Heating Boiler Advice please

[Lord Gobby]

Anyone know their central heating systems?

we have experienced issues with the heating in our house since the day we moved in... every winter we get an engineer out to look at it and they say it's fine....

The issue's are.

The radiators upstairs are piping hot, but downstairs they are freezing. we have no zone options or anything like that, just a wireless thermostat & its completely un controllable from the thermostat or the Honeywell control panel...

any guidance on it, or pointing me in the direction of anyone in the Beds/Bucks/Herts area would be really aprreicated

 

[martin thomas]

Have you tried turning off all the upstairs rads manually and seeing if downstairs gets hot? Sounds like a pipe problem or sticking valve. Not expert though, sorry.

 

[Moobs]

sounds like the circulation pump to me. you could try changing the speed and see what happens.

 

[stevorocket]

If its an old system have the downstairs pipe and radiator system power flushed to get rid of sludge and rust.

Then use a rust inhibitor in the header tank.

Then have the system balanced so that the hot water is distributed properly.

Then fit wifi controllable room thermostatic radiator valves for better room by room control.

One thermostat in one place is the worst thing to do for efficient control.

And get a different engineer to do this - your last one sounds like a cowboy.

 

[Hazy]

Danny, the hot water is rushing past the downstairs radiators too quick to get them warm, the system needs balancing, I had to do mine.Its easy.

Turn all the upstairs rads off not with the knob, by taking the cover off and get a spanner on the little valve. The downstairs ones should then get hotter, if they dont shut off the downstairs ones and then go round them one by one opening the little valve just enough so the hot water creeps thru. Repeat this for all rads. Normally each one will need to be open quarter to half a turn tops.

If that fails fook knows

 

[Hazy]

Experiment with the pump speed too, mine works best on slow TBH, trial and error. I assume you have bled all the air out too?

 

[leogemelli]

Agree on all of the above needs balancing also digi stats for upstairs and down ideally three controls one up,one down and one for water job done!

Any so called expert who cannot do this needs a rocket get a good plumber job done heating engineers are generally cocks IMHO

 

[Popey]

Is it a microbore system, or does it have ordinary size pipes?

 

[Phil]

powerflush,balance system....then look at pump size etc

 

[Lord Gobby]

powerflush,balance system....then look at pump size etc

Pipes are normal size, we have been told that the boiler installed by the previous own is on its limit, but we replaced every rad & moved a few 3 years ago when we renovated the house, the system was totally drained and flushed.

We plan to go to install a ground source heat system next year so haven't replaced the boiler...

It's not a basic cheap ass boiler...

Anyone know of a decent company that can come sort it?

 

[Azrael]

Pipes are normal size, we have been told that the boiler installed by the previous own is on its limit, but we replaced every rad & moved a few 3 years ago when we renovated the house, the system was totally drained and flushed.

We plan to go to install a ground source heat system next year so haven't replaced the boiler...

It's not a basic cheap ass boiler...

Anyone know of a decent company that can come sort it?

I've got a good friend who works for British Gas, won't steer you wrong I can get him to give you a call if you send me your number

 

[Radders]

Has it been like this since the system was last charged up? (after the new radiators were fitted)

 

[AndersH]

how hard can it be? just crack open a window!!

 

[So Poo]

Has it been like this since the system was last charged up? (after the new radiators were fitted)

Could be an air lock.

 

[Radders]

Could be an air lock.

Sounds like the pump has gone, do you know where the pump is located? Easy to check if you do know where it's located

 

[Stuart J]

Most of the above suggestions are worth looking at, so is getting a new Engineer if he says downstairs rads being cold are fine.

Once its sorted you could also look at putting thermostatic valves on the upstairs rads, these just go in place of the current valve & are non electronic. That will shut those off once rooms are at the desired temp meaning bedrooms dont get to hot for sleeping & push more water downstairs

These are simple ones http://www.screwfix.com/p/honeywell...tracking url&gclid=CPqdqsb-zbMCFW3MtAoda10Acg You can also get electric programmable ones.

Top Brake works in this field so would be worth a PM for info & possible discount on more controleable ones, I believe you can get wireless ones that talk to a cental controller making them time programable as well, the benefit being bedrooms can be set to come on a certain time before you get up

If you are going to the expense of a new boiler & ground source pumps ( not sure they stack up personally) then investing in the controls wil be of great benefit, no point heating rooms however you do it when heat isnt needed

 

[top brake]

Most of the above suggestions are worth looking at, so is getting a new Engineer if he says downstairs rads being cold are fine.

Once its sorted you could also look at putting thermostatic valves on the upstairs rads, these just go in place of the current valve & are non electronic. That will shut those off once rooms are at the desired temp meaning bedrooms dont get to hot for sleeping & push more water downstairs

These are simple ones http://www.screwfix.com/p/honeywell...tracking url&gclid=CPqdqsb-zbMCFW3MtAoda10Acg You can also get electric programmable ones.

Top Brake works in this field so would be worth a PM for info & possible discount on more controleable ones, I believe you can get wireless ones that talk to a cental controller making them time programable as well, the benefit being bedrooms can be set to come on a certain time before you get up

If you are going to the expense of a new boiler & ground source pumps ( not sure they stack up personally) then investing in the controls wil be of great benefit, no point heating rooms however you do it when heat isnt needed

thanks for the mention Stuart

Danny have a look at www.honeywelluk.com and product www.evohome.info


pm me your address and I can recommend a trained installer near you

 

[89speedster]

heating engineers are generally cocks IMHO

Luke speaks very highly of you too

We plan to go to install a ground source heat system next year so haven't replaced the boiler...

I can help you with this Danny, so let me know when you're ready.

 

[PaulMc]

Danny,

I have a good friend who is a plumber and has done ours and a few other friends. He is the only one I trust now.
He is Gas Safe, takes regular courses in new technologies, is Worcester Bosch certified and recently became certified in Solar Panel installation. He is just starting his certs for ground source heating etc.

He is based in Berkhamsted, so I don't think too far from you, depends where in Bucks you are. If you need or want his details I can put you in touch.

 

[Toby]

I've never found a good plumber yet, all have been hopeless so I now do all boiler repairs, valve changes , electric controls myself, its really not that difficult and saves a fortune in time but more so the aggrevation of crap plumbers!
Your problem could be a number of things but all the above suggestions sound plausible, would start with the cheapest/easiest tests first then work from there.