Only one radiator working.

[Penelopejean]

Hello there,
I had a new bathroom towel rail radiator fitted today by a plumber.
Gradually one by one the radiators have stopped warming up until there is one in the kitchen that is hot. The boiler only comes on for a few minutes then goes off.
Am I right in thinking there is air in the system? I am a bit worried that the only radiator will not be working either in a minute! I haven't got a bleeding radiator bleeder!
Hoping you can reassure so I can keep warm tonight until he comes back to do the rest of the work.
Penny

 

[Burnerman]

Almost for sure an airlock, as you say.....are the rads warmish at the bottom, but cool up top? If so, they do need bleeding. Borrow a neighbours key, maybe?
(If you have a combi boiler, that will need repressurising afterwards).
John

 

[75pete]

Penny, a rad key can be got at say Screwfix for very little money (£1 our less)With your boiler switched to off, find each rad bleed point and open and vent each one in turn. Also, look for any other bleed point on the system and if you can, bleed the pump. Once all done, switch the boiler back on.

 

[Penelopejean]

I thought as much, as I heard gurgling in the boiler. The plumber should be back tomorrow.......... I repeat 'should'. As long as the boiler can't blow up through overheating or a blockage or something. The kitchen radiator is holding out anyway so am able to keep warm. Luckily it's not that cold yet and I did grow up with frost on the inside of the bedroom windows and the occasional frozen hot water bottle in the morning.........
I will get a bleeding key anyway, just moving in slowly and not sorted out yet.
Thanks anyway burnerman and 75pete.

 

[Nige F]

Frozen hotwater bottle ! we weren't allowed them because the ice would break the stoneware they were made of - and we had to break the ice on the guzunder before taking it out to the elsan @ the bottom of the garden. Remember '63 that was a good winter.

 

[Agile]

So much for plumbers who replace a rad and then disappear and don't come back when all is not working properly!

I would never do that!

Tony

 

[Penelopejean]

Hello again Nige, and Agile,
Mr Plumber did come back and took most of the day to get it all up and running. He managed to cause a leak in loft by bashing the pipe that had the air lock, then ran through my kitchen shouting "Disaster's Struck"!
Hmmmm

However I'm still alive and it's another day. It won't be a winter like 63(I remember it well)....... indoors anyway, as I have cosy central heating provided by all you lovely plumbers out there.

Thanks again,

 

[Agile]

I do feel sorry for plumbers who cannot deal properly with simple airlocks and take hours working on them because they are not getting paid for taking such a long time.

Airlocks caused by badly laid out pipework can be a real pain to sort out. But experienced people develop methods which enable the problems to be sorted out usually within one hour.

Tony