problem with installation of two of three new radiators

[Batso]

About 6 months ago, we had a lot of work done on our house which included a new boiler and some new pipe work and three new radiators. Essentially all the old radiators heat up ok but only one of the new ones does. Of the other two new ones, the first heats reasonably the second hardly at all. This last one is at the end of a section from the boiler which contains only two radiators on the loop on the ground floor The other that does not heat up enough is between two of the old radiators which do heat still ok and this too is on the ground floor. All the radiators upstairs are ok. The heating system was first put in 30 years ago but it is two pipe system and has always functioned ok.

Various plumbers and electricians have come to look at the system. The builder does not seem to have regular plumbers and electricians as the turnover of his staff is very quick. All those looking at our problem have said that either the systems needs flushing which it has been, or the pump is too small which it isn't as it is a new larger one was installed.

No one has yet suggested that maybe the electrics are wrong. Our view is that the thermostat is not working properly anyway and that just maybe the new larger radiators are not getting enough time to heat up as the system is not performing properly in terms of the electrics. We say this because we know that the downstairs thermostat in the hall is not working as it goes above the set temperature and also when we switch on the hot water only, the heating seems to come on as well. We appreciate that thermostats in only one area of the house for the entire system are pretty crude. The thermostat worked before the heating system was changed. It was changed simply to give us some new radiators and to make the large room where two of the new radiators are warmer. It is in fact now colder.

It's a mess. A lot of new equipment has been added and no one seems to understand how it works. Our view is that there may be more than one problem.

Any advice please?. Ideally I would like to call in an expert to look at this and advise but i don't want another plumber who doesn't know electrics and tries to fob us off with the usual problem about flushing and blockages because there were no blockages before the new radiators and boiler went in

Is there an advice centre I can call or some one who is an expert who will come and see what the issues are??

Thanks

Batso

 

[Batso]

About 6 months ago, we had a lot of work done on our house which included a new boiler and some new pipe work and three new radiators. Essentially all the old radiators heat up ok but only one of the new ones does. Of the other two new ones, the first heats reasonably the second hardly at all. This last one is at the end of a section from the boiler which contains only two radiators on the loop on the ground floor The other that does not heat up enough is between two of the old radiators which do heat still ok and this too is on the ground floor. All the radiators upstairs are ok. The heating system was first put in 30 years ago but it is two pipe system and has always functioned ok.

Various plumbers and electricians have come to look at the system. The builder does not seem to have regular plumbers and electricians as the turnover of his staff is very quick. All those looking at our problem have said that either the systems needs flushing which it has been, or the pump is too small which it isn't as it is a new larger one was installed.

No one has yet suggested that maybe the electrics are wrong. Our view is that the thermostat is not working properly anyway and that just maybe the new larger radiators are not getting enough time to heat up as the system is not performing properly in terms of the electrics. We say this because we know that the downstairs thermostat in the hall is not working as it goes above the set temperature and also when we switch on the hot water only, the heating seems to come on as well. We appreciate that thermostats in only one area of the house for the entire system are pretty crude. The thermostat worked before the heating system was changed. It was changed simply to give us some new radiators and to make the large room where two of the new radiators are warmer. It is in fact now colder.

It's a mess. A lot of new equipment has been added and no one seems to understand how it works. Our view is that there may be more than one problem.

Any advice please?. Ideally I would like to call in an expert to look at this and advise but i don't want another plumber who doesn't know electrics and tries to fob us off with the usual problem about flushing and blockages because there were no blockages before the new radiators and boiler went in

Is there an advice centre I can call or some one who is an expert who will come and see what the issues are??

Thanks

Batso

 

[Bahco]

Has the system been balanced?

Have the new rads been piped up in 15 mm?

Check out the FAQ section above.

 

[Batso]

I think the radiators have been balanced and the pipes connected to them are 15mm I think but i will need to check, thanks

 

[weareleeds]

Is the old system in microbore (8mm or 10mm) if so it is possible that he has connected flow & return to these instead of the 22mm before the manifold

 

[ChrisR]

Diverter passing water to the wrong side obviously reduces the pump pressure available for the heating. If there's no balancing valve on the HW, HW gets a lot of the flow. You do need to fix that.

Quite possibly it was all extended from 15mm pipes , so it would be hard to balance.

Obviously it isn't balanced, or all the rads would heat up together. That's what balancing means. If some of the pipe IS too small, then after balancing it would ALL be slow.

Maybe the radiator by the thermostat is open too far, so that area heats too quickly. It should be the same rate as the rest, or slower if the others have TRV's.
DO the rads have trv's?

It might have been piped completely wrongly. If you shut off most of the other rads, do the slow ones then get hot?

You will have some sludge in an old system, but the new pipes won't be the sludgy ones . Having said that, the act of draining the system can move a blockage to somewhere critical, or all downstairs, etc. Power Flushing (using a special machine) should normally have cleared it but doesn't shift everything. Some blockages are iron hard and the pipe has to be changed..

This is all drearily basic stuff, any half competent plumber shouldn't have much difficulty, unless something really odd has been done with the pipes.

Where in London are you?