Replacing Filling Loop on a Baxi 105e

[sherer]

Hi

We have a Baxi 105e combi boiler, not the instant one. The pressure has dropped on this and so we need to top this up. The filling loop is quite old and on there like a flat head screw that we should be able to turn to top up the pressure. This is so old that is has become burred by the previous owners and we can't get any leverage on it to turn it round at all and top up the pressure. As such I was thinking of replacing the whole filling loop. I have seen this one off screwfix

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/13806/Plumbing/Boilers-and-Accs/Combi-Straight-Filling-Loop#

It looks almost the same as the one we have but just wanted some advice before I replaced this. I assume the process should be something like

shut off the water at stop cock
take off old filling loop
fit new one
open valve to restore pressure.

The only problem with the above as we can't find the stop cock and it isn't under the sink. We are going to check with a neighbour and hopefully they can help us locate it.

Any other advice or just let me know if the above is correct is greatly appreciated

 

[gas4you]

Are you on a water meter? If so turn the mains off there.

You will need to remove the pressure from the heating system before removing the filling loop from the heating pipe side, probably the return pipe.

 

[sherer]

thanks for the info. We can't seem to find the stock cock. She isn't on a water metre and i've followed all the pipework and there is no stop valve anywhere !! I know some ex council places the whole block needs to be turned off so we are going to check with them and see what they have to say and also try and check with a neighbour.

How do we drain the system as it is a flat I can't drain a rad below the system as they are all level. Do I just run the taps until we get no water left ?

tried to do it anyway but it seems there is too much water at moment without turning it off so had to tighten everything again

 

[swidders]

Are you replacing both ends of the loop? It sounds as though you only need to replace the isolator valve from the mains water supply, in which case you need to isolate it and drain down in the manner you describe.

 

[sherer]

if you check the part above I was going to replace all of that. Didn't realise I could just replace the part with the pressure valve on it !!

In that case it seems all I need to do is the following then

turn off stop cock once we find it
drain the system via the taps until we get no water
tighten the end of the fill loop I tried to remove before
remove the hose from the end with the valve on it
remove valve and fit new working on and connect back to the hose
turn everything back on and then repressure the system

Is there anything special I need to do to isolate the valve before I do this ? I've noticed further up on the boiler there are some more shut off valves but I can't seem to work out what these ones do

Thanks to everyone for the help so far

 

[swidders]

Okey dokey. Let's clarify

The valve that's currently jammed is an isolator valve connected to the water mains. This is what you need to replace first, by turning off the mains, draining water from the pipework via the kitchen tap, undoing the hose from this, undoing the nuts that hold this and replacing with the new valve from the kit. You will probably not need to use the nuts on this since the new valve will be an exact match as the last one and fit like-for-like.

The valve at the other end of the hose is connected to the central heating(CH) pipework, and is a (non-return)check valve, which maintains pressure in the CH system and also prevents water escaping from this pipework back into the mains.

These are usually a standard size.

When the CH system has been pressurised, is is worthwhile loosening the hose from one end or the other to prevent accidental overpressuring of the CH system.

 

[sherer]

thanks swidders that's cleared it up for me. All I need to do now is check with neighbours \ council and find out how to turn the mains off then I am away.

Any more problems I will let everyone know but I think I have all the info I need now to start work once I can get the water off.

Thanks again I really do appreciate all the help everyone offers here

 

[swidders]

The only other bit of advice that immediately springs to mind is to get some ptfe tape from any diy store (including screwfix, but I don't know if they sell single rolls) to wrap one or two turns around the olive on the existing pipework (these are the copper "bumpy" bits you'll see when you remove the valve) on the offchance that you get a drip when you re-do the nuts. You shouldn't need to use it really, but it is a backup just in case.

 

[John506]

In my flat the stop tap is in the cupboard in the hall, and there is also one on the meter in the hall outside the flat door.

Does the flat outside have individual boundary stop taps for each dwelling, or just one to shut off the whole building?

 

[swidders]

In my flat the stop tap is in the cupboard in the hall, and there is also one on the meter in the hall outside the flat door.

Does the flat outside have individual boundary stop taps for each dwelling, or just one to shut off the whole building?

Er, don't know - the one inside your cupboard is the only one that need concern you for this job.

Oops thought this came from the op! Helps if I read the author's identity

 

[sherer]

unfortunately there doesn't seem to be one inside the cupboard. We can turn the gas and electric off but not the water !!

The pipes all run along one side of the flat and we've followed them from the sink to the washing machine to the boiler and onto the bathroom and still can't locate either a tap style stop cock or wheel valve to turn the water off! We have a cupboard outside the flat but that has no pipework in it at all and no communal cupboard with this in for the flats either.

We are going to check behind the washing machine again as we did that with a touch yesterday as we didn't have the time to pull it all the way out.

 

[swidders]

Have you looked inside the kitchen cupboards - sometimes there's a hole at the back of one where the stoptap can be accessed

 

[sherer]

checked them all, even the ones high up. Whoever had the flat last has had new units fitted and it looks like a lot of the pipework has been boxed in. I can see behind the units with a torch but can't see the stop cock anywhere. It's def not in the bathroom, or the cupboard with the boiler so that only leaves one room left it can be in.

My friend who has another ex council flat has their on one system so the whole block has to be shut off. Just wondering if it is something similar here.

Thanks for all the help anyway, i asked this over at the screwfix forums too and they just said get a plumber in !!

 

[swidders]

Try looking under the units - remove the kickboards (held in place by clips)

 

[sherer]

the maintenance guy from the council has been round. He's checked too and knows where they should be in all the flats. It seems that there isn't one in this flat at all. There is no communal one and now three of us have checked all the pipework and it seems there isn't one fitted. Not sure where we stand legally with this as we need one as the previous owners had the new boiler and work done and no idea how they even did that with no stop cock.

The council guy did manage to top up the pressure. It seems I was making an idiots mistake, the screw valve was vertical as it was closed, I was expecting it to go clockwise to horizontal to open it and top the pressure up and then anti clockwise to close it. I never even tried to turn it the other way which is really stupid of me, as that is the way it is meant to go, although the valve is still really burred and could do with replacing anyway.

The pressure is now back up and the hot water is working as it did normally but the heating has been on for 10 mins and the pipes and rads are still cold so I think we have a further problem that needs to be looked into