No hot water after new valve installed

[hannahbee]

Hi guys,

I'm new here and not sure if Im posting this in the right place.

I've just moved into a new house and the heating didn't work so got a heating engineer in to have a look. He installed a Drayton 3-port motorised valve and left. The heating works perfectly but not we have no hot water. The thermostat is a bit faulty still - he told us before we left that when we switched the hot water on, the heating will also come on..

i've had a look at everything and I'm thinking not having hot water may be down to the settings hes left the valve on. Could I be right? I can attach a picture of it if it helps so you can see what positions all the levers and buttons are in.

Hes not coming back for a while and I just want to do it myself if possible, although I am far from knowledgable about these things.

Could anyone help?

Thanks,
Hannah

 

[Dan Robinson]

Pictures would be good. One wonders why he left KNOWING it wasn't working?

Surely he checked the thermostats were working before ploughing in with a new diverter valve?

 

[hannahbee]

Here we are, dont know if they are very useful or not. He said he would come back in 2 weeks to sort the thermostat, but he said the hot water was working!

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• hannahbee
• 11 Mar 2012
• 1

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• hannahbee
• 11 Mar 2012
• 1

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• hannahbee
• 11 Mar 2012
• 1

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• hannahbee
• 11 Mar 2012
• 1

 

[Dan Robinson]

They help in that if you push the black button/lever in the first picture and hook into its little slot, you will get hot water on when the heating is on. But that is not a fix. It is an emergency measure to get you hot water. I suspect that is how he left it but the valve moved out of position leaving you where you are.


I still don't understand how/why he left it like he did, but never mind for now.

Are you capable of using a multimeter? And do you have one?

 

[hannahbee]

Ok, Ive pushed the lever and it sort of moved itself into a different position so just waiting to see if that gives me hot water for now.

I'm affraid I dont have and cant use a multimeter. This is the first time I've even tried to go near anything heating related!

 

[Dan Robinson]

With the valve locked in that position, it will allow heat to the cylinder whilst the boiler is firing for central heating.

If you can't use a multimeter, then this is the best that can be done for now.

 

[hannahbee]

Thanks Dan,

The radiators and water still havnt heated up. The pipes coming out of the vave are warm though. Should it take longer than usual for things to warm up after switching that button?

 

[hannahbee]

Now the switch is in this position.

The boiler fired up and pipes coming out of the valve are still hot but theres still no hot water, and now no heating.

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• hannahbee
• 11 Mar 2012
• 1

 

[Dan Robinson]

*edit

 

[Dan Robinson]

You have the knobbly bit in the wrong place...

 

[hannahbee]

Ok..The only position it will go in is that one and the position it was to begin with which Ive just put it back in (the radiators then switched back on) When I try and push it further upwards it just comes back again into that position. Am I missing something here?

 

[Dan Robinson]

OK, it wasn't clear that the knobbly bit was in the manual, locked position already... matey boy has left the way I was suggesting.

If the rads are warming now, and the hot water is still cold then you have a circulation problem on the cylinder primaries.

Quite possibly a blockage where the feed pipe form the header tank enters the heating system.

If the valve isn't moving under power then you also have a problem with one or more other components.

 

[hannahbee]

Alright, I think that may all be beyond me. Looks like Im without hot water for another day.

Thanks for all your help though!

 

[hannahbee]

I did want to add one last thing after doing more research. The pipes going into the cylinder are hot, but the pipe coming out isnt. I've heard these blockages can be sorted by bleeding the radiators, is this true?

 

[Dan Robinson]

If you're lucky, and it is an airlock.

You might have a physical blockage in the pipe from sludge/crud.

Hard to say without electrical checks.