Too many rads for my boiler ?

planning_officer

keystone wrote: »

BTW putting a radiator in your conservatory has technically changed its status to extension. You might like - not now but sometime - to check where you stand in relation to planning. You have a converted garage and a conservatory which is now an extension. You may have exceeded permitted development allowances ...

A conservatory is an extension. Under Class A of the GPDO (re. permitted development rights), you can extend a house, subject to complying with various criteria - it makes no difference if the extension is made of brick or glass - it's still an extension. Class A makes no distinction between brick built extensions or conservatories. Putting a radiator into a conservatory does not suddenly change the status of the extension in terms of permitted development.

PrivateRyan

Keystone, I've done as you've said - and the house is warm, with the exception of the conservatory rad. Last night, i managed to get one of the 3 rads boiling hot and one of the other luke warm. If i can replicate this later today, i am going to allow it to get very hot, then close the flow value and hope that heat transfers to the remaining two rads. If there's a blockage, perhaps it will push it through.

Thanks for all your advice.

PrivateRyan

Ok - this isn't to scale, but isn't a mile off. Thick black lines denote radiators, it's the conservatory, kitchen and bathroom that are all struggling. See the rad in the Hall/Porch - my pal took the floor boards up in the strudy (directly above it) and brought down two pipes. That rad works fine and has done for a good while now. The conservatory however, he took the two pipes from the bathroom - and has never really worked all that well.

keystone

PrivateRyan wrote: »

Keystone, I've done as you've said - and the house is warm, with the exception of the conservatory rad. Last night, i managed to get one of the 3 rads boiling hot and one of the other luke warm. If i can replicate this later today, i am going to allow it to get very hot, then close the flow value and hope that heat transfers to the remaining two rads. If there's a blockage, perhaps it will push it through.

Thanks for all your advice.

Mornin'

I've still got a niggling little feeling in my water that there's air involved in this one rather than anything else. Can you release some water from the conservatory rad without doing any damage? For example can you easily get at the flow pipework under the floor level and if theres just a void underneath crack open a joint and just let some water leave the system until it starts to get hot. Reconnect and see what happens. If the rad heats up and stays hot and the return pipe is also hot well and good. If the rad then does heat up but then stops and cools down again repeat for the return leg.

If this gets you up and running then we'll have a go at balancing the system.

Cheers

PrivateRyan

Morning pal. Right, i'll have a look - but honestly, this has me a little worried.

I don't suppose i could use the bleed and let it be open for a while ?

marsden1002

It won't work.

If you have left the one rad open for 4 hours and nothing is coming throu, the pump should force and air into the rad.

You can try to crack a nut and see if any hot water comes throu, but your rad maybe blocked or a one pipe system depending on boiler / system age

keystone

PrivateRyan wrote: »

Morning pal. Right, i'll have a look - but honestly, this has me a little worried.

I don't suppose i could use the bleed and let it be open for a while ?

yes you could but you'll need to stand over it with a bucket under it and it will take a lot longer though.

Off out in a bit - EID wants to do shopping (!).

Cheers

keystone

marsden1002 wrote: »

It won't work.

Why?

If you have left the one rad open for 4 hours and nothing is coming throu, the pump should force and air into the rad.

True and this is the next stage if that hasn't worked.

You can try to crack a nut and see if any hot water comes throu,

Yes you could but if he prefers (or sees less risk in) letting it out of the bleed valve then thats OK. It'll just take longer. I thought you said such an approach won't work?

but your rad maybe blocked

You could be right - my gut feel is still air in flow or return though.

or a one pipe system depending on boiler / system age

The rad is a recent addition including pipework but we don't know yet just exactly HOW it is piped.

Cheers

PrivateRyan

I've been under the floor boards in the downstairs toilet where the conservatory rad was taken from. It's a raised floor, so i've no worries about water leaking/draining.

I've tracked a pipe from the LSV side of the bathroom rad that goes towards the conservatory rad. It's connected with a plastic 3-way (T-Piece?). Anyway, the pipe is boiling hot going in and out of the T piece, but is cold on the length going towards the conservatory rad (plastic pipe).

I've double checked the conservatory rad, it's fully on.

I'm also off out for a while - speak l8r folks.

keystone

Plastic pipe unsupported? Bends down like a banana at at least one point I'll bet and that'll be where the problem lies. Installer created perfect conditions for an airlock to form. Give it a bit of a shake and see what happens.

Cheers