date
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It was actually someone else that did the fitting but from the same company - will make sure we get someone else to repair the problems.
Hope this gets resolved soon, more problems than I was anticipating !
No other radiators in the house did that, maybe it was because that one hasn't really been used in the last 15 years or so
Hope this gets resolved soon, more problems than I was anticipating !
No other radiators in the house did that, maybe it was because that one hasn't really been used in the last 15 years or so
Oh yes, you'd said that.
I missed most of the clues but we still got there. Vaillant boilers usually have a filling loop built in underneath.
They were lucky the rads didn't burst.
The radiators are old; I got some similar ones with my house, they'd been installed in 1963 (by someone who'd left a trail of Golden Virginia tins under the floorboards).
Don't let them fob you off with the "old rads won't take the pressure" bull. They over-pressurized them.
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Will make sure we don't get charged for changing that radiator as it was their fault.
They think they others should still be changed, which might be worthwhile anyway as they are old now, and don't look too great. Hope this doesn't drag on for much longer though, and isn't too expensive .
They think they others should still be changed, which might be worthwhile anyway as they are old now, and don't look too great. Hope this doesn't drag on for much longer though, and isn't too expensive .
Only ever had the bulging rad problem with very old servotomic radiators, panels pressed into shape/pattern but with very few spot welds. Sound like fire crackers when panels pop.
Even if the system had more pressure than normall, the radiators should cope with this no problem. I have never seen this before, it looks like your radiators are made of paper.You should stop trying to scape goat the engineers because of your radiators, and accept the fact that that this rad needs replacing at your cost.
Assuming the radiator valves are equally old, change them too. New Thermostatic Radiator Valves are very good at controlling temperatures to save wasting heat and make it more comfortable.
Unfortunately the best ones retail at about £18 each
the lockshields also need changing. rad valves are one of the things that do wear out, and old ones will eventually leak
changing rads and valves is a DIY job if you fancy it. No CORGI required.
Unfortunately the best ones retail at about £18 each
the lockshields also need changing. rad valves are one of the things that do wear out, and old ones will eventually leak
changing rads and valves is a DIY job if you fancy it. No CORGI required.
Radiators should easily take 3 Bar without failing....they are either very old and manufactured before any worthwhile testing standards or the spot welding was sub-standard or there is a serious corrosion problem (but I would think pinholing etc would start first).
Either way, eventually your system will end up at 3 bar due to incorrect filling by yourself or lack of expansion vessel maintainence. I think it is unreasonable to blame the installers despite them sending you an idiot.
You could ask them to replace this radiator (perhaps this is the only one with the fault) since they overpresurised the system. I have never seen this fault and would not allow for it on a boiler replacement quote.
Either way, eventually your system will end up at 3 bar due to incorrect filling by yourself or lack of expansion vessel maintainence. I think it is unreasonable to blame the installers despite them sending you an idiot.
You could ask them to replace this radiator (perhaps this is the only one with the fault) since they overpresurised the system. I have never seen this fault and would not allow for it on a boiler replacement quote.
I also agree that this was an old and faulty radiator and should have been able to withstand the pressure.
I have been to quite a few faulty heating systems and this is the first time for me too.
Only that one needs changing and they should do it "at cost" say about £50 for the rad plus about £50 for the work!
Tony
Scape goat the engineers?
They're not engineers.
We're not looking for a scape goat. We're looking for the technician responsible for over-pressurizing the system. I think we know who that probably was.
The internal spot welds have failed (as Namsag observed). The external seam weld held up.
"According to the guys who fitted the boiler, our old radiators can't handle the pressure of the new boiler and will therefore all have to be replaced (we have around 11 or 12 radiators in the house)"
This is utter bull. They're trying to flog him/her new rads that he/she doesn't want and doesn't need. The only reason they'd need replacing is if they suffered from internal corrosion. That hasn't been mentioned and doesn't seem to be a problem; they all withstood an inadvertent pressure test.
Get them finished and gone. Get new rads at a later date, for cosmetic reasons, when you can afford them.
N
namsag
With gasguru on this, modern rads are tested to 7/8 bar old rads would not have been much different should easily deal with 3 bar. Its just unlucky.
We say when people keep old rads that some may leak when cleaned through and pressurised ,its amazing what paint will keep in on a tank fed system. So they should have pre warned you of possible probs but this one was not likely
We say when people keep old rads that some may leak when cleaned through and pressurised ,its amazing what paint will keep in on a tank fed system. So they should have pre warned you of possible probs but this one was not likely
Most new radiators will withstand something like 10 bar.
I was pressure testing a special system that required a high test pressure due to the number of floors.
Anyway at 10 bar it sounded like a machine gun in the next room as the pop welds gave way.
The radiator looked just like the one the pic only more rounded, and it pushed right off the wall, brackets as well
I only wished I'd had the camera.
I was pressure testing a special system that required a high test pressure due to the number of floors.
Anyway at 10 bar it sounded like a machine gun in the next room as the pop welds gave way.
The radiator looked just like the one the pic only more rounded, and it pushed right off the wall, brackets as well
I only wished I'd had the camera.
Thanks for all the replies
I'm not trying to scape goat the engineers ... I don't have a clue about central heating and what pressure they should be running and , or what pressure they can hold.
I don't have a problem paying for a new radiator if it was faulty/not properly welded etc. in the first place - would rather get everything done at once than at a later date.
I guess the welds going must be the banging noises that were happening overnight waking everyone up
I'm not trying to scape goat the engineers ... I don't have a clue about central heating and what pressure they should be running and , or what pressure they can hold.
I don't have a problem paying for a new radiator if it was faulty/not properly welded etc. in the first place - would rather get everything done at once than at a later date.
I guess the welds going must be the banging noises that were happening overnight waking everyone up
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