Black walls?

[carl rugman]

Hi guys

I have a question which is puzzling me. I have just come back from my parents house and have noticed that they have black sooty walls above their rads. Thay have a worcester heatslave oil boiler. The house doesnt smell of fumes. it is if the rads are full of oil but they are not and they dont leak. Any ideas

Carl
plumbing trainee

 

[SimonJohns]

Lol. It's because they don't keep the dust under control. It rises in the convection current of the radiator and marks walls.

 

[SimonG]

Dust and muck, sounds bad but see it a lot, sucked up and brushing against wall from convection from rads.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

sounds like mould to me is there much moisture in the air? or even dirt lol

 

[SimonG]

Must type quicker 🙂 🙂 🙂

 

[PlumbBobBob]

it's the curse of the two fingered typer lol.

 

[burdec]

It seems to me, that if the blackening is within approx 12"/18" of the radiator tops, and when you wipe with your finger little or no difference ( like wiping dust /just spreads), then its dust....as already suggested.
If its higher up ( the higher , the more likely it may be mould)

 

[REDSAW]

have they got an open fire?.

 

[carl rugman]

They have an open gas fire but rarely use it.

 

[REDSAW]

my guess, soot blowing down chimney and rising on rad therm current up wall.

 

[AWheating]

you need a gas safe engineer to clean the walls for you 🙂, they are not cheap tho.

 

[CMairiD]

I have a pretty powerful steam cleaner that I use to shoot down the rads. Do that a few times a year to clear out the dust and such.