Hi all and thanks so much in advance for any advice! My boiler’s pressure is below 0.5 but I can’t see where the filling loop might be. In the photo below I though perhaps I should attach one to what look like valves on the two identical pipes on the left, but these both carry hot water so I guess that’s not it. Excuse the beginner’s ignorance but I’m trying to get a grip on the basics here to maybe avoid having to pay for a plumber (if I can even get one) at this time of year! Also including photos of the hotvwater tank. Last 2 photos show the pipes leading into a pump for showers, don’t think this has anything to do with boiler pressure but including them just in case. Any advice would be much appreciated!
Welcome to the forum. Although you can post in any forum, the USA forum is here in case of local regs or laws
Tell us what type and model of boiler and the set up. Then we will guide you to where and how to give your system a squirt. centralheatking
Thanks for replying, it’s a Vokera Minute 35HE Gas boiler- does that help?
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It’s a system boiler by the way with hot water storage tank upstairs in the hot press
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I can't see a filling loop in any of those pictures I'm afraid. You are looking for something that most likely looks like this - https://www.wolseley.co.uk/wcsstore...roof-pdp-w/std.lang.all/12/91/171291_wpdp.jpg
I just checked your boiler it does not have an internal filling set up. So hopefully somewhere you will find
two x shut off valves a bit like washing machine isolators , even with a shiny silver flexy connector.
Now normally they are close together and under your boiler, but you might find them in a utility cupboard...sometimes and often the loop is missing or lost ...so look around for what Stigster has put up...and report back...we will get you there ...centralheatking
Could it possibly be fed from a (the) tank in the attic with a NR valve, this would give the minimum required pressure of 0.5 bar if the boiler is on the ground floor, it should have its own dedicated tank for this but I think shortcuts (wrongly) are sometimes employed where it is taken from the cold water storage tank, if so then the NRV may be sticking.
It is often teed into the cylinder coil.
It is often teed into the cylinder coil.
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Thank you all so much for your comments, I’m learning a lot! I have searched everywhere but the attic without finding anything resembling a filling loop, but I’ll get up to the attic in a while (kids need feeding, multitasking here!) and will report back. This whole heating/plumbing system was installed about 10 years ago and has given countless problems, and every other plumber who’s visited has been bemused and unimpressed by the way the whole thing was set up - so I’m prepared for anything!
The thing is the flexi might mot be attached and you may have two isolation valves close to each other. Or one of them may be a dounle check valve which looks very similar. In other words the flexi might be hanging up waiting to to attach to the threaded ends of the two valves.
The flexi might not be in the house which is why people leave them attached so they dont get lost.
Water regulations permit the heating end of loops to remain attached when not in use.
Thank you all for your comments. I suspect what John.g. says might be the case. I’ve searched high and low in kitchen and utility and nothing. There’s no sign of a filling loop but I can’t even see anything that I could connect a loop to if I went out and bought it. In the attic I have 2 cold water tanks and nothing resembling a valve either, wonder what a NR valve looks like in case I don’t know how to recognise it. even if I find it, would i be able to fix it? Thanks again!
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Going back to the hot press, could this have something to do with it?
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This is strange, you have two active water tanks in your loft ! go take a picture immediately please
we could all be barking up the wrong tree here. centralheatking
Exactly CHking.
I looked at pictures again. Initially I thought it was an unvented cylinder but on closer inspection it looks like it is but an open vented system?
What is the PRV for that's showing almost 0 pressure?.
It also seems strange to have a TPR valve in a vented cylinder.
If one of the tanks in the attic is much smaller than the othner then that would point to it being a Feed & expansion tank.
If so and a NR valve is fitted then it would be installed on a horizontal section of piping and will look like that attachment, If fitted vertically it will be a spring loaded poppet (and IMO should not be used).
It also seems strange to have a TPR valve in a vented cylinder.
If one of the tanks in the attic is much smaller than the othner then that would point to it being a Feed & expansion tank.
If so and a NR valve is fitted then it would be installed on a horizontal section of piping and will look like that attachment, If fitted vertically it will be a spring loaded poppet (and IMO should not be used).
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The tanks are identical but the one on the right Has a ball valve and seems to be fed by the mains, the one on the left has a pipe from overhead that drips into it - this pipe goes down behind the hot water storage tank in the hot press, maybe to downstairs where the boiler is but I can’t see.
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The PRV beside the hot press that’s showing almost zero pressure? Not sure what it’s doing there but the pressure rises slightly when the heating is on (the same as the pressure gauge on the boiler)
However I can’t see anything that looks like a swing or poppet valve near the cold water tanks - is that where I would find this?
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Maybe should have asked, has the boiler pressure always read 0.5 bar?.
Maybe that's your filling Loop?, you may have a vented hot water cylinder and a unvented heating system? there is a black knob (v/v) on the back of the PRV, you might just see if this is shut, if it is just crack it open a touch to increase the pressure HERE to a a max of 0.3 bar, if it is the filling loop then the boiler pressure will/should increase by the same amount and due to the static head should read ~ 0.8 bar. You may find that the PRV is set to give o,25bar or so here so that (black) valve will be permanently open and the red isolating valve above it is also open so you have a auto fill PRV, I would just check out the status of any isolating valve around this PRV before adjusting anything though.
Maybe that's your filling Loop?, you may have a vented hot water cylinder and a unvented heating system? there is a black knob (v/v) on the back of the PRV, you might just see if this is shut, if it is just crack it open a touch to increase the pressure HERE to a a max of 0.3 bar, if it is the filling loop then the boiler pressure will/should increase by the same amount and due to the static head should read ~ 0.8 bar. You may find that the PRV is set to give o,25bar or so here so that (black) valve will be permanently open and the red isolating valve above it is also open so you have a auto fill PRV, I would just check out the status of any isolating valve around this PRV before adjusting anything though.
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