Please help!

[kvasir]

Hi

Would be very grateful for any advice as to what to do until I can get my central heating guy in the morning.

A couple of nights ago I was wakened by a banging noise. I thought it was someone at the door; I now know it was the pipes.

Earlier today - may be coincidental - I bled one of the radiators, as I've done a million times before.

An hour or so later I turned on the hot tap, but could only get cold water so went to investigate the boiler.

The pressure was way down below 1, so I turned the valve as the plumber had instructed me; cue loud banging and the dial going haywire. I now noticed that water was dripping from one of the horizontal pipes in the base of the boiler, going by the state of the floorboards I suspect it had been dripping for some time. I switched off the electrics to the boiler and got a bucket for the drips.

Three hours later, still banging, still dripping and water is pouring out of the overflow; has been for most of the afternoon apparently (somebody passing rang the bell to tell me.)

I can't reach the stopcock to turn it off, and don't have any tall neighbours in to ask. I'm in a flat so am worried about flooding everyone!

Please, what should I do?

Thanks very much for any advice.

 

[rssteve]

can you not stand on a chair to reach? this is a wind up right? some plumbers work 24hrs for the right money.

 

[JohnEBoca]

There should be a ¼ Turn shut off valve, on the cold mains supply to the boiler. You will find this in line with other shut off valves , at the bottom of the boiler.

Are you sure you've fully isolated the electrics to the boiler. Re-Check !!!

Possible causes - Faulty Pressure relief valve + the pump needs to be looked at.

When all's Isolated wait for your engineer to turn up.

 

[kvasir]

can you not stand on a chair to reach? this is a wind up right? some plumbers work 24hrs for the right money.

No windup. The stopcock is in with the water tank which is above the bathroom. Even on the top level of the stepladder I can't reach (I'm female, btw!)

I just found a neighbour and he didn't manage to turn the water off either. But he admitted he doesn't know what he's doing so he could've been turning the wrong thing.

I've turned off the boiler at the wall beside it, at the switch in the kitchen (though I think that's maybe obsolete and for the old boiler) and at the fusebox. Not sure how else I can isolate it.

Money is very tight so if I can I'd rather wait to get the central heating guy in the morning. Obviously if this is an emergency I'll just need to pluck a random name from yellow pages.

 

[kvasir]

There should be a ¼ Turn shut off valve, on the cold mains supply to the boiler. You will find this in line with other shut off valves , at the bottom of the boiler.

Are you sure you've fully isolated the electrics to the boiler. Re-Check !!!

Possible causes - Faulty Pressure relief valve + the pump needs to be looked at.

When all's Isolated wait for your engineer to turn up.

Cheers. There is the valve to increase the pressure but that's the only thing with an obvious 'switch.' There's a black cap with a cross indent in the pipe next to it but I don't know if that's what you mean, and being diy clueless I would be very wary of trying to budge it.

Can I safely leave this til the morning? Am beyond skint, and being female and without a bloke in the house am wary of being taken for a ride by some random guy from yellow pages. Learned that one the hard way.

 

[JohnEBoca]

REMOVED.

 

[JohnEBoca]

The black handle is on the ¼ Turn shut off valve.

http://www.screwfix.com/sfd/i/cat/87/p1859687_x.jpg

 

[kvasir]

So far as I can see I only have one of those, and it's that you quarter turn clockwise to boost the pressure gauge. I tried turning it anti clockwise but it didn't easily give. Should I be a bit more forceful?!

 

[Agile]

Remove the black handle and use a spanner on the shaft to turn it off.

One wonders why you are bleeding rads a million times in the height of summer where its 26° inside and 25° degrees outside.

Tony

 

[Blasphemous]

Remove the black handle and use a spanner on the shaft to turn it off.

One wonders why you are bleeding rads a million times in the height of summer where its 26° inside and 25° degrees outside.

Tony

Do as Tony says and when the Engineer calls make sure you tell him about having to bleed the rads. But like Tony I am wondering why you are bleeding them? Surely you haven't got the heating on in this weather have you?

Oh and MOD 7. I am fascinated to know, why on earth is there an option for us all to use coloured text if we cannot in fact use it? I used Bold to highlight your sig I hope I haven't broken any rules

 

[kvasir]

Remove the black handle and use a spanner on the shaft to turn it off.

One wonders why you are bleeding rads a million times in the height of summer where its 26° inside and 25° degrees outside.

Tony

Thanks, will give it a go.

Lol, I meant I have bled radiators in general a million times before, not just that one and not just recently. It's the first time I've bled it in a couple of years or so, and only did so cos I noticed the other night it was cold at the top. Rightly or wrongly I leave that one (it's in the bathroom) on all year round to keep the system working.

 

[kvasir]

The problem is now sorted, thanks all for your input.