Air Seperator position

[darren bastin]

Hi , I come across quite a few air seps/ h pipe arrangements I consider to be wrong. Why would an air sep be located at low level in a first floor airing cupboard (with no height issues in the loft) with the pump above it ?
I recently changed a gloworm ultimate with this arrangement and have had isuess with air ingress into the system even at low pump speeds . Both the vent and cold fill are in 22mm, a possible simple solution would be to convert it to a combined fill and vent, what are peoples thoughts ?

 

[Last Plumber]

Hi , I come across quite a few air seps/ h pipe arrangements I consider to be wrong. Why would an air sep be located at low level in a first floor airing cupboard (with no height issues in the loft) with the pump above it ?
I recently changed a gloworm ultimate with this arrangement and have had isuess with air ingress into the system even at low pump speeds . Both the vent and cold fill are in 22mm, a possible simple solution would be to convert it to a combined fill and vent, what are peoples thoughts ?

It's simply because, years ago, the powers that be decided, in their wisdom, that Plumbing/Heating apprenticeships and courses could be shortened. They decided that rather than teach people the correct way of designing and installing Heating systems and then test them ( with closed book written exams that took hours), they would use shortened courses, multiple choice, tick box, I can't remember so I'll guess style of examination. Along with this, they started ( in this country), introducing the combi boiler. An ingenious product but one which requires little knowledge of heating to install it.
The result of this an a few other issues, is a generation of installers who not surprisingly know close to zero about installing a real heating system.
They spend 16 weeks on health and safety and teaching ' The modern apprentice' all the things they are not allowed to do, rather than things like ' The good pipe rule'.

Sorry, rant over

 

[oz-plumber]

Sorry, rant over

Don't apologise for your rants.

If it was bad enough Croppie would delete it.

( I'm sure he's deleted some of my posts )

Maybe we should have an 'apology' button next to the 'Thanks & Like' button.....

........Then again maybe we shouldn't.

 

[Chalked]

Hi , I come across quite a few air seps/ h pipe arrangements I consider to be wrong. Why would an air sep be located at low level in a first floor airing cupboard (with no height issues in the loft) with the pump above it ?
I recently changed a gloworm ultimate with this arrangement and have had isuess with air ingress into the system even at low pump speeds . Both the vent and cold fill are in 22mm, a possible simple solution would be to convert it to a combined fill and vent, what are peoples thoughts ?

Nothing wrong with fitting them at low level. Air separators or system arrangers, as the are somtimes called, were a good way of getting the feed and vent to join in a neutral position.

Check that the feed isn't blocked. It generally blocks where the feed joins the air separator

 

[chris watkins]

It's simply because, years ago, the powers that be decided, in their wisdom, that Plumbing/Heating apprenticeships and courses could be shortened. They decided that rather than teach people the correct way of designing and installing Heating systems and then test them ( with closed book written exams that took hours), they would use shortened courses, multiple choice, tick box, I can't remember so I'll guess style of examination. Along with this, they started ( in this country), introducing the combi boiler. An ingenious product but one which requires little knowledge of heating to install it.
The result of this an a few other issues, is a generation of installers who not surprisingly know close to zero about installing a real heating system.
They spend 16 weeks on health and safety and teaching ' The modern apprentice' all the things they are not allowed to do, rather than things like ' The good pipe rule'.

Sorry, rant over

Slightly unfair Last (but I know where you are coming from) as up until a couple of years ago I taught apprentices at a college & they most certainly did get the full works on system design & I am sure that they still do from my old colleagues.
Although most of the exams are indeed multi-stab there is a large system planning one which includes drawing & written answers, this is all at level 3 mind which so many self payers & sort course merchant would never get to and of course as an industry it is seen as fine if you can push pipes together.


Oops that slipped into one to, sorry about that !!

 

[Last Plumber]

Slightly unfair Last (but I know where you are coming from) as up until a couple of years ago I taught apprentices at a college & they most certainly did get the full works on system design & I am sure that they still do from my old colleagues.
Although most of the exams are indeed multi-stab there is a large system planning one which includes drawing & written answers, this is all at level 3 mind which so many self payers & sort course merchant would never get to and of course as an industry it is seen as fine if you can push pipes together.


Oops that slipped into one to, sorry about that !!

It was a vast sweeping generalisation of course and I apologise if I've offended anyone