Please Help, Its getting Late !?!

[mackandmutley]

I have just got back from the work and decided to change the air release valve in my system as it was leaking. Drained the system down by closing off the rads and drained pipework via pipes in upstairs bathroom.
Fitted valve and began to bleed after re-opening rads. Have been bleeding 3 rads for about 3 hours, get one done after getting a lot of what looks like soap suds out, go to the next and the same situation. Problem comes when trying to bleed the towel rail in the bathroom, it stands about 7 foot high. It begins to bleed, ie air is escaping and then the air escaping seems to start and stop rhythymically every 6 seconds never actually pushing any water out. After attempting to bled the towel rail, the air valve is then frothing likes its got rabies, you can here air has been drawn into the pump and the radiators that have been bled are now at least half full of air.

Where is the air coming from? I have tried the beaker over the overflow and all seems ok.

Should I be bleeding without pump running, because I tried it that way to start with and nothing came out, air or water.

Any suggestions are welcomed as I now have no heat in my two young kids rooms and I wish I hadn't started.

 

[seco services]

what system have you got.

whats this air release valve ? where is it, what was wrong with it ?
whats a beaker over the overflow ?

 

[mackandmutley]

It is I think a oil fired boiler, vented system and the air release valve was weeping water out of it, it was mounted on a tee piece on the side of the cylinder, see below- thats the old one. Pump is in the upstairs airing cupboard with an overflow pipe going up to the loft on goes above the header tank up there

Untitled

• mackandmutley
• 2 Dec 2008
• 2

 

[mickyg]

the feed pipe from the header tank to the system is probably blocked. Usually just where it joins in to the system.

 

[Softus]

As a quick fix for tonight, if the cold feed is blocked, turn off the pump, connect your garden hose to the drain off cock, then open it and turn on the garden tap (at a gentle rate) until water appears from the overflow pipe from the F&E cistern.

This will back-fill the system and and allow it to work. Then you can deal with the blockage tomorrow.

Vent the rads while the system is back-filling.

 

[mackandmutley]

Just what I was dreading, I only tried the beaker test whilst getting air from 1st rad, should I do the beaker test while running the pump and attempting to bled the towel rail?

 

[seco services]

does sounds like a restricted fill.

whats the f/e tank like in the loft ? full of muck etc ?

 

[mackandmutley]

It has got some rubbish in it, bit rusty

 

[mackandmutley]

Is there any upgrade to prevent it happening again or is it just replace the existing?
Is the feed normally 15mm?

 

[seco services]

as said fill for tonight or leave and drain down in morning and see if the f/e tank emptys if not its blocked or restricted.

if its sludgy in their try cleaning that out first before sending down the system.

 

[seco services]

Is there any upgrade to prevent it happening again or is it just replace the existing?
Is the feed normally 15mm?

use inhibitor in the system.
its normally 15mm sounds like just needs a good clean out.

 

[mackandmutley]

Thanks guys, your help once again very much appreciated, its like having a DIY fairy godmother

Cheers, will report back tomorrow

 

[mackandmutley]

Spot on advice as usual, replaced feed from tank and bled up a dream.
Pipe was total blocked for about 12" as it entered the main system. The irony was it took less time to replace the pipe and bled on sunday as it did trying to bled on the saturday.

Thank you all for your advice.