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P. Red Rocket
Joined: 14 Feb 2008 Karma :
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Posted: 15:49 - 01 Apr 2018 Post subject: Heating issues... |
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Hey.
House has 4 radiators upstairs, all get hot. 3 downstairs, only 1 gets hot.
This is with the thermostat set to max and boiler set to max.
When I press the button to turn the heating off, the 2 that don't get hot are suddenly heating up. All the pipes get toasty and it's all good.
However... Ideally I want them on when I press the heating on
Anyone have any ideas... I partly think bleeding the radiator would help or at least confirm it's not that, but the radiator bleed screw is.... Not really square |
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stinkwheel |
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stinkwheel Bovine Proctologist
Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :
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Posted: 17:47 - 01 Apr 2018 Post subject: |
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Turn off all the radiators other than one of the ones that isn't getting hot. See if it gets hot (it ought to). Repeat this process with the other two.
Now go round and balance them. Start with them off then open the valve a little on the one nearest the boiler, just enough for it to get hot. Then move on to the next nearest. You'll have to open the valve progressively more on each one as you go round. ____________________ “Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles. |
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P. Red Rocket
Joined: 14 Feb 2008 Karma :
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Posted: 18:31 - 01 Apr 2018 Post subject: |
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Erm... By turn off...?
I'll add some photos. All my radiators have nonadjustable ends.
https://imgur.com/vk0zXxL
I have no temperature adjuster either. It's all done centrally on the thermostat. Homo as shit, but is what it is. |
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Bikeless |
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Bikeless World Chat Champion
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bugeye_bob |
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bugeye_bob World Chat Champion
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J4mes |
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J4mes World Chat Champion
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andys675 |
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andys675 World Chat Champion
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P. Red Rocket
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doggone World Chat Champion
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P. Red Rocket
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Freddyfruitba... |
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Freddyfruitba... World Chat Champion
Joined: 20 May 2016 Karma :
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Posted: 12:07 - 02 Apr 2018 Post subject: |
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J4mes wrote: | Bikeless wrote: | Is that not a valve that can be turned off with an adjustable wrench? |
Yes it's called a lockshield and is how the rads are balanced. |
Yes and no.
Since the radiators in question apparently don't have individual TRVs (thermostats), they are going to have one of these simple mechanical valves on either end. Example:
https://cdn.aws.toolstation.com/images/141020-UK/800/14902.jpg
It's provided with two caps, one if it's to be used as a 'wheelhead' (control) valve, and the other if it's to be used as a 'lockshield' valve. The 'wheelhead' cap allows you to open and close the valve at will (ie, to turn that radiator on or off), whereas the 'lockshield' cap is simply a non-adjustable cover for the ugly metal valve head.
When the system is setup by the plumber, he will designate one valve as a lockshield and the other as a wheelhead. He will (or at least should) then spend time 'balancing' the central heating system by opening or closing the lockshield valves on all the radiators to get equal flow through all of them. Typically that means the radiator furthest away from the boiler will have its lockshield valve fully open, whereas on the radiator nearest to the boiler it will almost be full closed. Once the system is properly balanced, the caps are fitted and the lockshield valve setting should in theory never be touched again; the radiator is controlled exclusively by the wheelhead valve.
However the problem arises when a few years down the line Paddy moves in and finds that all the plastic caps are missing from the radiators - they've been broken or just got lost. There is therefore no way to tell which is supposed to be the wheelhead valve and which is the lockshield, and it's highly likely that they'll have been used interchangeably so that the system balancing has been completely bolloxed, and that's almost certainly what's happened here.
The system needs now needs rebalancing from scratch; start off by designating a lockshield valve on every radiator. Doesn't matter which; you'd normally make the least accessible valve the lockshield. Open up every valve on every radiator to max (using an adjustable spanner). Than the tricky part... close down only the lockshield valves on each of the radiators enough to get equal flow and therefore temperature gradient across each one. They will interact with each other of course so it's a right ball-ache to do properly, and to be honest the vast majority of plumbers don't bother doing it properly. There's a decent 'how-to' here . Once you've done this, it's really important to make sure nobody messes with the lockshields again - ideally get hold of some of the correct plastic caps (easier said than done). ____________________ KC100->CB100N->CB250RS--------->DL650AL2->R1200RS->R1250RS |
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P. Red Rocket
Joined: 14 Feb 2008 Karma :
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 6 years, 32 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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