Radiators work even when heating is turned off

Philip624

As the title suggests when our Gas Central Heating is turned off at the wall controls the radiators stay hot and the only way to make them go off is to go around and physically turn off all of the individual thermostats on them.

We have recently had a towel rail installed in the bathroom and I think it is only since that was done that we have this issue. I can understand if maybe this was done so that you could still use the towel rail in summer whilst the heating is off but does this would mean in winter when the heating is controlled by a timer we would have to go round turning off all the individual thermostats overnight?

dori2o

Philip624 wrote: »

As the title suggests when our Gas Central Heating is turned off at the wall controls the radiators stay hot and the only way to make them go off is to go around and physically turn off all of the individual thermostats on them.

We have recently had a towel rail installed in the bathroom and I think it is only since that was done that we have this issue. I can understand if maybe this was done so that you could still use the towel rail in summer whilst the heating is off but does this would mean in winter when the heating is controlled by a timer we would have to go round turning off all the individual thermostats overnight?

is it the same for radiators upstairs and downstairs or are you all on one level?

Can you switch your boiler to DHW only?

Lincoln_Imp

Could be the 3 port valve stuck letting hot water through to the radiators

Mr_Ted

:eek: As it seems to be since the towel rail install I would suspect that:eek:

Maybe the installer has cross connected pipework from the Hot Water Primaries to the Heating;)

Philip624

dori2o wrote: »

is it the same for radiators upstairs and downstairs or are you all on one level?

Can you switch your boiler to DHW only?

Yes its the same upstairs and downstairs. DHW? does this mean Direct Hot Water? This is what it is on, hot water only with the heating turned off. Previously we were able to leave all of our radiators with valves open at the mid point and if the system was on hot water only then they would not come on, now they do unless we turn all of the radiators off at their individual thermostats.

This has only happened since the towel rad was fitted, and that works off the central heating in the same way as the radiators and has a thermostat, I am not sure if it is as a result of that work or just coincidence that it is now playing up.

cyclonebri1

Philip624 wrote: »

As the title suggests when our Gas Central Heating is turned off at the wall controls the radiators stay hot and the only way to make them go off is to go around and physically turn off all of the individual thermostats on them.

If you can't control the heating from the controls, you have a control issue, but, you haven't said if it only runs hot when the HW is on but the CH is off?????

If that is the case the earlier post re 3 port or possibly 1 of the 2 port diverter valves is probably correct.

More detail required please

keystone

A conventional vented system allows a towel rail to be added to the primary circuit so that it will operate when the DHW (Domestic Hot Water) is on. If the installer has cross connected the CH circuit to the primary circuit (as Ted mentions) you may have a problem associated with the competance of the installer.

Alternatively it could just be that on your fully pumped vented system the three port valve is nerfed. It may be a total coincidence that its happened at the same time or it may be that in doing the installation he has stirred up some carp in the pipework which has found its way into the valve and partially blocked it prevent it closing altogether thus permitting hot system water to flow to the CH circuit when the DHW is on. In any event he needs to come back and give it the once over.

BTW what is your system configuration?

Cheers

Philip624

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

If you can't control the heating from the controls, you have a control issue, but, you haven't said if it only runs hot when the HW is on but the CH is off?????

If that is the case the earlier post re 3 port or possibly 1 of the 2 port diverter valves is probably correct.

More detail required please

The rads still come on when the system is set to hot water only (i.e, heating turned off) if the valves on them are open. Its not a case of them only coming on when the hot water is actually running throught the tap. If we close the valves they dont come on, this is fine for summer but will be a bit annoying come winter time if the only way we can turn them off is to physically do it at the rads all the time.

I am not sure what the installer could have done wrong as the towel radiator replaced an existing radiator and it connects at the two points the radiator sat on, i.e no new pipework was necessary.

macman

Sounds more like a sticking 3 port valve, go and waggle the lever on it a bit to see if its frees off.
I assume that you have a conventional boiler and not a combi. If a combi, the diverter valve is possibly sticking.

cyclonebri1

I don't think the problem is related to to the new towel rail, whatever valve controls flow through the system.it's stuck to heating only, unless the programmer is duff;)

keystone

Philip624 wrote: »

I am not sure what the installer could have done wrong as the towel radiator replaced an existing radiator and it connects at the two points the radiator sat on, i.e no new pipework was necessary.

In that case and assuming you have a conventional vented system then its your motorised valve which has either failed coincidentally or has got carp in it from the installation work and isn't closing properly.

Alternatively if you have a combi and the towel rail is on the CH side then you have no choice but to have the heating on when you want the towel rail on as it won't work with the DHW. If the heating is apparently still operating withn DHW on and CH off and it isn't a controls issue the only possible explanation is that the diverter valve in the combi has now either failed (again perhaps coincidentally) or got carp in it.

There are other system configurations possible but I don't have time to write (nor you to read) a tome equivalent to War and Peace. If you would be kind enough to confirm your system configuration as already requested then perhaps more help can be given.

Cheers