Loads of air in central heating.

[Riley]

I did think that but I maybe misread that it was refilling from pumping over??

 

[Mdljk]

Worth trying to eliminate the more obvious first I’d say.

 

[Harvest Fields]

Worth trying to eliminate the more obvious first I’d say.

Looking in the loft would definitely be easier than lifting boards.

 

[Mdljk]

Any downstairs room currently started showing signs of condensation perhaps?

 

[SJB060685]

Is that pump in boiler mounted on return?

 

[Chris12345678]

After bleeding it earlier this evening, it was on for a few hours being very slow to get warm.
After turning it off it was refilling for at least 15 minutes until I turned the valve off.

No signs of condensation.
There’s still air moving around quite loudly 20 minutes after turning heating off.
All downstairs pipes are buried in the concrete floor.
Worrying.

 

[Mdljk]

If you look near the roofline outside you will see the ‘overflow’ pipe coming from the f&e tank for the ch. when the heating is on tomorrow look to see if any water is coming through that pipe. If it was ‘pumping over’ water coming out of that pipe could confirm it. If not and you are still losing water then that water has to be going somewhere else ie a (likely) leak in downstairs underfloir pipework.

 

[Mdljk]

After bleeding it earlier this evening, it was on for a few hours being very slow to get warm.
After turning it off it was refilling for at least 15 minutes until I turned the valve off.

No signs of condensation.
There’s still air moving around quite loudly 20 minutes after turning heating off.
All downstairs pipes are buried in the concrete floor.
Worrying.

With the amount of water you are losing I would expect a carpet to be wet if a pipe within the concrete floor had failed.

 

[Chris12345678]

Could it be a cracked boiler and the water is coming out the flue as steam?

 

[Mdljk]

Could it be a cracked boiler and the water is coming out the flue as steam?

Agree that is my thought if no downstairs leaks found.

 

[Chris12345678]

Preferable to an unfloor (buried in concrete) leak

 

[Mdljk]

Is there any sign of water under the boiler itself?

 

[Chris12345678]

Is there any sign of water under the boiler itself?

No.

 

[Mdljk]

Has anyone done any plumbing work anywhere in the house on anything?

 

[Mdljk]

..... around the time this first began

 

[Chris12345678]

I’ve remembered:
Only thing I did was fit two Z-Wave thermostats (just changed the plastic part of the TRV, didn’t change the actual metal valve), at the beginning of December.

And a few months back I put the CH pump from speed 1 to speed 3.

 

[Harvest Fields]

The pump on 3 might be the issue.

 

[Mdljk]

The pump on 3 might be the issue.

Agree. Try turning down to 1 - temporarily - and wait to see if this has any effect. TRV heads are not an issue.

 

[Harvest Fields]

Why did you turn it from 1 to 3?

 

[Chris12345678]

I changed the pump years ago, at the time I didn't realise it had different speeds. I was trying to improve flow as three radiators are always a bit slow to warm up, they are on the same leg.

 

[Chris12345678]

I held a bowl over the flue for maybe 30 seconds this afternoon, and this is what was in the bowl.


https://i.*********/PwP5IfZ.jpg

https://i.*********/uYVNOtG.jpg

 

[ShaunCorbs]

That’s fine

 

[Mdljk]

Undertandable but you can improve heat up time for slow rads by ‘balancing’ them. Has reducing the pump speed affected water liss from the system?

 

[Chris12345678]

That much water from the flue is ok?

 

[Mdljk]

Yes.