Few small issues with water in new flat

somerandomusername

The flat I just bought has been vacant for over 6 months, I turned the heating on and quickly realised the boiler pressure was at 0, which I have adjusted and is now working fine staying between 1 and 1.5.

2 of the 4 radiators get red hot very quickly, but the other 2 don't warm up, I can feel a very tiny bit of warmth at the very bottom of the radiator. I'm guessing the fix is to bleed the air out of them? Will get a radiator bleed key today.

However the one that's troubling me is the hot water pressure coming from the kitchen tap is terribly weak, and it's not getting hot. When I turn it on it's cold, then about 15 seconds it starts to get warm, then starts going cold again and remains cold. How would I go about diagnosing this?

I have no issues with the hot water in the bathroom sink, that runs fast and red hot. The shower also runs fast and red hot. The only issue is the kitchen sink. It's a mixer tap if that makes any difference. I checked the valves under the sink and both hot and cold valves are fully open.

Would appreciate some help from a new home owner :)

marcia_

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6658421/few-small-issues-with-water-in-new-flat

I had the same problem with my hot water starting warm then going cold. After a misdiagnosis that cost me £300 the gas engineer said it was the divertor.

somerandomusername

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81912831#Comment_81912831

The boiler was serviced 5 months ago and has not been used since, property completely vacant.

marcia_

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81912834#Comment_81912834

yes my boiler was serviced early October but they are not checking to see if parts need replacing. They are just checking it's safety.

somerandomusername

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81912836#Comment_81912836

OK thanks, I will probably call out an engineer to see if there's an issue then I guess.

WIAWSNB

The fact that it provides lashings of hot water via basin taps and the shower, suggests the boiler is working just fine.

It's more likely an issue with the kitchen tap. Pic of tap, please?

As for the non-heating rads, yes a 'bleed' is always a good first call to make, but it's more likely to be stuck TRVs. Again, pics of the rad valves on each rad, please.

When you 'bleed', as you probably know, the boiler pressure may fall - depends on how much comes out. So re-top to around 1 bar as you already have.

Qs:

Please report back on what comes out the rad bleed screws.

Collect some bled 'system' water in a glass, and check its colour - again, please report back.

Give the water a good sniff - please report back.

Check to see if your boiler CH return pipe has a magnetic filter on it.

Happy New Flat. :-)

bjorn_toby_wilde

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81912839#Comment_81912839

If there’s plenty of hot water to the other taps then the problem isn’t likely to be the boiler. Don’t call out an engineer until you’ve investigated that tap. It’s likely that particular tap or the valves underneath the sink are the problem. Maybe there’s an airlock in the pipe? If the tap hasn’t been used in a while it’s also possible that something’s stuck (a washer/ceramic cart maybe?)

If the pressure at the boiler was at zero that suggests someone drained or partially drained it as the flat would be vacant over the winter. Bleeding the rads and topping up the system should sort it as WIASWNB says.

Albermarle

 Bleeding the rads and topping up the system should sort it as WIASWNB says.

For clarity what WIASWNB said, ( and I agree) is that bleeding the radiators is a sensible first step, but more likely it is something else. Such as the TRVs are stuck down after not being used for a while, or maybe the lockshield valves have been turned down too far.

somerandomusername

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81912936#Comment_81912936

I fixed the 2 dead rads. I bled them but it didn't solve anything but I saw a video about the "lock shield valve". I turned them with a spanner and and bled them again and hey presto, both are now working perfectly. All 4 rads are boiling hot.

Here's a photo of the taps. Really appreciate your willingness to help :)

I already tried turning off the red lever , unscrewing the hose and checking for blocks but could not see anything really but not sure.

Edit: Sorry I didn't get chance to sniff the water haha but only a few drips came out before I shut off the bleed nozzle thing, water looked clear to me.

EssexExile

My tap is similar to that, from Wickes, and the flow is adequate but nothing special. Have you tried unscrewing the bit on the end of the spout to see if it's blocked?

Section62

This is likely to be your problem… the valve is partially turned off.

Before touching it, beware there may be a reason why someone has left the valve in that position - for example that turning it fully on might cause a leak. The state the valves are in suggests there is a good chance you may get a leak.

You might want to delay your further investigations until a weekday…. emergency plumber callouts at the weekend cost more.