Any Plumbers here?
Sept 6, 2006 8:44:31 GMT
Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 6, 2006 8:44:31 GMT
Been having great fun with the oil fired central heating system the last couple of days. Noticed this "stopcock" thing inside on of the kitchen cupboards and thought it must turn the water off or something.....
Well, it didn't! I turned it fully open to see what it was and heard this sound of running water coming from outside the building..... had a look and it was a pipe at the side of the house spewing out water.
Turned her off and decided to investigate further..... after a lot of figuring out and the fact the central heating wasn't working I have deduced that I have, indeed, drained the heating system.
Procedure I have gone through to empty / fill it correctly has been as follows.
1: Turn off feed to the water cistern
2: open stopcock and allow central heating to drain
3: open the bleed valves on all the radiators (starting with the downstairs one) so that all the water escapes from all the radiators.
4. Once system is drained I am then tightening up all the radiator bleed valves, I am then shutting off the stopcock (the main drain tap) and then I go and turn on the feed for the cistern again.
Now I am opening the bleed valves (starting with the bottom radiators) one at a time until air is expelled and water comes out (indicating each radiator is now filled with water and not air)
Sounding right???
Well, I've done this 4 bloody times and there's only heat coming off one of the radiators, the rest are stone cold...... I noticed this morning that there is a hidden radiator (this hasn't been bled / wasn't part of the draining refilling process) so I am convincing myself that if I drain the entire system again and this time take this radiotor into account all should be ok?
I'm even opening up a valve on the boiler itself to let the air out and, man, you could hear the air popping in the pipes.... I just hope I get it right the next time cause I don't want to have to call out one of these £200 a day plumber geezers to fix something I "should" be able to fix.
From my very limited experience of plumbing / waterworks I'm thinking that my overlooking that one radiator has caused one big air lock and this is why the hot water is not circulating around more than 1 radiator?
So, basically, refill the system after draining..... go round each radiator in turn and blaad until no more air escapes from them (water comes out) do the same with the bleed valve on the boiler itself then fire up and I should have heat?
Well, it didn't! I turned it fully open to see what it was and heard this sound of running water coming from outside the building..... had a look and it was a pipe at the side of the house spewing out water.
Turned her off and decided to investigate further..... after a lot of figuring out and the fact the central heating wasn't working I have deduced that I have, indeed, drained the heating system.
Procedure I have gone through to empty / fill it correctly has been as follows.
1: Turn off feed to the water cistern
2: open stopcock and allow central heating to drain
3: open the bleed valves on all the radiators (starting with the downstairs one) so that all the water escapes from all the radiators.
4. Once system is drained I am then tightening up all the radiator bleed valves, I am then shutting off the stopcock (the main drain tap) and then I go and turn on the feed for the cistern again.
Now I am opening the bleed valves (starting with the bottom radiators) one at a time until air is expelled and water comes out (indicating each radiator is now filled with water and not air)
Sounding right???
Well, I've done this 4 bloody times and there's only heat coming off one of the radiators, the rest are stone cold...... I noticed this morning that there is a hidden radiator (this hasn't been bled / wasn't part of the draining refilling process) so I am convincing myself that if I drain the entire system again and this time take this radiotor into account all should be ok?
I'm even opening up a valve on the boiler itself to let the air out and, man, you could hear the air popping in the pipes.... I just hope I get it right the next time cause I don't want to have to call out one of these £200 a day plumber geezers to fix something I "should" be able to fix.
From my very limited experience of plumbing / waterworks I'm thinking that my overlooking that one radiator has caused one big air lock and this is why the hot water is not circulating around more than 1 radiator?
So, basically, refill the system after draining..... go round each radiator in turn and blaad until no more air escapes from them (water comes out) do the same with the bleed valve on the boiler itself then fire up and I should have heat?