Microbore blockage

What you need is to flush with a hosepipe and mains pressure water. (Garden hose?)

Be sure you don't over pressure any radiators or boilers etc.

On Wednesday, March 8, 2017 at 3:37:17 PM UTC, DerbyBorn wrote: .......there is

I have had the same problem a couple of times in the past and cured it using an air compressor with car tyre adaptor. Didn't need to get out my big compressor - a cheap Lidl combined jump starter/compressor was all that was required.

CRB

Electrician's draw tape.

But I cannot see how this would remove the blockage unless you are wishing to smash up some crud.

harry wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

Tried it several times to no avail.

The flow is restircted and is a mere trickle when I open the drain valve (with the valve at the other end turned off.)

The pipe that the plumber changed when moving a radiator was very clean - but at the connection to the manifold it had a greyish deposit that had been restircint that particular radiator. Unfortunately I had to be out at a wedding the day the plumber found the problem. I had asked him to re-pipe rather than extend the pipes. He showed me the evidence after the ceiling had been boarded. If I had been around I would have asked him to check each connection!

I recall the deposit broke off - being fairly hard - hence not responding to flushing.I am hopeful that a poke with something will dislodge it.

All the sparkies this way call them fish tapes.

DerbyBorn wrote in news:XnsA7329EE9E1813TrainJPlantntlworldc@81.171.92.236:

Another reason for wanting to go up the pipe from the radiator is because I wouldn't know which connection at the manifold to disturb.

I had a radiator on 10 mm which never gave a decent output (put in by a proper plumber). Very awkward access too, but I could see one pipe was a bit flattened at a tight bend. With 10 mm end feed it is also possible to create a partial blockage from excess solder. With mine, I bit the bullet and went back to a section of 22 mm supply and return, and took

Fish tape or draw tape. You'd probably have more luck with one of those cassette style drain unblockers that has a spiral of 5mm or so, and a handle to spin it. Cut off the leading swollen bit.

In some cases, but often not due to poor flexibility, you can also unblock using iron wire.

Having seen the mess corrosion products make of 22mm CH pipe I can't imagine installing microbore.

NT

Mine was put in in 1988. Had no corrosion problems as I have always included an inhibitor. I suspect the blockage is debris from the original instalation. The pipes are all hidden behind platerboard hence my reluctance to open up the system or change anything.

DerbyBorn formulated on Wednesday :

Turn all radiators fed from the manifold off at the rad and just run the problem one - it should then be the pipe which gets hot. This assumes there is another not fed from the manifold, which serves as a bypass.

Harry Bloomfield wrote in news:o9rim9$2kk$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:

I had thought of that - just concerned that conduction in the copper might make it less obvious. I still have the worry then of making a good joint again - although I should be okay. Will the pipes have olives or will they have flared ends? Each radiator is fed from the manifold.

DerbyBorn explained :

I'm not a plumber/heating engineer and have never come across the microbore, so I don't really know how the ends are terminated. I suspect they would use an olive though.

A search of Wiki suggests one of three methods are used - solder, flare and compression.

Harry Bloomfield wrote in news:o9s478 $dvq$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:

DerbyBorn used his keyboard to write :

Soldered joints part way along the pipe, but at the manifold I would guess at compression joints with olives.

The topmost plastic to copper pushfit connector is going to leak in about 3 years time. The plastic pipe has a sharp and unsupported bend immediately before the connector. This will impose a lateral force on the O ring and could well make it distort and weep after a while.

Most of the push fit suppliers have special galvanised clamps that support a right angled bend and prevent its tendancy to try and straighten. Their installation instructions generally show how to avoid or mitigate this problem.

Also the hole in the joist that the plastic pipes go through should be in the centre of the web. Who drilled it in that location ?.

Andrew wrote in news:o9urmc$129s$1 @gioia.aioe.org:

I see what you mean!

The routing forces a sharper bend than is necessary as well.

I despare of plumbers. They might be able to join pipes - but many are not capable of doing a decent job of much else.