radiator valves

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I have just had two valves replaced on one of my rads. The guy started by shutting off all the valves on the other radiators(11).

He shut the tap that fills the tank which fills the radiators and then drained the radiators.

Once the new valves were fitted he re-filled the system and bled all the radiators. He said that it would take a few hours for all the rads to get hot but four hrs+ and still only a few of the radiators are warm.

My boiler seems to fire for a short time then stops. The radiators upstairs felt quite warm at the top but cooler at the bottom. The rad with the new valves is still stone cold and is upstairs. Some rads downstairs did get warm some time ago but are cold now.

I have the thermostat turned up to max and can hear the pump running upstairs in the airing cupboard. The cool ones have their valves open and have tried bleeding them again but no joy.

PLEASE HELP!! Thanks.
 
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Thanks Andy,ive been trying to get hold of the plumber but he is not replying,just goes to voice mail so no luck there!
 
By doing what he has done will cause all sorts of problems. Get him back.

Ive tried holding water in the system, only to drain the part of the system I wish to work on. It doesnt work. It airlocks amongst other things and unless you can clear them (he should have done that), you must get him or her back.

Personally I'd have 'bunged', but thats just me

Dave
 
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When you say you can hear the pump running, is it louder than usual or making a different noise? If this is the case, then the first problem you have is air in the pump.

You really need to get the plumber/a plumber to purge the system (and poss. pump) of air to clear the airlocks.

If you want advice on how to do this yourself, or with the help of a DIYing friend, we can advise you.
 
Thanks guys,i would be grateful for info on how to purge the air out. My dad could help if you could advise. He is ok at DIY,i think!
 
I would first, try bleeding the radiators again. But turn the central heating off, as you don't want the pump running. Start with the downstairs, then work upwards.

Andy.
 
The boiler is a POTERTON and the pump upstairs is a GRUNDFOS. Have not heard any strange noises from pump or from radiators themselves. I did notice that the pump felt very hot to the touch,is this normail? Have now managed to turn the pump off as it has its own separate power button in the airing cupboard but this has also turned the timer off,is this normal?
 
Out of interest, just to gauge the quality of the plumber, did he add any inhibitor to the system before he left? And did he balance the system before he left (which I doubt, otherwise he might have noticed that there wasn't much heat available to balance :confused: )
 
Yes i think he poured in a bottle of inhibitor,cant remember its name but it begun with s and was a square bottle. Dont know if he balanced the system as i dont know how he would do that.
 
That would be salamander. Just loosen the silver screw in the top of the pump and see what you get..........air or water?
 
. Im a bit at a loss and would rather not have to call the plumber out again as i dont know if he will find a fault that does not exist.

Well, it's clear a fault does exist :confused:

Inhibitor was Sentinol - fine!

Could be that draining the system has diturbed some sludge whic has worked it's way to the pump causing it to act inefficiently. Cold spots in the radiators also indicate possible sludge problem.

How confident are you a being able to carry out some plumbing work yourself - mainly the possibility of removing the pump for inspection, and draining/refilling the system?
 
Have looked at the pump,its got what looks like a screw but its not at the top but on its side.Is that just down to the way its fitted? Its got the name SELECTRIC on it. I tried turning the screw,has a slot on it for a flat screw but did not seem to loosen.
 

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