Can I close the bypass gate valve?

[weaver]

My y plan central heating system is 13 years old and has a a 2009 honeywell 3 position diverter valve. Will it be safe to completely close the bypass gate valve , to save wasting heat and helping flow to the radiators?
Thanks!

 

[plumber0808]

Get a auto bypass fitted or leave the existing gate valve as it is.

 

[Rickster123]

If you have a radiator of a resonable size with no thermostat fitted to it then I don't believe you require a bypass on a y-plan system. But I wait to be shot down now!

 

[tamz]

You can safely shut it unless every radiator has a trv on.
A diverter valve always has one way open so doesn't need a bypass unless the system is fully trv'd. If all rads have a trvs it needs an auto bypass valve which will only open if required.

 

[weaver]

You can safely shut it unless every radiator has a trv on.
A diverter valve always has one way open so doesn't need a bypass unless the system is fully trv'd. If all rads have a trvs it needs an auto bypass valve which will only open if required.

Thanks for the replies!
All rads are trv'd except the hall radiator where the thermostat is.

 

[lame plumber]

are you sure its a bypass and not a balancing valve on the cyl flow to stop the cyl taking all the heat when both circuits demanding heat

 

[weaver]

are you sure its a bypass and not a balancing valve on the cyl flow to stop the cyl taking all the heat when both circuits demanding heat

Good point. The 22mm flow pipe straight after the pump has a tee of 15mm going to this gate in question. ( just before the 3 way diverter)Then it carries on and joins with the bottom 22mm pipe from the hot water tank. This pipe I presume is the return back to the boiler. Can you tell f rom this explanation that its the bypass?

 

[diamondgas]

My y plan central heating system is 13 years old and has a a 2009 honeywell 3 position diverter valve. Will it be safe to completely close the bypass gate valve , to save wasting heat and helping flow to the radiators?
Thanks!

:welcome: to the forum weaver 🙂

Great advice above if I may say! An auto bi-pass is the best option as it opens and closes to keep an efficient flow through the heating system. Sounds like you're having issues with radiators not heating as you'd like though? There may be an underlying cause needing investigating IMHO 🙂

 

[tamz]

Thats a bypass. Shut it.

 

[gassafe]

Worcester new installation manuals state no bypass needed on 3 port installations with am open bypass rad!

I sometimes close em off, if I think it's pinching flow from the system! After checks of course

 

[weaver]

:welcome: to the forum weaver 🙂

Great advice above if I may say! An auto bi-pass is the best option as it opens and closes to keep an efficient flow through the heating system. Sounds like you're having issues with radiators not heating as you'd like though? There may be an underlying cause needing investigating IMHO 🙂

Many thanks for the reply and welcome. What a great forum this is....

Some of the downstairs radiators failed to get warm properly after the system was drained, and rads emptied out and flushed. Then i noticed the gate valve, the one i assume is the bypass, was fully open. I closed it to a quarter turn open, and this seems to have cured the flow problem. Just wondered if it was safe to close the gate valve completely, hence the post.

 

[gassafe]

Seems daft having a gate valve as a bypass! The boiler heats the waster & then puts it straight back into the cold return! Wasteful!

 

[gassafe]

And yes, this is a great forum :santa_smiley:

 

[weaver]

Seems daft having a gate valve as a bypass! The boiler heats the waster & then puts it straight back into the cold return! Wasteful!

Thats what I thought! Morris homes 2000 vintage. That must of been the way they did stuff then, I guess.

 

[diamondgas]

Many thanks for the reply and welcome. What a great forum this is....

Some of the downstairs radiators failed to get warm properly after the system was drained, and rads emptied out and flushed. Then i noticed the gate valve, the one i assume is the bypass, was fully open. I closed it to a quarter turn open, and this seems to have cured the flow problem. Just wondered if it was safe to close the gate valve completely, hence the post.

Yeh shut it off!! I recollect a quater turn being about right from when i use to fit them :lol: