Marc W

No jokes, no funnies - just a boring request about my central heating system so close this email now if you don't care!!

Advice from a plumber required please...

My heating system is currently driving me mad - its a 5 year old flat with standard gas boiler and radiators, water tank and 2 heated towel radiators in the bathrooms.

Every night the boiler and water pump will not switch off. The HW and CH on the timer control both switch off at 22.30 but the boiler continues to light anyway and the heated radiators in the bathroom continue to switch on - there must be a timing control for them somewhere but I can't find it.

Not just that but when the boiler does light the pipes around it just 'click' and 'bang' for a few seconds and the boiler turns off again before trying to relight again 1 bloody minute later. It lights and runs ok when hot water is needed but once there is plenty of hot water it starts the banging and cutting out again. Too much/not enough pressure in the system? The pressume gauge reads at just under 2. All the time the bloody water pump won't stop and shut up either.

Switching the boiler off doesn't stop the water pump running. I finally turned the boiler off at the mains and that stopped the water pump as well.

Anyone understand these system and can help me out here (and yes I am about to call someout out but thought I'd check here first...)

Thanks

Marc

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

My mate has just had a similar problem. At first, we suspected the programmer, but that was working fine. Then we traced the problem to a 3-way motorised valve stuck in the open position. Removing the feed wire to this, makes the rest of the system work fine. When we replaced the valve electrical solenoid, it was all working again.
Any help?
Alcazar

Marc W

Sounds like it makes sense Alcazar. Cheers. There are an extra couple of bits on the system that look like motorised valves of some desciption but I don't know what each does.

Time to call British Gas 3* me thinks.....

scooby nutter

Yep,either a Y plan(1,3port divertor valve)or a S Plan(2 seperate zone valves)are stuck or have been wedged in the open position.

There should be 1 or 2 silver boxes with pipes going into/out of them.the boxes have a small lever on the side which can be moved/or wedged open for filling purposes.inside is a small syncron motor which powers the unit oopen/close/mid position,depending on heating/water required.

Try moving the lever back and forth see if it feels jammed.
If it is jammed i doubt a new motor(£10)will cure it.It will need a new complete valve.sometimes its the motor which has worn out and is a simple job to replace,but yours sound as if the valve has jammed in one position.

Hope that helps.

Duncan,Corgi gas engineer

Marc W

Duncan

That is really helpful mate. There is a silver box with a little lever exactly as you described. I looked at it last night, had a fiddle with the little lever and pushed it upwards towards the manual setting and it sounded like a load of water surged through so I just sh*t myself and decided it really was time to leave it all alone.

The fact that I pushed the lever and it sounded like it was opening would suggest this valve isn't broken though?

Marc

scooby nutter

Marc
No problem,glad i could help.

Sounds like someone has wedged it open because the motor is faulty.
Try a new syncron motor in it,they are easy to fit but make sure the electric(ch/hw circuit is off)remove the fuse.To be extra safe switch the mains off at the electric meter box.

1 screw at the end of the silver cover
pull cover off,depending on type there may be 1 or 2 screws holding the motor,unscrew both or 1 and slide motor to the side and lift out.
snip wires or undo the connectors,put new motor in and connect up with electric things supplied in snycron packet.
put screws in and turn electric on and test

Be careful if your doing it yourself as sometimes they are put in a right B****** place and its really hard to get the screws out without dropping them!!They dont usually supply new screws with the new motor!!!
sometimes you need to use a mirror etc etc!!!

good luck
(disclaimer:i cannot be held responsible if you blow yourself up!!)

Duncan

AnDy_PaNdY

I replaced my motor earlier this year as it was knackered, it's a simple job for a novice and cheap too.
No point paying a plumber for something you can easily do yourself.
Good luck.

scooby nutter

No point paying a plumber for something you can easily do yourself

I'd be out of a job if everyone thought like that

dsmith

Wrong - if everyone thought like that you would make an absolute killing from exorbitant emergency call-out fees to put right countless F**k ups

Jolly Green Monster 2

Central Heating.... arrrgggghhhh.... :angry:

My Oil fired central heating leaked oil all over the kitchen floor at the weekend... was coked up to glory when I got in there and oil seaped up the coke and out the ignitor body..

Ended up stripping and cleaning the whole thing and a day off work but all working great...

Headed off for the week last ngiht, wife rings me this morning to say the boiler is now tripping the electric!!! damn thing..

Shame I live in the middle of no where and therefore no gas supply.. sounds like I must have annoyed some of the electrics when I took it apart..

Have to have a look at the weekend..

JGM :annoyed at central heating:

chockymonster

Grrrrrrrrr I hate central heating.

Currently have to put up with having the radiators on full whack when we have hot water.
Replaced the 2 way valve for the radiators, same still happens.
Only have the HW turned on and we still get hot water.
Can I work out why? B*ll*cks can I!

Jolly Green Monster 2

Get that too Choccymonster...

In my house it is the upstairs radiators only.. the capilery(sp?)
action of the hot water in the pipes rises and the cold water falls causing upstairs radiators to heat up when boiler on regardless of whether the heating is st to HW only.

Easiest solution for me was to fit an emmersion heater in the hot water tank and switch that on when just want hot water..
This summer was a lot cooler in the upstairs bedroom with no radiators on
A lot cooler in the whole house with no heating at the moment!!!! :arrrggghh:

Yours might be a different problem though..

JGM