Testing underfloor heating

[Dan Robinson]

Is the valve on the very far right at the bottom turned on?

What brand of kit is all that?

It might be full of air, but every system I have installed has usually worked pretty much to capacity even before the lines were fully purged of air.

But then I only fit decent kit.

 

[St0rmer66]

Sure the pump was still running? Still pressure in the system? Might have been venting from the aav and dropped to 0.

 

[Dan Robinson]

View media item 80579

I'm wondering if the flow and returns to the manifold are the wrong way round.

Something is seriously bugging me about that picture.

 

[Milleniumaire]

The make of the heating system is Wunda (http://www.wundafloorheating.co.uk/)

The pump was definitely on. The green light indicating the speed was glowing and I could feel and hear it.

It seems strange that the blue valve on the right of top row of the manifold is blue, which suggests to me (a novice) that this is likely to be the return!

 

[Dan Robinson]

That's just a drain valve... the colour is pretty irrelevant.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Of the two copper pipes entering the manifold which is hottest? left or right?

The right should be the cooler of the two.

 

[Dan Robinson]

The pump should also be pumping up, not down. Look at the arrow on the side - the sticker is meaningless.

 

[Milleniumaire]

The bottom is definitely the return:

http://www.wundafloorheating.co.uk/downloads/M01 BS Port manifold fact sheet.pdf

Given that the bottom heats up first, it does suggest the supply has been connected to this, or is it that the direction of the flow through the pump can be changed as both the supply and return seem to be connected to the pump!

 

[Milleniumaire]

Our postings have just crossed and I agree with you. I assume it's possible to change the direction of the pump without disconnecting it?

 

[St0rmer66]

Our postings have just crossed and I agree with you. I assume it's possible to change the direction of the pump without disconnecting it?

Nope... Let the plumber sort it. Not something to be starting at this time of night!

 

[Dan Robinson]

Is the arrow on the pump pointing up or down.

The manifold will need isolating and the pump rotating.

The Flow and return to the manifold also need to be the right way round.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Our postings have just crossed and I agree with you. I assume it's possible to change the direction of the pump without disconnecting it?

Nope... Let the plumber sort it. Not something to be starting at this time of night!

So much for Yorkshiremen

 

[Milleniumaire]

Okay, just blasted up the heating again to get it working and noticed the following at the manifold:

1. Both the left and right pipes seem to heat up at the same time
2. The arrow is pointing upwards and I could feel the top of the pump vibrating more than the bottom, so it feels like it is pumping to the top.
3. The bottom "silver" bar (to which the pipes and valves are connected) became hot vey quickly, but the top bar, with the flow gauges did not, however, the copper pipe connections to the left of the top silver bar were hot. The top silver bar was luke warm.
4. In the first two (leftmost) flow gauges there appears to be some condensation, which I hadn't noticed earlier, before I started trying to alter them.
5. Unscrewing any of the three flow gauges no longer affects the position of the red marker.
6. None of the plastic loop pipes got particularly hot i.e. nowhere near as hot as the copper pipes.

 

[Dan Robinson]

You need to leave the flow gauges open as well as the white caps - including the one on the valve to the right of the manifold.

Is the system pressure up?

Is the little chrome cap on the auto air vent (the large round thing sticking out of the top right of the top rail) loose?

 

[Dan Robinson]

The loops shouldn't get as hot as the copper pipes.

That is what the valve to the left of the pump is for.