I'd appreciate any help with a rad bleed problem. All OK until plumber fitted an extra rad downstairs, since when 5 of the 7 upstairs rads are only warm at the bottom 3 inches. When I try to bleed one, I get 5 seconds of hissing followed by several minutes of 'bubbling/gurgling' noises,and then nothing, even if I leave the bleed valve open for 5 or 10 minutes. Has anyone got any idea what the problem could be? Many thanks, Jerry
Is it a sealed system (combi boiler)? If so the system will need re-pressurising via the filling loop that may or may not be attached to the underside of the boiler, a length of stainless steel braide hose usually. If yo have a boiler manual it will have the procedure in there.
HTH
John
P.S. You could always ask the plumber to come back!
No, it's a twenty-five year old gravity system.
I will be if there's no easy fix.
Thanks for your response, John.
Is there water in the heater tank?
Adam
Looks like the header tank is either empty or the tap/valve from the tank to the system is off.
There is water in the tank and an almost continuous dribble of water into the tank from the 'system overflow?' pipe. Is this a further clue?
Do you mean the 'overflow exit pipe???' or the return pipe from the top of the cylinder.. Is the dribbling water warm? It still sounds as though the outlet at the bottom of the header tank is blocked if your upstairs radiator bleed valves never produce a flow of water. Have you or the plumber left a 'plug' in the bottom of the header tank? Michael
Don't know, not familiar, there is only one pipe which goes INTO the header tank and this is dribbling into the tank. The other pipes are overflow and exit into the system.
Not me, but I'll see if he has.
Thanks. Jerry
No bung in exit pipe.
(Forgot to mention there is of course a ballcock-controlled entry pipe in addition to the three pipes I mentioned)
Jerry
is only one pipe which goes INTO the
me, but I'll see if he has.
I have found a stop c*ck wheel on the pipe which exits the tank, this turns and turns and never reaches a stop point, do you think this valve could be stuck shut after the plumber used it?
is only one pipe which goes INTO the
me, but I'll see if he has.
Could be.. It definitely sounds as though your system is not filling up.. Are all the upstairs rads unbleedable to point where water comes out? Michael
Sound like the stopcock wheel is slipping try lifting the wheel of and gently turning the square core with a spanner.
Michael
Not sure why it's dribbling as I believe your talking about the expansion pipe which should only release water when the system is hot and the contents have expanded and it release surplus water back into the header tank..
I guess your plumber fitted the new radiator without draining down the system by plugging the vent pipe and turning off the c*ck.. I've used this method when replacing radiator valves but you have to remember to open it up again afterwards.. Maybe he just spun the wheel and didn't check that the header tank was flowing again..
Michael
Thanks for your continued advice, Michael. I have phoned the plumber to come back, got answering machine.
Yes.
The shaft is turning with the wheel, it just keeps going round.
If it's a brass gate valve you will probably find that the inards are shot. This happened to me a couple of years ago. The shaft just kept turning. I replaced it (very easy) and the old one was totallt crudded up. I bet the plumber has turned it off and then 'forgot to mention' it to you before he left.
HTH
John
OK looks like it might be broken or blocked.. I had similar symptoms to you a few years back and when I went to the header tank it was stone dry, after a long hot summer, as the ballcock had corroded and stuck up in the air. All the upstairs rads were only half full of water!
Best of luck with the plumber but, depending where the stopcock is, it's not to hard turn off the rising main, empty the header tank with a jug and old towel and replace the stopcock, especially if it a compression fitting. I suppose it's easier to say this with a workshop full of spares and tools and a bit of plumbing experience. Lots of luck Michael
Michael and John, Thanks for all your help. As you have correctly diagnosed, the stopcock was corroded shut, and the shaft must have broken when plumber used it, allowing it to turn freely
thereafter. Now fixed, though not by me. Thanks again, Jerry
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