No hot water/radiator heat after radiator leak. - Coal fire.

[JeffW32]

Hello,

I'm a total newbie looking for a little help so forgive the wall of text.

Woke up the other night to 1cm of water on the living room floor and water shooting from where the radiator is. In my panic I turned off the mains water supply and then turned on the taps to stop the leak.

After the pressure/water/fountain stopped and some mopping up, I then looked and saw some rust on the inside of the radiator. I've turned off valves on either side of the radiator hoping I could just turn that radiator off till the new year when I can get an expert and replacement.


I turned back on the mains water supply, no leaks now but there's also no hot water and the radiators are stone cold.

We have a woodstove with backboiler. Lit it and the pipe out of the fire got really hot for the first metre or so and heard gurgling from the backboiler of the woodstove, heard knocking in the pipes upstairs so let the fire out as not wanting to damage anything. That's where I am now.

I've bled the radiators and also the c/h pump. There was a fair bit of air in one of the radiators, but others had water in and water out the pump


Any ideas would be greatly appreciated for a bit of heat over xmas.


Cheers,

Jeff.

 

[oldbuffer]

1. Is the wood burner with back boiler the only source of heat for the radiators, or is there a gas / oil boiler?
2. Do you have a hot water cylinder, and if so is it heated by the wood burner and / or another boiler?
3. The most probable causes of the problem could be one or more of:
3a. No water in the feed and expansion tank for the back boiler / other boiler.
3b. An airlock in the central heating system and / or the hot water primary coil (if you have a hot water cylinder).
3c. A failed circulating pump.
3d. Highly unlikely, but could you have a one pipe central heating system. (How old is it?)

 

[JeffW32]

1. Is the wood burner with back boiler the only source of heat for the radiators, or is there a gas / oil boiler?


Just the woodburner in the living room. It was recently fitted in Jan 2018.

There is an immersion heater but it's never used.



2. Do you have a hot water cylinder, and if so is it heated by the wood burner and / or another boiler?

Yes hot water cylinder's in the bathroom, replaced 4-5 years ago. Heated by the woodburner in the living room.



The pump does turn on and sounds about normal, so I'm not sure if it's a problem there



3d. Highly unlikely, but could you have a one pipe central heating system. (How old is it?)[/QUOTE]

I don't think it is? It's an farm but a family member has said it's not one pipe, and the problem radiator got decently hot and probably the furthest from the tank. There's also a radiator which hasn't worked well for a couple of years(sludge?) and doesn't seem to stop others heating up.


Thanks again for the reply.

 

[KenGMac]

JeffW32,

Sounds as if you could have an Insurance Claim, for damage to the floor.

The rust damaged Rad will not be covered but a claim will need to sort out the heating system and get it back functioning [once the rusty rad has been replaced]

Ken.

 

[ericmark]

Although we would normally have radiators piped in parallel, there is no rule to say they must be piped that way, if in parallel then if you bleed first with one side of radiator turned off, then other side turned off you should remove air from both feed and return so the radiator should get warm, if it fails to bleed then it will show piped in series.

Since rusted through I assume even if back boiler new, the system is old, I remember my dad fitting a radiator to back boiler because it was boiling the water in the pipes and getting domestic water too hot, he was use to working with commercial systems so connected them up in series.

 

[JeffW32]

I guess I'll have a check of the tank in the loft tomorrow.

Though there is water coming out of the hot taps, it's just cold. Not sure if that makes a difference.

Most of the radiators were replaced about 4 years ago which is why I was surprised to see it go.

 

[JeffW32]

Just to bump this.


If I do have an airlock in the cylinder could I open a valve which is above the coil?

Bad diagram to show where it's located - https://i.imgur.com/SDeA68j.png

It's this kind of connection - https://i.imgur.com/z00cYxi.jpg

One goes to the top bit (of my great diagram) and it's open ended pointing up.

Would this shift an airlock if opened?

Cheers.

 

[Nige F]

Just to bump this.


If I do have an airlock in the cylinder could I open a valve which is above the coil?

Bad diagram to show where it's located - https://i.imgur.com/SDeA68j.png

It's this kind of connection - https://i.imgur.com/z00cYxi.jpg

One goes to the top bit (of my great diagram) and it's open ended pointing up.

Would this shift an airlock if opened?

Cheers.

It will surely let air out if opened