Power flushes / rads not heating up - HELP PLEASE!

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

Not sure how to turn that rad off as there’s no TRV

 

[gmartine]

That's ok the bath rad doesn't usually have a TRV, are any of the pipes leading up to the bath rad hot? Do any of the radiators need bleeding?

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

the pipes leading to the rads appear to be cooling down now but the rads are still hot

 

[Riley]

One end will spin and spin the other will close down

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

There is still no change to the two rads downstairs

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

One end will spin and spin the other will close down

Yes I think I’ve tirned the bathroom one off now! Thank you

 

[Riley]

Is anyone competent enough there to crack open one of the radiator valves and see if the water is mucky

 

[Riley]

Could be a combination of dirty system and weak pump

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

Could be a combination of dirty system and weak pump

Thank you. So would you recommend having a system flush? Are they effective.
It’s odd that first of all there was one rad not working, then two upstairs and now two downstairs!

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

The plumber that came here said that the water in the heating system is very clean so no need to flush the system...but that was when he fixed the non working kitchen rad and before we had the problem with the two upstairs rads and now just the downstairs 2 rads

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

Is anyone competent enough there to crack open one of the radiator valves and see if the water is mucky

Definitely not LOL!

 

[gmartine]

Find another plumber, make sure he tests the pump and all the TRV's before deciding to go ahead with a powerflush. A heavy duty cleaner (if that is the issue) should be able to get your system going without the need for a powerflush in my opinion.

 

[Riley]

If it’s just downstairs then pump would be my bet as long as water is clean

 

[ShaunCorbs]

i would change the pump as its lasted well, i would say its the same pump as when they put the system in

 

[RoryD]

Small bore pipework will block very much easier than 15mm pipe. Clearing it is so difficult. A heavy dose of cleanser is required and also a Magenetic Filter to collect the deposits as they are loosened. Clearly a flush is needed. That damned microbore again!!

 

[ballvalve]

Small bore pipework will block very much easier than 15mm pipe. Clearing it is so difficult. A heavy dose of cleanser is required and also a Magenetic Filter to collect the deposits as they are loosened. Clearly a flush is needed. That damned microbore again!!

Small bore is 15 mm pipework.

 

[Riley]

Was always of the impression that small bore was up to 12mm

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

Was always of the impression that small bore was up to 12mm

Yep, it looks like we have microbore upstairs and 15mm copper pipe downstairs.....sounds a bit weird for a 25 year old house. I guess we’ll never find out the reason why!

 

[Frog67]

Can you get to the small tank in the loft and photo the water that's inside it? Dirty water inside the tank can help diagnose problems.
Also with the heating on, run your hand over the radiators, They should be warm / hot all over. Any cold spots will indicate a build up of sludge within the system.

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

Can you get to the small tank in the loft and photo the water that's inside it? Dirty water inside the tank can help diagnose problems.
Also with the heating on, run your hand over the radiators, They should be warm / hot all over. Any cold spots will indicate a build up of sludge within the system.

That’s a good idea, I’ll go up and take a look when I have some good light...thanks for the idea