Non-motoring > Central heating - water too hot Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Focusless Replies: 6
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 Tue 25 Jan 11 07:18 
 Central heating - water too hot - Focusless
We've tried turning down the thermostat on the hot water tank, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. While a plumber was here doing some other work he had a quick look and reckoned the valve/actuator had gone, so the hot water was always being heated independent of the thermostat.

Here's the valve:
i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae173/focushj/DSCF0587.jpg

It says it's an ACL Lifestyle mid-position 22mm eg. tinyurl.com/6528xrw

Unfortunately it's hard to get at - the gap between the airing cupboard door and the water tank is too narrow, so what you can see in the first picture above is in fact closer than I can get to it.

The blurb in the second link states "New 'snap-on' actuators can be removed at the push of a button", but just going by feel it wasn't obvious how to get it off. I would like to do that so that I could at least check whether the thing the actuator should be turning isn't jammed solid.

If I did manage to remove the valve and bought a replacement, are they easy to wire up? Or is this another case of best leave it to an expert (like the aerial)?
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 Tue 25 Jan 11 07:43 
 Central heating - water too hot - Fenlander
It may be your valve is an earlier version that doesn't snap on.... but what you're looking for if it's a removeable actuator type is a plastic button/tag/slider thing on the base side of the actuator body. It'll need pushing, sliding or pulling and the valve head will pop off without much force.

If it does turn out to be the older type you usually need to take the case off (when you end up poking about in the live electrics so ensure the c/h power feed is off... ideally the main house switch off). There are usually then a couple of screws in the base and the actuator will come off the valve.

Sometimes folks swap actuators without thinking if the water valve itself is seizing. I always get pliers on the valve shaft and move it to/fro loads of times. Sometimes you'll hear a crunching of scale the first few times then it gets much easier.

Swapping the whole assembly is a full drain down and probably a plumbers job unless you're feeling adventurous.

BTW your house looks similar to ours... airing cupboard built over woodchip walls, old floorboards and the exact same skirting board profile.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Tue 25 Jan 11 at 07:46
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 Tue 25 Jan 11 07:57 
 Central heating - water too hot - Focusless
>> It may be your valve is an earlier version that doesn't snap on....

Thanks Fen - I'll have another fiddle later.

>> Swapping the whole assembly is a full drain down and probably a plumbers job unless
>> you're feeling adventurous.

By 'whole assembly' presumably you mean actuator + the bit(s) of pipework? I've no intention of touching the pipes, just the box bit.

>> BTW your house looks similar to ours... airing cupboard built over woodchip walls, old floorboards
>> and the exact same skirting board profile.

Built in or just before 1930 I believe, but extended a few times.
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 Tue 25 Jan 11 08:06 
 Central heating - water too hot - Fenlander
>>>Built in or just before 1930 I believe.

Ours is 1925 so sounds about right. It amused me seeing the image because we've removed all the woodchip over the last 10yrs but it remains in the airing cupboard due to difficult access.
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 Tue 25 Jan 11 12:38 
 Central heating - water too hot - RichardW
Plumbers who fit what is essentially a service item like that should be dragged back and told to change it for the 1/2 hour's labour it should really be. Even if that involves removing the HW tank! Glad there are none of the infernal things in my HW / CH system!
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 Tue 25 Jan 11 13:18 
 Central heating - water too hot - sherlock47
Richard
>>>Glad there are none of the infernal things in my HW / CH system!<<<

I will not have valves - do you run a dual pumped system.

21 years now and it has cost me just one pump.
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 Tue 25 Jan 11 14:14 
 Central heating - water too hot - RichardW
>do you run a dual pumped system.

I was going to say no, but then thinking about, actually I do! We've got a thermal store, so the boiler sits on one side controlled by the tank stat and comes on if either HW or heating demand made on the store; and the heating is on the other and the pump runs when the room stat calls for heat. There's only one heating zone as it's a not huge bungalow. If I was going to go dual zone on a future installation I might think about 2 pumps rather than zone valves - which seem expensive and short lived! If you must have zone valves, then at least install them somewhere you can get at them!
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