My 1 year old combi system is not performing very well, hot water is fine but the heating is not. Since it has been installed I've never really been happy with its performance with no radiator ever getting really getting hot.
However we have had a loft extension put in this last month with a radiator and a towel rail in it, and things have now got much worse. Most of the downstairs radiators do not get up to heat, some get just a little warm others are stone cold. The first floor is better with rads getting warm but not what you would call hot.
I'm getting the run around from my plumber who has suggested the system just needs balancing but I fear there is a more deep seated problem than that for the following reasons..
No one radiator is very hot and if I feel the return pipe at the boiler its cold.
Quite a number of the rads seem to have there valves fitted the wrong way round as the flow is coming through the thermostat first on some and through the lockshield on others.
The boiler seems to just heat the water for a very short period of time (and always has done I think) before shutting off.
I found out today that the system has been running for a year with the filling key inserted, the manual states this should be removed after filling so I have removed it.
The system has been filled to 2 bar which again seems contrary to the manual and to general advice on this forum.
So lots of questions does anyone have the answers.
Has / is the filling key part of the problem?
Should I reduce the pressure to 1 bar?
Is the wrong fitting of the valves something to be concerned about?
What does the cold return pipe indicate?
Or is it really that the 2 new rads in the loft have unbalanced the system and nothing else?
Thanks
Adrian
However we have had a loft extension put in this last month with a radiator and a towel rail in it, and things have now got much worse. Most of the downstairs radiators do not get up to heat, some get just a little warm others are stone cold. The first floor is better with rads getting warm but not what you would call hot.
I'm getting the run around from my plumber who has suggested the system just needs balancing but I fear there is a more deep seated problem than that for the following reasons..
No one radiator is very hot and if I feel the return pipe at the boiler its cold.
Quite a number of the rads seem to have there valves fitted the wrong way round as the flow is coming through the thermostat first on some and through the lockshield on others.
The boiler seems to just heat the water for a very short period of time (and always has done I think) before shutting off.
I found out today that the system has been running for a year with the filling key inserted, the manual states this should be removed after filling so I have removed it.
The system has been filled to 2 bar which again seems contrary to the manual and to general advice on this forum.
So lots of questions does anyone have the answers.
Has / is the filling key part of the problem?
Should I reduce the pressure to 1 bar?
Is the wrong fitting of the valves something to be concerned about?
What does the cold return pipe indicate?
Or is it really that the 2 new rads in the loft have unbalanced the system and nothing else?
Thanks
Adrian