Cool radiator

heatherw_01

I have a combi boiler with 6 radiators. The radiator in the living room is warmish at the top and cooler at the bottom. I know that it is probably sludge but it is not that hot at the top anyway.

Does it need re-balancing as well as flushing out?

It has had inhibitor in before but it never made much of a difference.

If it needs re-balancing and flushing how hard is this?
Do I need to drain the boiler if I took the radiator off?

I have looked at guides about flushing and balacing the system but I am still quite clueless.

Would it be easier to get someone in to do it all?

Many thanks in advance.

cattie

Maybe the radiator just needs bleeding. This is what I do when I find when one half of the radiator is hot & the other cold & it always does the trick.

heatherw_01

I forgot to say that I did bleed it and it didn't get any warmer

Almost_Redundant

It does sound like a sludge problem. If its affecting one radiator then you can bet some of the others are affected. How old is the system?

Flushing the system out isnt too difficult but you will need the right tools / skills as it can be messy. Would recommend getting in a proffessional if in any doubt. Costs will vary considerably so be careful when obtaining quotes. I wouldnt pay more than a few hundred pounds.

plumb1_2

If it has a Trv fitted ,take the head off a see if the pin is not stuck.

cardiffkjk

Our radiators are having this problem too.We have british gas breakdown cover.During our yearly boiler check mentioned that one of our radiators was cold despite it being bled.The gas man said it was due to a build up of sludge and that this problem was not covered by breakdown policy! Not impressed when he then stated that british gas would charge around £500.
We have put the heating on for the first time this evening only to find that all the radiators are now cold.Any suggestions?
Thanks in anticipation

plumb1_2

cardiffkjk wrote:

Our radiators are having this problem too.We have british gas breakdown cover.During our yearly boiler check mentioned that one of our radiators was cold despite it being bled.The gas man said it was due to a build up of sludge and that this problem was not covered by breakdown policy! Not impressed when he then stated that british gas would charge around £500.
We have put the heating on for the first time this evening only to find that all the radiators are now cold.Any suggestions?
Thanks in anticipation

Call British gas,as you have breakdown cover,it could be a pump,programmer,zone-valve.
Is you stat turned up?
And dont pay BG £500 for a power flush.

moneysavingplumber

British Gas cover doesn't cover sludge or blockages as far as I know, so don't sign up for their £500 de-sludge as plumb1 says!

I wouldn't recommend attempting desludging as a DIY job, but a decent plumber shouldn't really charge any more than £150-£200 for a non-power desludge, depending on the size of system, whether pressurised or not (injectible chemicals are more than twice the price of pour-in chemicals), and levels of sludging. If it's heavily sludged then the plumber would normally make two visits, one to add the chemicals and then again a few days later to drain, flush and refill adding inhibitor.

ollywood68

I had this problem with the very last radiator in my house. It doesnt need bleeding, as if it did it would be cold at top and warm at bottom.

I spoke to a plummer who gave me advice on what to do. There a basically 2 values on each heater (now I am not sure of the technical terms) one to switch it on and off and adjust the heat and this is the one you ajust most often, while the other valve is often never touched. It is this latter one that needs adjusted. Basically this value adjusts the pressure at which the water goes thru the whole system and there may not be enough pressure to sort this heater out.. The more open these valve are, the less pressure in the system (which is actually the opposite of what I throught it would be).

Close all these valves in all heaters tight, then switch the heating on. then go round and turn them all on by one full turn. wait to see if the heat is any better in the problem heater. Then continue this process but turn each on by a further 1/4 or 1/2 turn (TAKE YOUR TIME) give it time between each change to see whether the heaters are working better. THIS PROCESS TAKES TIME AND PATIENCE (MAYBE AN HOUR). In theory these valves will never need to be on full. If u try this, let me know how you get on. my heater now works sound. and I have never touched these valves again

heatherw_01

Almost_Redundant wrote:

It does sound like a sludge problem. If its affecting one radiator then you can bet some of the others are affected. How old is the system?

Flushing the system out isnt too difficult but you will need the right tools / skills as it can be messy. Would recommend getting in a proffessional if in any doubt. Costs will vary considerably so be careful when obtaining quotes. I wouldnt pay more than a few hundred pounds.

The boiler is under 5 years old but the radiators themselves are well over 10 years old.

BlueVinney

Talking to a BG fitter I'm told that if BG fit a new boiler into an old system they include a powerflush in the cost. If the problem comes back within a time period (can't remember what that period is) they will repeat the powerflush for free.

Don't know if this applies to you.