Rads won't heat up

[dangitdoit]

Hi guys, hope someone here can help. Here goes with the full story -

This is at a relative's house and she's a bit hazy on some details - Her rads were at best luke warm to cold and could only get enough hot water to dampen the bath.

She called a heating engineer, who wanted to powerflush for £480 +vat + £70 for plumbing parts, saying it would take two men all day.

I found the F&E ball valve stuck shut and virtually no water in the tank. Freed the ballvalve, tank refilled and the rads got hotter, but not really hot.

This lasted for about 3 days untill her rads returned to being cold again. I squeezed down most of the rad lockshields to direct heat to the most useful rads. However after a few days all the rads are back to being cold.

So I drained-down and removed 5 of the 8 rads and flushed through in both directions with a hosepipe but it made no improvement. Rads remain cold.

The next evening she heard a prolonged lound screeching noise from the boiler, and switched it off.

I replaced the pump, although left the flow valve as pretty sure it's ok, refilled and bled for air. There was a lot of sticky black gunge on the the pipe walls and I flicked-out some debris lingering on the pump isolation valves - still no change. The gas boiler will fire-up for 2 minutes then cut off.

BTW boiler is Ideal Classic FF340.

I'm only a diyer...............and stuck. Any ideas?

 

[ally]

sounds like the heat exchanger is blocked NOT A JOB FOR A DIYER if you keep trying to run the boiler the H/EX could burst.

 

[lame plumber]

sounds more like the original engineer had it right, all she needs to do is get a couple more quotes and for you to leave well alone.

 

[ally]

sounds like the heat exchanger is blocked NOT A JOB FOR A DIYER if you keep trying to run the boiler the H/EX could burst.

i should of posted you need a powerflush or your heat exchanger could burst.

 

[Ermintrude]

As long as you are prepared for a new boiler when if she splits and u keep your grubby DIY mitts off the boiler and any other gas appliance then;

Install a magnetic filter on return to boiler ( before pump) drain system. Pour 2 bottles of x400 into Magnaclean. ( so it's conc in boiler) leave it for. 5 hours cold) connect mains cold water via a double check valve and a hose into flow above boiler and a hose from the return to a suitable drain . Let the water run slowly then faster until it's clear.

Re connect flow and return. In to clean and dry headder with a new valve add 2l of x800 fill system and run boiler on 1/4 temp for few hrs. Emptying mag a required. Turn up to 1/2 for hour and the repeat until at full power for a few hours. Next day dump water fill and empty system giving a 1/2 temp flush each time then refill with 2l of scale and noise reducer and 1l of x400. Use boiler at 3/4 temp for two weeks. Drain down flush out hot and then add 3l of x100. Jobs a good one. Remember to keep checking Magnaclean. Oh and the gas police check for fingerprints!

Alternately get lads in for a hex flush?

 

[Nostrum]

Just looked on company check and ermintrude is showing as the M.D of sentinel products which was a surprise...

 

[Ermintrude]

Just looked on company check and ermintrude is showing as the M.D of sentinel products which was a surprise...

My shares have gone up in value thanks to product sales. Don't actually use them we have our own made by a company in Blackburn but the codes are easier to remember and most people understand them, bit like Yorkshire fittings?

 

[Nostrum]

And hoovers?

 

[dangitdoit]

Thanks guys, like Clint Eastwood said - a man's gotta know his limitations.