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Thread: Central heating/hot water system haywire

  1. #1
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    Default Central heating/hot water system haywire

    I have a 15 year old system, quite conventional. Potterton boiler, tank in the loft etc. Last year I had a motorised three way valve replaced. More recently I changed the pump and, last week, the control bex/timer.

    The last radiator in the system has always been cold, or at best luke warm and i understand from reading this forum that it may be a matter of balancng. the system has been bled constantly but little or no air comes out.

    When the system starts in the morning, the upstairs radiators are hot and downstairs cold. If I shut off the water heating and the upstairs radiators the downstairs gets hot. It seems I can have either upstairs heating, downstairs heating or hot water but not all three.

    Where do i start?
    Retired and still activeIi enjoy DIY but do not profess to bevery good or knowledgable.

  2. #2
    Moderator sunbeam's Avatar
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    Default Re: Central heating/hot water system haywire

    Will your clock allow you to stagger the times at witch your heating and hot water come on.

    i.e. bring your heating on 1/2 hr before your hot water in the morning.

  3. #3
    Moderator toscal's Avatar
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    Default Re: Central heating/hot water system haywire

    For general plumbing info have a look here
    http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/plumbing/plumbingpage1.html
    This may help you.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Central heating/hot water system haywire

    Unfortunately I cannot stagger the starting time of hot water/heating. But I should perhaps explain. I can either have Hot radiators downstairs, Hot radiators upstairs or hot water, but only one of these at a time. Turning on the hot water makes all the radiators cold. Turning on upstairs make downstairs cold and vice versa. I can have any one of the three at any time.
    Retired and still activeIi enjoy DIY but do not profess to bevery good or knowledgable.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Central heating/hot water system haywire

    Hot water usually has priority so when that's on all rads are off. To do this you usually use diverter valve. What I don't understand is how do you switch on/off upstairs and downstairs.

    Do you have some more motorised valves? How are they connected? Can you possibly draw us a picture of the system?

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Central heating/hot water system haywire

    Sorry, but I am confusing you.
    The only control I have over the upper and lower rads is by closing the inlet valves on one level to get the other level to work. There is just one motorised three way valve with a feed from the hot water tank and one from the pump coming in and one going out, disapperaing into the floorboards and from there ???
    Retired and still activeIi enjoy DIY but do not profess to bevery good or knowledgable.

  7. #7
    Moderator sunbeam's Avatar
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    Default Re: Central heating/hot water system haywire

    Can you manually open the diverter valve?

    A little leaver on the side.

    Is there a by pass between the pump and the diverter valve?

    if so turn it down.

    what make is the diverter?

    are all the valves fully open?(exept by-pass)

  8. #8
    Moderator sunbeam's Avatar
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    Default Re: Central heating/hot water system haywire

    when you had your diverter valve re-placed, was the whole lot re-placed or just the head?

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