O/T - Plumbing question

[Barnet Seagull]

I know there's at least 1 plumber on here, maybe more, so...

I have a couple of radiators in the new house which run hot water at the sides and at the top but are stone cold in the middle.

I've been advised that a flush may be necessary but also that it may be a problem with the thermostatic valves on the radiator.

How would I check that the valves are working correctly without flooding hot water everywhere?

Cheers

Barnet

 

[tedebear]

Is this plumbing monday? or do you live in the same house as Normal Rob?

 

[Icy Gull]

I know there's at least 1 plumber on here, maybe more, so...

I have a couple of radiators in the new house which run hot water at the sides and at the top but are stone cold in the middle.

I've been advised that a flush may be necessary but also that it may be a problem with the thermostatic valves on the radiator.

How would I check that the valves are working correctly without flooding hot water everywhere?

Cheers

Barnet

John Boy's company sorted a fecked radiator out for me and I was well impressed with the service. However I had the same problem with the system needing a flush but when they came to do it it seemed the boiler was a bit old and knackered (leaking very slightly) so they decided against doing it as the flush is apparently quite aggressive and would have fecked the boiler totally.

The above ramble is a round about way of suggesting that your boiler is in good nick before you let someone flush the system

 

[Hiney]

Had a similar problem recently.

The problem was solved by what I posted on the other thread.

http://www.northstandchat.biz/showthread.php?s=&threadid=99716

 

[Barnet Seagull]

Had a similar problem recently.

The problem was solved by what I posted on the other thread.

http://www.northstandchat.biz/showthread.php?s=&threadid=99716

Will give that a go too. Cheers.

 

[seven stands]

it can work out cheaper to replace all your radiators than have the system flushed

 

[John Boy]

it can work out cheaper to replace all your radiators than have the system flushed

Depends how many radiators/ style of radiators you have etc. There can still be sludge in the pipework, even if you do replace the radiators, so not really gaining anything

Barnet- If you have a problem with more than one rad, it is normally that the system is sludgy and needs a power flush.

It sounds like your rad is full of sludge as it is cold in the middle.

Like Icy Gull says, make sure your boiler (and rads and valves) are leak and rust free as it could cause a nasty, sludgy leak everywhere!

 

[seven stands]

Depends how many radiators/ style of radiators you have etc. There can still be sludge in the pipework, even if you do replace the radiators, so not really gaining anything

Barnet- If you have a problem with more than one rad, it is normally that the system is sludgy and needs a power flush.

It sounds like your rad is full of sludge as it is cold in the middle.

Like Icy Gull says, make sure your boiler (and rads and valves) are leak and rust free as it could cause a nasty, sludgy leak everywhere!

im a plumber thinking about going out on my own now. The company i work for havent got a flushing machine do you have one and do you feel it gets rid of most the sludge as most plumbers say they are crap. Went on a Halstead training course and they suggest to just replace the radiators

 

[John Boy]

im a plumber thinking about going out on my own now. The company i work for havent got a flushing machine do you have one and do you feel it gets rid of most the sludge as most plumbers say they are crap. Went on a Halstead training course and they suggest to just replace the radiators

We have one, and IMO they do a great job at removing sludge from the system.

We had a job outside of Henfield the other month, in a massive house which the system was full of sludge. The pump was blocked solid so needed replacing, and the customer had nothing but problems with the system (only a few rads getting hot etc).

We powerflushed the system and added Sentinel x400 cleanser and left it flushing around for a couple of hours. Afterwards we added Sentinel x100 inhibitor and left the system working fine.

 

[seven stands]

We have one, and IMO they do a great job at removing sludge from the system.

We had a job outside of Henfield the other month, in a massive house which the system was full of sludge. The pump was blocked solid so needed replacing, and the customer had nothing but problems with the system (only a few rads getting hot etc).

We powerflushed the system and added Sentinel x400 cleanser and left it flushing around for a couple of hours. Afterwards we added Sentinel x100 inhibitor and left the system working fine.

cheers i may have to borrow one of someone i know and try one out before spend £`s to buy one. Magnetic boiler buddys are great for protecting the boiler

 

[John Boy]

I've seen them advertised before, but have never actually installed one before.

 

[seven stands]

not cheap at £90 but stops a lot of sludge from going into the boiler, and looks good if/when boiler goes wrong during the warranty period

 

[Muhammed - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

or an NTC

 

[seven stands]

or an NTC

wrong plumbing thread

 

[Rangdo]

I know there's at least 1 plumber on here, maybe more, so...

I have a couple of radiators in the new house which run hot water at the sides and at the top but are stone cold in the middle.

I've been advised that a flush may be necessary but also that it may be a problem with the thermostatic valves on the radiator.

How would I check that the valves are working correctly without flooding hot water everywhere?

Cheers

Barnet

If it's cold at the bottom it is definately sludge.

You've got two options:

1) Powerflush: Can be good but expensive and doesn't always work well on badly sludged systems (which yours probably is if the radiators have big cold spots)

2) Remove the radiators and manually flush: Cheap as chips, will clear the offending rads no problem but will not cleanse the entire system. Basically shut the valves off, take the rad outside and flush it through with a hose, shake it about and beat it to f*** with a mallet. Works a treat. When all your rads are hot clean the rest of the system by putting sludge remover in and running it for a couple of weeks then drain and refill adding inhibitor. Jobs a goodun and all for the princely sum of about £20 (and a bit of manual work).

 

[Barnet Seagull]

Re: Re: O/T - Plumbing question

If it's cold at the bottom it is definately sludge.

You've got two options:

1) Powerflush: Can be good but expensive and doesn't always work well on badly sludged systems (which yours probably is if the radiators have big cold spots)

2) Remove the radiators and manually flush: Cheap as chips, will clear the offending rads no problem but will not cleanse the entire system. Basically shut the valves off, take the rad outside and flush it through with a hose, shake it about and beat it to f*** with a mallet. Works a treat. When all your rads are hot clean the rest of the system by putting sludge remover in and running it for a couple of weeks then drain and refill adding inhibitor. Jobs a goodun and all for the princely sum of about £20 (and a bit of manual work).

Thanks for the suggestion - after a bit of a go last night, I'm guessing it's 2) - sludge - certainly not clean when I bled the rad.

I think I'll change the rads as the boiler looks pretty new.

Cheers again

 

[Rangdo]

Re: Re: Re: O/T - Plumbing question

Thanks for the suggestion - after a bit of a go last night, I'm guessing it's 2) - sludge - certainly not clean when I bled the rad.

I think I'll change the rads as the boiler looks pretty new.

Cheers again

You don't necessarily need to change them. Just flush through the ones you've got. Shut the valves, drain the rad and take it outside. Then

1) Half fill it with water with a hose

2) Tip it back and forth

3) Bang the flat sides with a mallet.

4) Tip it up and empty it

5) Flush it through with a hose

6) Repeat until water runs clear

Whatever you do (flush existing or fit new) make sure that once complete you run some sludge remover through the system, drain and refill with inhibitor otherwise it'll just happen all over again pretty quickly.

 

[Bakesy]

I had a phosphate enema yesterday and can only describe it as the human version of a full on POWERFLUSH.