One cold rad upstairs and one downstairs

[littlemo]

We are at our wits end!

We have one cold radiator upstairs and one downstairs. When they are bled, they heat up but as soon as you shut the bleed valve, the radiators get cold again.

The floorboards have been pulled up and the pipes leading to the cold rad downstairs are hot but above the floorboards they are cold. The whole system has been drained down and the water was quite clear (no evidence of sludge).

We haven't lifted the upstairs boards up yet to see if the same is happening in our bedroom.

Downstairs, the rads either side of the cold one are both warm.

We have just replaced the radiator downstairs with a new one , thinking all our problems would disappear but no such luck, the new (expensive) radiator is still cold like the old one was!

One suggestion has been that the flow and return pipes may have been mixed up when the CH was installed (6 yrs ago approx.) Does this sound feasible?

Any suggestions out there? (Ariston combi-boiler - 11 radiators on the loop, 5 of these are doubles).

Thanks.

 

[cross thread]

have they ever worked ? if they have pipework must be correct, are the valves open?

 

[Softus]

This sound very much like blocked pipework on the branch to that individual radiator.

Open the vent so that the rad gets hot, and feel the pipes leading to / from the rad. Whichever one stays cool has a blockage.

If it is a blockage, and the pipework is concealed, then you'll need to do come excavating.

 

[littlemo]

Thank you all for your suggestions.

I am happy to report that I solved our problem , guess what it was?.......

BLOOMIN' thermostatic valves!!! The pins inside had got stuck so when the valves were turned up and down the pins weren't moving.

I took the top part of the valve off and unscrewed the inside bit and pushed the pin in and out a few times against a hard surface (namely our skirting board!!).

When I re-attached the inside bit and top part, and opened the thermostatic valves right up the rads instantly heated up!!

We have been in this house for 8 months and suffered a very cold winter due to the rads not working and it was all down to the thermostatic valves. By the way, these are Giacomini valves we are talking about.

 

[littlemo]

P.S. I'm a woman. Bet you didn't think us girls had it in us, watch out lads!

 

[Softus]

P.S. I'm a woman. Bet you didn't think us girls had it in us, watch out lads!

Let the record show that I've resisted the temptation to make a smutty joke.

 

[Expertboy]

Thank you all for your suggestions.

I am happy to report that I solved our problem , guess what it was?.......

BLOOMIN' thermostatic valves!!! The pins inside had got stuck so when the valves were turned up and down the pins weren't moving.

I took the top part of the valve off and unscrewed the inside bit and pushed the pin in and out a few times against a hard surface (namely our skirting board!!).

When I re-attached the inside bit and top part, and opened the thermostatic valves right up the rads instantly heated up!!

We have been in this house for 8 months and suffered a very cold winter due to the rads not working and it was all down to the thermostatic valves. By the way, these are Giacomini valves we are talking about.

Common problem that, unlike a woman sorting out a radiator!!