some rads have stopped working

[FieryJack]

hello

I've had a load of work done renovating an old house. The builders got most of the new central heating working and returned 4 weeks ago to get 2 working which until then gave out no heat. They then advised me they now had all rads now working. I checked that they were and then the heating was switched off, it was a hot summer's day.

There was one outstanding issue: the towel rail had to have a replacement electric element fitted and this was done a week later. This seemed to go ok and the towel rail worked on electric.

Until today I've had no need to have the central heating on but now find today that 4 rads have no heat at all, 4 are working but not getting very hot, the remaining 8 are working fine. Of the 4 that dont work, 3 are clustered together and the other one is in a room directly above. I am wondering what the guy did when he took the towel rail off, could he have done something to disturb the whole system?

I'd like to talk to the builders with a degree of knowledge here. I've read about rads needing balancing and am wondering if this is the fault or something else.

the system is a sealed one with a (new) Keston boiler.

 

[ChrisR]

If you have a new Keston on old pipework, demand to know what flushing they did and with what chemicals. Could be the sole problem.
Did they fill out the guarantee with their corgi number, the Benchmark Certificate, and did they "Notify" Corgi who will send you a confirmation that the boiler was put ion by pukka geezas, and the local Building Control people, for when you come to sell.
Builders and boilers often don't mix too well.

More prosaic, though - air locks. Close all the rads except one, and the one which didn't should collect air from the pipes an the water is shoved through.

The boiler will not make the water in the rads V hot if the demand is low - ie because it's warm. Try turning up the thermostat(s) on the front of the boiler though.

 

[FieryJack]

Chris

thanks for your note.
They pipework is all new, and perhaps surprisingly I even got a Cordi certificate.

I'll do what you suggest and turn all the rads off bar one and then bleed that one.

thanks again

 

[Nige F]

[quote="ChrisR"prosaic, though - was he a Roman underfloor heating installer, brother to Mo Saic

 

[ChrisR]

Rather a caustic remark isn't it?


Hypocaustic?