My wife and 3 young children are thanking me for this...
I had a cold rad when I turned the heating on this season, so tried to balance the system today (I took a while to get around to the job...). I turned off all other rads, ensured this one was bled and fired up the central heating. No joy. So I thought it might be an air lock (it's in an extension, not at the end of the system, but tapped in somewhere along its length) I closed its valves, removed the bleed valve and fitted a hose to a fitting and screwed it in, then opened each valve in turn. Water ran freely from each with no audible glugging of air. I could hear the filler tank refilling in the loft. In the area around the valves the water started to warm.
So I put it back to as it was and opened all the other rads, but now the boiler won't fire up. I put the thermostat up high and the programmer to on. The pump in the airing cupboard is too hot to touch and I could vageuly hear aereated water being passed.
I wondered whether the 3-port valve was cooked. The little lever on it moves freely with no tension between manual and auto. I took off the head and the actual valve spindle seems jammed as it rotates less than 1/8 turn. I assume it could have been this way for some time and I hadn't noticed.
I turned off the CH at the programmer and turned on the water. the children have just had a bath so there should be water to heat, but once again the bioler clicks in but won't fire up.
So, I'm confused. Why will the boiler no longer fire up (I assume a safety cut-out is operating? If the above is all I've done, how did I break it? Was it putting the boiler on with all the rads closed? And why is that rad cold? If the 3-port valve was already stuck open, then the system should surely have worked as it did before my meddling?
A hapless DIY-er with 3 cold little ones...
I had a cold rad when I turned the heating on this season, so tried to balance the system today (I took a while to get around to the job...). I turned off all other rads, ensured this one was bled and fired up the central heating. No joy. So I thought it might be an air lock (it's in an extension, not at the end of the system, but tapped in somewhere along its length) I closed its valves, removed the bleed valve and fitted a hose to a fitting and screwed it in, then opened each valve in turn. Water ran freely from each with no audible glugging of air. I could hear the filler tank refilling in the loft. In the area around the valves the water started to warm.
So I put it back to as it was and opened all the other rads, but now the boiler won't fire up. I put the thermostat up high and the programmer to on. The pump in the airing cupboard is too hot to touch and I could vageuly hear aereated water being passed.
I wondered whether the 3-port valve was cooked. The little lever on it moves freely with no tension between manual and auto. I took off the head and the actual valve spindle seems jammed as it rotates less than 1/8 turn. I assume it could have been this way for some time and I hadn't noticed.
I turned off the CH at the programmer and turned on the water. the children have just had a bath so there should be water to heat, but once again the bioler clicks in but won't fire up.
So, I'm confused. Why will the boiler no longer fire up (I assume a safety cut-out is operating? If the above is all I've done, how did I break it? Was it putting the boiler on with all the rads closed? And why is that rad cold? If the 3-port valve was already stuck open, then the system should surely have worked as it did before my meddling?
A hapless DIY-er with 3 cold little ones...
