A question for any heating engineers or plumbers on this site.
Gas central heating system with boiler and storage tank supplying heating and hot water. Have the heating off at the timer control. Hot water still on.
Mid position actuation valve.
Even though heating is off, the radiators heated up, and quite hot to touch. Very uncomfortable today. Any ideas why please ?
|
Can you hear/feel the pump running? Is upstairs hotter than downstairs to touch?
3 way valve stuck open? I don't know much about these things but it's something I've had. Sharp tap with a hammer (which is sounding like my answer to everything at the moment!).
|
3 port valve stuck or defunct. Likely a new valve. I never had much luck with Smokie's 'ammer, but...............................
Reg's.........M
|
>> 3 port valve stuck or defunct.
In the past I satisfactorily renewed the motorised part of the valve and left the water diverting part in place. It saved having to break into the water system.
Last edited by: L'escargot on Sun 25 Apr 10 at 08:12
|
you can buy new motors or heads for the three way valve. However, you will find you always have one radiator at least that gets warm even if you only have hot water selected.
This is so the pump can run on after the gas heat is turned off, prevents heat soak to the heat exhanger.
|
Cheers guys.
Confirms what I thought. Replaced this valve 3-4 years ago. They don't appear to last long do they. Will change next week. Let you know how it goes.
|
|
They can get stuck with detritus, that's why I (seriously) suggested the hammer.
|
Yes... lots of detritus gets them quite quickly. We're on our 3rd or 4th motorised valve in 16yrs here.
Hitting with a hammer will often be an immediate short term cure but eventually the stress of turning the stiff valve will kill the motor. What is a better is to remove the motor and manually work the valve loads of times... this will often lose the deposits for a good bit longer.
For various reasons I've got the drain down of our system to a well practiced procedure so I just change the whole valve.
|
>>
>> For various reasons I've got the drain down of our system to a well practiced
>> procedure so I just change the whole valve.
>>
Don't you just hate losing £15 worth of inhibitor when that happens ?
|
>>>Don't you just hate losing £15 worth of inhibitor when that happens ?
Yes.... but as I do all my own c/h plumbing repairs it's loose change compared with a plumber for a couple of hours.
|
|
it goes off after a while anyway
|
Smokie,
Thanks for the stop gap advice. I'm restricted with space to wack away with a hammer, but whereabouts on the valve. The very middle or one of the 3 bits of pipework?
|
|
the bottom of the big brass valve body
|
>>Bit worried by the lack of space!!
Don't need a run up old chap!!
Martin.
|
>>Don't need a run up old chap!!
Bigger 'ammer. ;>)
|
|
Perhaps the OP needs to get some Knockers ~ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knocker_(folklore)
|
Don't hit it with a hammer, but take off the motorised head. it is only held on with a couple of screws, the see if the spindle is free. If not, try and work it back and forth.
While it is off, you can watch to see if the motor is driving to its various positions, by getting your wife to switch on the timer and call for heat/hot water.
If it doesn't, then the motor has gone U/S.
You can purchase a new motor head to replace the old and save on draining down etc.
If its a Honeywell, there are loads, brand new on ebay. you could even buy the whole valve at the right price and just use the head.
|
Central Heating Problem? - smokie
