I have a radiator (with a thermostatic valve if that makes any difference) that seems to feed hot water from the return pipe when the hot water is on but the central heating switched off. I noticed it before but assumed it was coming through the feed pipe and that there was a problem with the main valve. Has anyone got any suggestions please.
RAD IS WARM AND SHOULD BE COLD
Jul 19, 2004
4 Replies
I had a similar problem turned out to be a valve in the boiler that was sticking.
Ash
What type of system have you got? Combi or conventional boiler? If the latter, is it fully pumped or gravity HW and pumped CH? Where is the affected radiator - upstairs or downstairs? If it's in a bathroom, could it have intentionally been connected to the HW circuit rather than the CH circuit to keep the towels hot?
It is a conventional boiler, and i beleive gravity HW and pumped CH. It is the radiator in one of the upstairs bedrooms.
Assuming that this radiator hasn't been plumbed into the gravity circuit for some reason, it sounds like you've got some gravity circulation occurring in the CH circuit even without the pump running.
The usual cure for this is to insert a null-flow valve in the CH circuit. This stops gravity circulation, but opens under the slightly higher pressure produced by the pump.
If it's just one radiator, I'd be inclined just to turn it off for the summer.
[If the radiator *is* in the gravity circuit, it is hopefully in parallel with the main circuit rather than in series - in which case turning it off will again fix it. If turning it off results in no hot water, come back - but that's unlikely!]Join the Discussion
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