Cold radiator

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L

lensbells

Hello,

Can anyone help? The radiator in the smallest bedroom does not work. It has been bled, new valve, cleaned, flushed, checked for a blockage in the pipe going into the floor. Nothing is wrong it would seem. We did get the bottom of the rad to warm up for a few seconds after we turned all the other rads off upstairs but as soon as we turned them back on it went cold again. We have tried the same thing since and it didn't work.

Any ideas?
Thanks
Helen
 
is it just the one rad not working?


try turning all other radiators off and leaving this one on, then fire central heating up, this may push any air blocked in pipes out.
 
Hello thanks for the reply,

We have already tried that. It's very strange. The next thing I will try is balancing the radiators. Do you think it might help?
 
Did it heat up when you turned the other ones of? If not balancing will not help
 
It heated up at the very bottom for a few seconds while the bleed valve was open. (we thought we had cracked it) As soon as that was closed and the other rads turned back on it went cold again.
 
I would try taking off the rad, connect a hosepipe to the rad valve (using the connection out of your radiator with a piece of 15mm into a nut and olive). Turn on the rad valve with heating running, wait for it to get hot, then do the same on the other valve.
 
Change the pumphead. Had this plenty of times and like u I've messed about with rad valves etc etc, then change the pump and bobs ur uncle. Pumps can start to run slow in poor conditions, muck, corrosion etc.

What boiler is fitted?
 
It's a servo warm supreme. The boiler is behind a radiator that opens on a hinge. It's as old as the hills.
 
Good chance it'll be the pump or a choked cold feed, get sum1 in to check it out for u. Try a magnet on the coldfeed, if it sticks to it then it's choked and needs cut out and repiped. Still think it cud b a pump issue possibly
 
Thanks, what would you be calling the cold feed? I only ask as there is also a tank in the loft from which a pipe comes down into the floor next to the problem radiator, could this tank/pipe be the cold feed?
 
The cold feed is the pipe that joins the feed&expansion tank to the system and it will most likely be choked on the tee piece where the pipe enters the system. As I say it cud be choked, take a fridge magnet and test it in this general area, it'll stick to the choked area of copper but not an area that isn't choked.
 
Will give it a go. Only prob is that it connects under the floor! Gonna have to rip up a few floor boards.

I will have a look tomorrow. Thanks for your time for now.
 
Hello, you have 2 valves on your radiator. The two must be open...if not no flow in your rad.

Bye
 
I tried the magnet test, but it sticks to everything, so I'm not gonna be able to use that method to test for blockages. This really is a pain! We live in a rented house and have asked a number of times to have it looked at but they never do. So we can't really call in a plumber ourselves.
 
It will stick to the rads but it should not stick and hang to copper pipes unless there is a blockage
 
The pipes aren't copper. It sticks to the pipe coming down from the attick and the pipes up from the floor to the radiator.
 
Are the pipes shiny silver metal in colour? If so the magnet won't work in this instance, sorry, I shudve said that yesterday, it only works for copper pipe.

I still reckon there is a blockage from what ur sayin, it's just identifying exactly where that's gona be the issue
 
Yeah they are metal looking. Do you think it will still be worth lifting the boards? Just don't know how to check for the blockage though. Do you think that when it did warm up for a few seconds that one time was because the bleed valve was open and was allowing some flow because there prob is a blockage?
 
Hi, If it's an old servo-warm check there's a cold mains feed to your header tank, if not you'll have to fill the header tank [ with a bucket ]. It was a common practice by servo-warm to fit rose bowls or header tanks without cold water supplies. [ penny pinching!]
If this the case should cure problem, & you'd just need to bleed the rads.
 
Chrisgy said:
I would try taking off the rad, connect a hosepipe to the rad valve (using the connection out of your radiator with a piece of 15mm into a nut and olive). Turn on the rad valve with heating running, wait for it to get hot, then do the same on the other valve.
Click to expand...

Have you tried what I said? I've done it a few times on this problem and it worked. It also checks water is actually getting through the valves at a decent rate, if it's an adjustable thermostatic valve (TRV) it's likely the pin could be stuck so not much flow if any getting through the rad.
 
I ended up calling a plumber because if there was a blockage someone would have had to come and fix it anyway. They couldn't fix it. The landlord removed the radiator in the bathroom (for some unknown, strange reason before we moved in) so they said it could have been capped off wrong Which could have caused the rad to be removed totally from the link, or there could be a blockage or a whole new boiler would have to be installed. Either way it's not going to be fixed. Thanks for your help everyone But it looks like a oil filled radiator is going to have to be plugged in!
 
As Mbear says, change the pump (head)and balancing will certainly help. It's worth sticking in some fernox F3 to thin out any sludge that may be restricting flow.
Good luck Helen
 
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