all radiators not heating up Help and information on all topics relating to your central heating, air conditioning and ventilation issues.

[braddie]

i have an ideal classic rs boiler. my hot water is ok but only my upstairs radiators come on. if i turn the upstairs off 3 out of 4 of the downstairs rads come on. have had a new pump fitted which i'm told is powerful enough to supply a 3 storey house i have 8 rads in total. still not working. so i was advised to have a powerflush at great cost. guess what still no change. this is all on the advise of the plumber who actually fitted the system 10 years ago and he had the cheek 2 tell me he's not a plumber.... he's a heating engineer!!!! are there any real heating engineers out there that can help me..... please!!

[htg engineer]

check pump setting, turn up to III if not already set to that - vent pump and radiators. See how that goes, powerflushing is easy money and a rip off alot of the time, don't just accept one persons say so get a few plumbers to take a look. Normally powerflushing can be avoided.

[roger196]

Are there TRV's ( thermostatic radiator valves) fitted to the upstairs radiators.
Have you tried balancing the system ( by adjusting the lockshield valve at the other end of the rad to the TRV).
When upstairs rads are off, the non working downstairs rad probably has an airlock. (Apart from the obvious of bleeding this rad.) Check that the lockshield valve is open and that the TRV is fully open on this rad( check that the central pin has lifted by removing the top off the TRV...no pipework needs to be undone for this), then one by one close the other rads( except one) to force water thru this one.
Some modern systems have a separate CH circuit for upstairs from downstairs controlled by a diverter valve. If this is the case check the working of this valve. One should be able to hear the mechanism moving and feel the hot water flow by touching the pipe ten inches from the valve.

[DONFRAMAC]

Try balancing the rads. by first almost closing-off the manual isolator valves to the upstairs rads, so that a setting of 4 on their thermostatic valves still give enough heat;---- then you should get flow downstairs, where you should also balance the rad inputs. Check the needle inside the thermostatic valve on the cold rad. is free to move by removing the head and pushing the pin in and out. Sometimes it gets stuck with hard deposits, which can respond to a careful tap with a small hammer.
Some people resort to removing the rad. to outside, and flushing it with the garden hose.
Personally, I just dumped the rad. and fitted new valves, after running a lot of water thro' the pipes and recharged the system using fresh anti-corrosion inhibitor.
( Obviously your rads. that have just manual valves need to be closed-off while you are trying to encourage flow to return to your problem rad.)

[braddie]

thanks 2 all 4 your replies. my pump is set to 3 have bled rads and tried balancing. all lockshields r open. i have no trv's. i can get every rad workin individually if i close all the others off. my plumber now seems 2 think theres a blockage in the boiler. don't know if i have a diverter valve but he put the system in so he would know and thought of this..... d'ya think!