Trouble shoot a 31 rad system where 5 stay cold

[Alfredo]

I've been asked to go and look at a newish installation ( one year) where they don't want the installer back. Its 31 radiators on two levels in an old long farmhouse. The system apparently worked OK until a builder hit a pipe. His insurers 'fixed' the system with their appointed contractors, but now the last five rads don't go, oir havn't gone properly ever since. They have apparently been told to fit a second pump in view of the size of system, and are fed up with the contractors coming from far away and doing nothing.

I'm off to have a preliminary look on Thursday, but wondered if anyone had come across anything similar.

Until I get there I've no idea what to expect, but I feel a bit like Daniel approaching the Lions den

Alfredo

 

[mickyg]

toughie. you need to inspect as much pipework as possible. If it didn't need an extra pump at the start then it doesn't need one now.

 

[Alfredo]

I am rather hoping somebody has just left the circulator pump at the wrong angle, but life's never that simple is it

Alfredo

 

[mickyg]

more likely the builder damaged another part somewhere along the 4mile network

 

[D_Hailsham]

Maybe the system has not been rebalanced so the pump is unable to deal with the high head of the index circuit.

Installing a low loss header and a second pump might be necessary - depends on how well the system was "designed".