Too much air not enough hair

Bury fc screwed by many · Jan 13, 2020

Hello all,
Please help a football deprived wrinkly.
I've recently moved in our new house (20yr old) but all's not well. One radiator keeps filling up with air? It's a alien system (thought would be a condensing combi being a newish house) to me as we've got a boiler and a hot water storage, cylinder with 2 water tanks (1 large 1 small)
What I know usually there's a loop and a pressure valve but I can't find either to fill up the radiator?
Is it possible it self pressurizes ?
I feel wrong to let more air out of the one radiator if there's no water in the system.
Please help because I ain't got much hair left to pull out.
Thank you for any replies in advance
Ps it's make is Main heating condensing boiler.
Paddy

Stu-B · Jan 13, 2020

It’s an open vented system, the smaller loft tank is used to keep the radiators and pipework full of water so wen you bleed a radiator water will flow into it.
Although if you have to bleed it a lot then you may have an issue, maybe it’s not set up properly and is sucking air in, difficult to say for sure without having a closer look at it.

Bury fc screwed by many · Jan 14, 2020

Stu-B said:
It’s an open vented system, the smaller loft tank is used to keep the radiators and pipework full of water so wen you bleed a radiator water will flow into it.
Although if you have to bleed it a lot then you may have an issue, maybe it’s not set up properly and is sucking air in, difficult to say for sure without having a closer look at it.

Thanks Stuart for your time, i really appreciate it. There is a dust cap like fitting on a inlet to the hot water tank which does drip every now & again?
I'll bleed the radiator again and if it fills with air again I'll get the professionals in.
Thanks again Stuart!
Paddy

Stigster · Jan 14, 2020

As Stu says, your type of system is self-filling.

Bury fc screwed by many · Jan 14, 2020

Stigster said:
As Stu says, your type of system is self-filling.

Thanks Stigster, I appreciate your time. Seems a weird system to have in a new house, the space it takes up is unreal. The women we bought the house off said it was a emersion heater for the water & boiler did the water? But that was just one of many lies told. Think a combi boiler would be a better idea seems a simpler system? Not sure what the positives having this system yet?
Kind regards
Paddy

SimonG · Jan 14, 2020

Could be corrosion or sucking in air, best getting it checked out or will lead to issues longer term.

Stigster · Jan 14, 2020

Sometimes air is drawn in to a heating system on the vacuum side (upstream side) of the circulating pump causing build up in one or more radiators, among other potential causes of course. The simplest thing to try is to see if you can nip up the nut on that side of the pump using a huge adjustable spanner or more sensibly a pair of water pump pliers AKA grips. If you decide to do this you'll need to hold the body of the valve tight with an appropriate tool to stop it moving as you tighten the nut against the pump.

I must warn you though that moving a fitting can occasionally cause a weep but tightening is usually sound. Depending upon your DIY confidence levels, this is something you can try that isn't too difficult. If the pump valve is in good condition it won't cause a flood just trying to tighten it and it is the first thing I would do.

There can be other causes of air ingress but tightening that pump nut is probably the easiest thing to do and I have found it to be the cause of the problem enough times for it to be worth a go. If it doesn't fix it there are other things we can advise you to look at.

Bury fc screwed by many · Jan 14, 2020

Stigster said:
Sometimes air is drawn in to a heating system on the vacuum side (upstream side) of the circulating pump causing build up in one or more radiators, among other potential causes of course. The simplest thing to try is to see if you can nip up the nut on that side of the pump using a huge adjustable spanner or more sensibly a pair of water pump pliers AKA grips. If you decide to do this you'll need to hold the body of the valve tight with an appropriate tool to stop it moving as you tighten the nut against the pump.

I must warn you though that moving a fitting can occasionally cause a weep but tightening is usually sound. Depending upon your DIY confidence levels, this is something you can try that isn't too difficult. If the pump valve is in good condition it won't cause a flood just trying to tighten it and it is the first thing I would do.

There can be other causes of air ingress but tightening that pump nut is probably the easiest thing to do and I have found it to be the cause of the problem enough times for it to be worth a go. If it doesn't fix it there are other things we can advise you to look at.

Thanks stigster, are these the two large nuts that need to be tightened.
Again thanks for your time.
Kind regards paddy

Stigster · Jan 15, 2020

That's them. The largest nuts in your image, connecting onto the pump itself. They tighten up clockwise onto the pump body.

Bury fc screwed by many · Jan 15, 2020

Cheers stu, you're the man!
I'll put a block behind the pump to stop it spinning. I'll get a large adjustable at the weekend.
Thanks again Stuart

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