balancing radiators

silvercar

Had plumbers here this morning moving a radiator. The actual moving went OK but a bit of a nightmare when they came to switch everything back on.
They are coming back in the morning so any advice before then would be appreciated.

They had drained half the system (upstairs rads only) so first there was a massive amount of air in the boiler. That dealt with, the rads went back on and took ages to heat up. In fact 3 of them wouldn't heat up so they turned the ones that had heated up off, to encourage the water to flow round to the others. Two then slowly drifted into action but the one in my main lounge was stone cold. After 5 hours I turned another rad off and the lounge one eventually got hot.

Plumbers coming back tomorrow to try and balance everything. As I'm being billed by the hour any advice would be appreciated.

--Tony--

silvercar wrote:

Had plumbers here this morning moving a radiator. The actual moving went OK but a bit of a nightmare when they came to switch everything back on.
They are coming back in the morning so any advice before then would be appreciated.

They had drained half the system (upstairs rads only) so first there was a massive amount of air in the boiler. That dealt with, the rads went back on and took ages to heat up. In fact 3 of them wouldn't heat up so they turned the ones that had heated up off, to encourage the water to flow round to the others. Two then slowly drifted into action but the one in my main lounge was stone cold. After 5 hours I turned another rad off and the lounge one eventually got hot.

Plumbers coming back tomorrow to try and balance everything. As I'm being billed by the hour any advice would be appreciated.

Its due to air in your system, this is often caused when you only drain half the system is always better to drain it right out and I have been caught out many times by trying to save time and only draining half the system (i'm in the trade).

Your method is correct, turn all the rads that are working off and allow the pump to force the flow through the ones with the airlocks, I expect your system is fully pumped (most are, assuming its not a combi), turning off your how water will help as this adds more "force" to the problem rads. Don't worry if your not sure if its fully pumped turning off the hot water wont harm anything.

Bleed the rads and maybe turn it on and off a few times to make the pump surge, your plumber may do this at the pump tomorrow but I wont try to explain how to do that.

If all the above fails check your pump, it will have several speeds (often 1-3), put it on max for an hour while repeating everything above but remember to return it back to how you found it.

Good luck...

robwend

when we have taken rads off to decorate our combi goes nuts, best way to stabilise system is too run all the taps. my god they go bang!! lol

silvercar

Plumbers came back. There was one radiator that took ages to get any heat, even with the others turned off. They decided that the valve on the "return" end was stopping the flow so replaced that with a TRV and everything is working now!

jimmmyc

Whats a TRV?

robwend

is it a std?

silvercar

jimmmyc wrote:

Whats a TRV?

Thermostatic radiator valve.

Dial on the radiator knob that controls when the rad goes on and off according to the room temp.

plumb1_2

robwend wrote:

is it a std?

Are you still taking the Amocicillian?