Newbie help - Central Heating failed after a leak

[ianross]

Hi people, i hope you can help

Like an idiot, I put a nail through a microbore pipe situated under one of my radiatiors, last night (i don't know whether it was a flow or return). To see me through the night i put the nail back in and it didn't leak overnight.

Anyways i obviously needed to drain the water in the pipe so i switched of the central heating system and the main incoming water feed, ran the cold water until it was no more and attached a hose and drained the radiators from one of the drain plugs attatched to the left hand valve of the radiator. (I realise i've probably done it totally wrong)

i repaired the pipe, reconnected the water and switched on the central heating system, tightened everything up but there is no hot water or heating.

I have a Ideal Classic RS250 boiler and i think i have a fully pumped open vented system (I have a DHW Cylinder in a cuboard and a Feed and Expansion tank in the loft)

Anyone any ideas what i can do?

Regards

Ian

 

[simon_d]

have to bled the rads? does the boiler try to fire up? does the programmer have power to it?

if your still stuck post on here and i could come have a look at it

 

[ianross]

Thanks for your reply Simon

I started to bleed the rads from the top (I appologise for my novice language) but each of them had water in them (and pressure), the power to the programmer is fine, in fact after leaving the boiler switched off for an hour i switched on the central heating and the boiler fired up for about a minute.

On my system am i right in thinking that i dont have to pressurise it? The more i think about it the more it seems like an air block in the system, caused by me draining it from the wrong place (from a draining plug attatched to one of the radiator valves).

 

[Strachan]

have you bled the pump? might be air locked. boiler would only fire for a minute or so before the overheat stat kicked in, due to the pump not taking it away.

 

[ChrisR]

Reset boiler?

 

[ianross]

It sounds more like the pump issue.

Its just fired up again for a minute. I noticed that the flames seem to be working harder as the minute goes on, as if its saying am trying, am trying and then it has enough.

If you are talking about the pump next to the cylinder (before it splits between the rads and the hot water) (its a Grunfos Selectric UPS 15/50) the i have noticed that it gets red hot to touch while the pipe leading away and to it is cool.

How would i go about bleeding the pump

Cheers people

 

[Strachan]

centre of the pump is a large silver screw cap, big ass screwdriver, anti- clockwise, only crack it until water flows from it. Should sort it. Have fun!

 

[ianross]

Right, I've done that for about 5 mins but just drops of water are comming out, but the heating seems to be working but still no hot water. Should i keep on doing it until water runs out?

Someone has told me that there is a vertical pipe with a bleed screw located on the middle entry into the cylinder, which needs bleeding as well(there is but it's caked in sealant which makes me nervous about touching it). Is this true?

Cheers

 

[simon_d]

Right, I've done that for about 5 mins but just drops of water are comming out, but the heating seems to be working but still no hot water. Should i keep on doing it until water runs out?

Someone has told me that there is a vertical pipe with a bleed screw located on the middle entry into the cylinder, which needs bleeding as well(there is but it's caked in sealant which makes me nervous about touching it). Is this true?

Cheers

if CH works but not DHW then it could be the 3 port valve (or 1 of the 2 port valves depending on system)

 

[Strachan]

Get it cracked open! Don`t be scared! If it don`t work it`ll be the 3 port valve. Whip the motor off the top and check it turns when calling for hot water or heating.