No faults but little heat

[jackthom]

Some good advice there from scatmanjohn to check the valve.



The programmer and thermostat sound pretty straightforward.

I forgot to ask what speed the pump is set to. If not already at full speed it will be worth trying increasing it.

 

[Jameswren]

Ok ..the second picture is a mid position valve,

Turn on the heating . (hot water off)

Feel the pipes on either side of the mid position valve.

Only the pipe that goes to the radiators should get hot.

Just done that - both are roasting so I assume it needs a while to cool.

There's heat being generated so guess it's the Danfoss (don't let that detract anyone who actually knows what they're talking about though).

 

[scatmanjohn]

The one going to the cylinder should not be getting hot when the hot water is turned off.

If it is, that need sorting before going any further.

If its just like the one in the picture there is a little indicator on the side which lets you know what position the valve is in. Does it have the indicator?

 

[Jameswren]

The programmer and thermostat sound pretty straightforward.

I forgot to ask what speed the pump is set to. If not already at full speed it will be worth trying increasing it.

The controls are basic but they're not matching what's actually happening - the "all day" setting hasn't meant the heating has gone all day.

How do I check pump speed?

 

[Jameswren]

The one going to the cylinder should not be getting hot when the hot water is turned off.

If it is, that need sorting before going any further.

If its just like the one in the picture there is a little indicator on the side which lets you know what position the valve is in. Does it have the indicator?

I turned the Danfoss to "off" for hot water and "on" for heating - both sides of the valve remained hot but are both now quite cool.

There is a sliding switch on the side round the corner to the hot water and heating indicators which is the "auto" setting.

 

[Jameswren]

I forgot to ask what speed the pump is set to. If not already at full speed it will be worth trying increasing it.

The red/black item in the pictures earlier is the pump isn't it? If so, it is set to 2 out of 3 on the side.

Bearing in mind the system was changed around 5 years ago, according to the vendor should the pump setting be changed now? Is there any issue caused by having the highest setting?

 

[Jameswren]

Since I switched the hot water off the heating has gone cold - I've put the hot water back on and the rads are heating - coincidence?

 

[scatmanjohn]

Since I switched the hot water off the heating has gone cold - I've put the hot water back on and the rads are heating - coincidence?

Ya mid position valve is goosed mate.


Forget about everything else until you get that sorted.

 

[Jameswren]

I knew it'd be that

I'll check a replacement - will any model/make do or do I need something specific?

Am I doing any damage continuing with the way I'm heating now?

 

[Jameswren]

A Surrey flange (not sure of spelling, sorry) was fitted to get the shower pump going - that won't be to blame will it?

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Surrey flange has zero to do with this. The water in the cylinder is heated by a coil of copper tube inside the cylinder, through which flows hot water from the boiler, the water in the cylinder and the water in the coil/boiler/radiators are kept totally seperate.

Mid position valve, Honeywell aren't the cheapest but should outlast most of the competition. (V4073A should be model required.) Leaving it as is wont hurt but you have no thermostatic control on the system, water and radiators could get hotter than normal so be aware, especially when using hot taps.

 

[Jameswren]

I'm confused what's happening with the system - does the mid position valve determine when the boiler will fire?

I've had the hot water set to "all day" assuming that'd make the central heating go, but it hasn't. When I set the hot water to "on" the central heating has begun heating again.

With my completely inexperienced mind I assumed there's a fault with the Danfoss controls.

 

[Jameswren]

Thanks for the advice, we now have a system working properly.

I was going to order a replacement valve and was told to check the model number for the head. I took it off, put it back and when I got home it's running fine - I assume it wasn't fitted properly originally.