Radiator tee'd off 10mm blocked

[daveaspy]

My mission for today is to get a downstairs rad working - it currently has no flow (taken pipe off the TRV so not the TRV) so guess the pipe is blocked.

This rad is piped with 10mm plastic pipe, each pipe is about 4.5m long going up the wall into the bedroom above and is tee'd into the rad there (which is all in 10mm copper). I am assuming the long run to the rad downstairs gives little flow and therefore the pipe has got blocked. Dont know why but feels like plastic will clog easier than copper??

Anyway, I can see the 10mm copper upstairs disappear way under the floor so not sure where it connects to anything bigger. Is it a reasonable idea to change the 10mm Tees to 10-15-10 (if such a thing exists!) and run down to the problem rad all in 15mm copper? I assume copper is a better bet than plastic?

 

[gigz]

It probably goes to a manifold. Its never a good idea to tee into 10mm as you have found. See if theres a spare spur at the manifold, use this and extend one of the rads from this. If not tee into the pipes before the manifold, this will probably be 22mm but could be 15mm. Put some x400 in and flush for a few hours/days. Then inhibit. A magnaclean or similar filter would be an advantage as well.

 

[Agile]

Don't use X400 as that takes four weeks!

Use X800 as that works in four hours.

Or DS40 if you will risk an acid.

You may be able to feed a spiral drain cleaner up the pipe and perhaps rotate it with an electric drill.

When you do the bucket test do you get water from one of the connections?

Tony

 

[daveaspy]

I have some x800 ready to go in after I change another rad!

When I take off the feed pipe I get nothing coming out at all so it must be blocked somewhere in that 4.5m run.

I have traced the upstairs pipes which feed the upstairs rad we are teeing off - it has 10mm copper for about 3m where it joins on to the end of the 22mm main feed and return through the middle of the house. (There is no manifold, all rads are 10mm tees off the main 22mm pipes)

So, whats the best idea given I have to buy any pipe I am going to use?

* Chop off the 22-10 conversion and change it to 22-15, running 15mm pipe to the upstairs rad and converting to 10mm just under the floor. Then take a tee from the 15 near the upstairs rad down to the downstairs rad and convert to 10 at the bottom?

* Leave the upstairs rad in 10 as is (this rad works fine). Add a 22-10 tee off that main 22mm pipe and run 10mm all the way to the downstairs rad (about 7.5m length). If running 10mm - what are opinions on using copper or plastic?

 

[Agile]

Plastic is far less likely to block!

You don't seem to have made any efforts to unblock it!

Tony

 

[daveaspy]

ok, I have got the pipe open at both ends and found the blockage somewhere in that 4.5m of plastic. Ill try and find something to poke down it.

What I have noticed is the "feed" pipe connected to the TRV downstairs is tee'd into the return pipe (connected to the lockshield) of the upstairs rad (and vice versa) - whether that is actually real return pipe is hard to tell without turning the heating on I guess, the upstairs rad might be the wrong way round

 

[daveaspy]

Got some washing line through the top end of the pipe, need to have a go at the other end but there is a stubborn push fit elbow - any idea how to get this off?

Untitled

• daveaspy
• 18 Sep 2013
• 1

Maybe better to cut higher up the pipe and rejoin...

 

[Jamesie]

just a quick thought.... you havent kinked the pipe by any chance have you?

 

[gigz]

Got some washing line through the top end of the pipe, need to have a go at the other end but there is a stubborn push fit elbow - any idea how to get this off?

Untitled

• daveaspy
• 18 Sep 2013
• 1

Maybe better to cut higher up the pipe and rejoin...

You need a special tool to remove this. Cut it off and replace, you never know this might be where it's blocked

 

[daveaspy]

You need a special tool to remove this. Cut it off and replace, you never know this might be where it's blocked

I cut it about 1 metre above this elbow and all the stored water above it came sraying out It was either the elbow itself or just before the elbow where the blockage was - now clear.

My only remaining query is whether to swap the pipes upstairs so the feed goes to both TRVs rather than going to the lockshield downstairs and the TRV upstairs?

 

[gigz]

If they are bi-directional valves it won't matter.

 

[daveaspy]

cool - all back together and the cold rad is now hot, in fact it is hotter than the rad it is tee'd off upstairs now so will need to balance those now.

Ran out of time to stick any X800 in so that will have to wait for another day

thanks for all the tips