lock shield valve

[morris_minor]

I have 2 questions I would like to ask, Q1) does the lock shield valve on the rads have to be adjusted or can the be fully open. Q2) my daughter was told today that the pipe work on her CH system in the bungalow would have to be change from a manifold system over to a normal flow and return!! is this correct. She applied for a grant for the CH to be looked at to see if she would qualify for a new system as the system does not heat up the bungalow and that is what she was told. Is that correct.!!

 

[tamz]

1)On a minibore usually self balancing but sometimes needs a wee bit checking back.
2)If it is a grant job they will change the lot..........at our expense.

 

[morris_minor]

Re-grant, do I see a undertone with your remark at our expense. Their response was seeing as the system is only 12 years old they would not be able to help, seeing that the system is working in some sort of fashion and its a design issue and there fore it was upto her to sort out. She has only lived in the bungalow for 2 yrs. What he did say was that she should get the pipes changed over from a manifold system and have 15mm pipe fitted. At present the rads have 6mm and some have 8mm piping. And perhaps put in a more upto date rads in

 

[kirkgas]

Q1 the best way is to use the lockshield to balance the system, there are plenty of posts on heating balancing and even without thermometers it is quite easy to do it from the theory, (i know using thermometers is better before anyone reminds me!!!)
Q2 should the microbore be ripped out? prob the best option is 15mm but before i went to the bother of ripping out something which works i would flush and cleanse it then balance and see how much of an improvement you get, then you have a decision to make as to whether the cost/hassle of ripping out and changing will be beneficial
PS i think your microbore will be 8/10 not 6/8

 

[morris_minor]

Hi kg, it is 6/8 with only 2 rads with 10mm. also 2 rads are off the dhw system, yes thats right dhw. The last owner had the garage converted to a toy room and a conservertry at the back of the house and 2 small rads fitted, they get hot when water only is selected. which means that once the cylinder stat cuts out the rads are cold. They are fedby a tee in the folw to the cylinder and a tee in the return from the cylinder. The do not come from a manifold. I think that the whole ch system was a DIY job

 

[morris_minor]

I did flush out the system b4 the moved in in as much as I removed all the rads (8) and decorated the hole house for them b4 the moved in, I also flushed out the boiler (oil fired). There was form of heating controls what so ever just a 13amp plug with a time on it. the system also had 2 pumps, 1 for the DHW & 1 for the CH.
I fitted 5 TRV's 2 MV's 1 room stat & 1 cyl stat and wired it all up to a honeywell plan S dgm. The sys now only has 1 pump

 

[fuzzy]

lockshields job is to balance the system, hence 'lock' and shouldnt be adjusted once set up correctly
why does it need upgrading, did they say?

 

[morris_minor]

It would appear that 6mm & 8mm pipe work insufficient for the system and they recommend 15mm, I did not know that they did manifolds for 15mm pipe!! and the rads are not very effective, boiler ok

 

[yorkieplumber]

fuzzy correct about lock shield valve, as for pipework best start again, copper is best 15mm and 22mm.

 

[morris_minor]

from the boiler there is 28mm with 2 manifolds on the f/R which has the 6mm & 8mm pipes going to the rads and all the L/S valves werefully open