If anyone can give help on this it would be much appreciated!
I have a TurboMax 242e running on 1/4 plastic pipes feeding 10 double rads.
It's been good except since its installation every 2 years or so the hot water would go luke warm a diapram would need replacing. No problem.
Anyway about two months ago there were similar symptons with hot water going lukewarm but the engineer replaced the whole diverter valve (that I understand contains the diaphram...it was a brass thing that looks like a pump) and he also also replaced the secondary heat exchanger.
Again no problem, all seemed to be working fine afterwards. The guy told me the old heat exchanger had had some black bits - in retrospect guess he must have said I should think about flushing the system (?) but really cant remember any comment beig made - anyway.
Now go back 2 years and the tap on the filling lop was replaced as the plastic handle on it had been broken. No problem you would think but since then the overflow pipe has been slowing dripping. I've discovered 2 days ago that the new tap fitted was faulty and has been constantly 'topping up' for 2 years- but its also been slowly dripping out again from the external overflow pipe - there has never been any dramatic blow effect. I thought the slow drip was normal -- one small drip about every 5 seconds.
----------
Enter current period!
Last week noticed rad in kithchen nearest boiler was totally cold & that you had to put temp control know on boiler up much higher to get heat on other rads. Upto 8 or 9 when previously 6 would have been ok even in cold weather.
Called out an engineer on my contract wjo was very helpful- he spotted tap was faulty & explained that all the chemicals protecting the rads had probably been lost ages ago due to the contstant leak & that I'd need to replace tap, Powerflush & protect...but that nothing is coverd under my contract.
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Sorry about this being so long!
-----------------
Following on from this I replaced the filling loop tap sucessfully myself - quite an achienvement for me
- and with a freind we removed the kitchen rad and flushed it out with a hose - quite abit of sludege came out. After replacing & filling added 500ml of Fernox F3 to that rad plus 500ml F3 to another radf as well.
-------------------
Current situation:
- Kitchen rad now heats up
- Dont have to out heating up to 8 or 9 to get rads on which is good - but they dont stay on for long which is bad- plese see below
- There is still that constant small drip outside from overflow pipe
- Pressure on system now falls rapidly (over 30 minutes even) as not being constantly topped up.... leading to it turning off heating. Even when boiler temp falls to say 30 doesnt kick straight back in - but presure issue I guess.
- Boiler making some noise all the time even when heating/hot water not active
-------------------
I''ve booked anothe enginner call out but wont be coming until 3 days time so posting this --- also quite likely work will not be covered under my contract anyway -- like a dodgy outlet valve -- guess there must be an outlet valve.
-----------------
So my own ideas to take things forward - but I dont know how to do them!
1.I need to stop the presure loss - no internal leak noticable anywhere - first thing would be to stop the drip form the overflow pipe...could some outlet valve have become stuck open? Dont know what part might be called - I expect it might not be covered under my 1 star maintenance contract.
2. I need to flush the system out fully & add protector. I think it's quite badly clogged up - probably not helped by the narrow plastic pipes.
I was thinking that as they are on plastic pipes easy to take rads off and into garden to hose them to get worst out...after letting Fenox F3 do its work for a bit. Then was thinking of flushign the whole system somehow to remove rubbish in pipes as well? No idea if this is a good approach idea or how I might best do it.
3. last step crossing fingers etc & hopeing that that will do it!
---------------------------
No flushing or chemicals or anything ever done or added since its installation - until starting last night as described above.
-------------------------
Any advice would be really appreciated!
Many Thanks
Andy, Northampton
I have a TurboMax 242e running on 1/4 plastic pipes feeding 10 double rads.
It's been good except since its installation every 2 years or so the hot water would go luke warm a diapram would need replacing. No problem.
Anyway about two months ago there were similar symptons with hot water going lukewarm but the engineer replaced the whole diverter valve (that I understand contains the diaphram...it was a brass thing that looks like a pump) and he also also replaced the secondary heat exchanger.
Again no problem, all seemed to be working fine afterwards. The guy told me the old heat exchanger had had some black bits - in retrospect guess he must have said I should think about flushing the system (?) but really cant remember any comment beig made - anyway.
Now go back 2 years and the tap on the filling lop was replaced as the plastic handle on it had been broken. No problem you would think but since then the overflow pipe has been slowing dripping. I've discovered 2 days ago that the new tap fitted was faulty and has been constantly 'topping up' for 2 years- but its also been slowly dripping out again from the external overflow pipe - there has never been any dramatic blow effect. I thought the slow drip was normal -- one small drip about every 5 seconds.
----------
Enter current period!
Last week noticed rad in kithchen nearest boiler was totally cold & that you had to put temp control know on boiler up much higher to get heat on other rads. Upto 8 or 9 when previously 6 would have been ok even in cold weather.
Called out an engineer on my contract wjo was very helpful- he spotted tap was faulty & explained that all the chemicals protecting the rads had probably been lost ages ago due to the contstant leak & that I'd need to replace tap, Powerflush & protect...but that nothing is coverd under my contract.
------------------
Sorry about this being so long!
-----------------
Following on from this I replaced the filling loop tap sucessfully myself - quite an achienvement for me
- and with a freind we removed the kitchen rad and flushed it out with a hose - quite abit of sludege came out. After replacing & filling added 500ml of Fernox F3 to that rad plus 500ml F3 to another radf as well.-------------------
Current situation:
- Kitchen rad now heats up
- Dont have to out heating up to 8 or 9 to get rads on which is good - but they dont stay on for long which is bad- plese see below
- There is still that constant small drip outside from overflow pipe
- Pressure on system now falls rapidly (over 30 minutes even) as not being constantly topped up.... leading to it turning off heating. Even when boiler temp falls to say 30 doesnt kick straight back in - but presure issue I guess.
- Boiler making some noise all the time even when heating/hot water not active
-------------------
I''ve booked anothe enginner call out but wont be coming until 3 days time so posting this --- also quite likely work will not be covered under my contract anyway -- like a dodgy outlet valve -- guess there must be an outlet valve.
-----------------
So my own ideas to take things forward - but I dont know how to do them!
1.I need to stop the presure loss - no internal leak noticable anywhere - first thing would be to stop the drip form the overflow pipe...could some outlet valve have become stuck open? Dont know what part might be called - I expect it might not be covered under my 1 star maintenance contract.
2. I need to flush the system out fully & add protector. I think it's quite badly clogged up - probably not helped by the narrow plastic pipes.
I was thinking that as they are on plastic pipes easy to take rads off and into garden to hose them to get worst out...after letting Fenox F3 do its work for a bit. Then was thinking of flushign the whole system somehow to remove rubbish in pipes as well? No idea if this is a good approach idea or how I might best do it.
3. last step crossing fingers etc & hopeing that that will do it!
---------------------------
No flushing or chemicals or anything ever done or added since its installation - until starting last night as described above.
-------------------------
Any advice would be really appreciated!
Many Thanks
Andy, Northampton
