New boiler, radiator expanding under pressure?

rjb852 · 12 May 2008

Right - we got a new boiler installed last week (bloody expensive !!) , it worked perfectly fine for a couple of days, till we started getting loud banging noises from one of the radiators every few hours.

According to the guys who fitted the boiler, our old radiators can't handle the pressure of the new boiler and will therefore all have to be replaced (we have around 11 or 12 radiators in the house)

Surely they should have known this before fitting the boiler that all the radiators will have to be changed as well, we haven't had a quote yet for the radiators but I can imagine that it won't be cheap - I wouldn't be that annoyed if they told me initially and included it in the quote ! Also I don't think its very safe having a radiator in the bedroom which looks like its about to explode!

Here's a picture to show difference between our normal radiators and the one that looks like its about to explode !

Is this a common thing to happen when getting a new boiler installed?

Thanks

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lagunaglen · 12 May 2008

Never seen a rad bulging that way, if pressure is too high then it would usually cause a leak at a weak spot on rad, if it was old.What is the pressure on your new boiler ?I would get your plumber back pronto as if it bursts it will be full of scalding water.
I can only guess that the wall thickness of this rad is really thin which is only way this could happen.

namsag · 12 May 2008

No its not normal , although week/corroded rads can end up leaking when under pressure. what you have is very unusual. Prob not been welded up properly in first place. Should get away with just changing that one

rjb852 · 12 May 2008

The boiler is turned off and has been for the last couple of days.

In the last 20 minutes or so its actually got big enough to pull itself off the wall and push the chest of drawers in front of it forward slightly

The pressure reading on boiler was ar 3 Bar last time it was on, but now is switched off at the mains !

Gasguru · 12 May 2008

Are all the radiators bulging?

Looks like a manufacturing fault and the spot welder current/time was incorrectly set.

I have never seen anything like that and it's unfair to blame the installers.

petit_pablo · 12 May 2008

That different!

The pressure reading on boiler was ar 3 Bar last time it was on, but now is switched off at the mains !

Pressure shouldnt be this high either, 1-1.5bar is normal

rjb852 · 12 May 2008

Sorry, the pressure was not 3 bar ... the needle was in the grey bit on the boiler, don't know where I got 3 bar from in my head !

This is the latest picture of the radiator, come off the wall now on one side, plumber will be here in a sec luckily !

lagunaglen · 12 May 2008

What boiler do you have?
Is it a combi?

rjb852 · 12 May 2008

EcoTec 624.

Plumber just turned up and drained the system, radiator back to normal size now

Was getting worried the thing was going to blow

lagunaglen · 12 May 2008

Just make sure he isolates this rad from circuit , then you can get it sorted at your leisure.

rjb852 · 12 May 2008

Right, turns out the guy that came earlier on today thought that the system was losing pressure so he turned one of the valves underneath the boiler to increase the pressure in the system.

Well,he didn't turn the valve back and left it like that, hence the water dripping from a pipe outside , and the needle showing the pressure was as far as it could go (past the red) - wasn't aware of this, was my mum that was here this afternoon.

And only since he opened that valve the radiator started bulging ! Can't believe what a hassle getting a new boiler has become !

namsag · 12 May 2008

Even so rad should still not have done that.

Onetap · 12 May 2008

It has been over-pressurized.

"The boiler is turned off and has been for the last couple of days.

In the last 20 minutes or so its actually got big enough to pull itself off the wall and push the chest of drawers in front of it forward slightly"

He has left the mains fill loop connected and open.
He's a dork.
Get someone competent.

Is he Corgi registered?

rjb852 · 12 May 2008

Yes, he was corgi registered ... one of the guys from http://www.my-plumber.co.uk/

JohnD · 12 May 2008

rjb852 said:
Right, turns out the guy that came earlier on today thought that the system was losing pressure so he turned one of the valves underneath the boiler to increase the pressure in the system.

Well,he didn't turn the valve back and left it like that, hence the water dripping from a pipe outside...

so the chances are you will need a new pressure relief valve fitted. It should be at the expense of the idiot. But don't let him try to fit it. Don't let him back into your house. Who knows what further damage he might do?

Your radiator is very interesting, it should be impossible for a radiator to do that, even if overpressurised. the sides should be welded together in the "grooves". Either you rad was incorrectly manufactured or the welds have broken or rusted away (either of which is very unlikely)

OOI, do you know what flushing and cleaning was done before fitting the new boiler? if they didn't do a very good job it may have been neglected, and there could be old sediment collecting in your new boiler

Certainly any inhibitor will have been diluted and some lost through the dripping valve.

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New boiler, radiator expanding under pressure?

namsag

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