Power flushes / rads not heating up - HELP PLEASE!

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

Hiya
We recently moved into a 25 year old house and all the rads were working except for the kitchen one which was stone cold as was the pipework leading to it.
We got a plumber in who fixed it but then our bathroom upstairs and small bedroom rads didn’t heat up. The plumber returned put some cleaning stuff through the system. After a few hours the rads upstairs were getting hot (all the ones downstairs were turned off at this point) and when we turned them back on, the rads appeared to be working.
We then had the heating off for a day or so and now it’s back on our living room and downstairs hallway rads, although get slightly warm, are not hot like they were before.
We’ve been told we may need a power flush but they seem expensive so we really don’t know what to do.
We dont mind paying it if the power flush will definitely work but I’ve read stories on the internet saying they are around £4-500 and a waste of money as they are not very successful?
Help! Does anyone have any advice or experience of this please?
It’s been non stop paying out with issues in our house since we moved here so it’s getting a little frustrating now.
Many thanks in advance.
Mandy from Hertfordshire

 

[gmartine]

When you say "new" house is it actually a new building with a new heating system?

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

Hiya
No, sorry the house is around 25 years old. It’s just new to us!

 

[gmartine]

Do you know what sort of boiler and system you have, if not see if you can upload a picture of the boiler and a radiator or two with the surrounding pipework. It is either an issue with a failing pump or a dirty system or possibly both, the former is easy to check.

 

[Riley]

I think we all sympathise when you move into a place and you have a list of things as long as your arm that need sorting. Unfortunately it does sound a little like your system might well be mucky. As per post above pics of boiler and set up as well as an idea of pipe sizes leading to radiators would also help

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

We have a heat only boiler. I think I’ve posted some photos for you to see?

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

The plumber said the pipework is not as big as it seems as there’s pipes inside or something...I’m not really sure what he meant!

 

[Riley]

How big is your system? Rads upstairs/downstairs???

 

[Riley]

also any chance of pics of the pipe set up in the airing cupboard

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

5 rads downstairs (2 are small)
4 upstairs (1 very small)

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

Here’s some more pics!

 

[Riley]

Ok so fairly small system I’d say potentially not a balancing problem. By turning off all the other rads except the not working ones can you get them to heat up

 

[Riley]

Could you take one just stood back with the door open

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

I’ll try turning the others off now

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

Here you go!

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

The pipes leading to the rads are really hot but the rads are still just warm at the moment.....

 

[gmartine]

Agree with above, perhaps turn off all upstairs and see if downstairs heat up and then vica verca then continue to open one at a time and see if they can all heat up if not all simultaneously. Although debris can shift you're tying to establish whether it's the pump, crud in the system or both.

 

[gmartine]

The pipes leading to the rads are really hot but the rads are still just warm at the moment...

Are the TRV's (radiator thermostats) on max?

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

Yes the two rads not fully working are on the maximum setting but still no change in regards to heat

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

We’re just trying to make sure 2 rads upstairs are off because one of them was on even though the TRV was in the off position.
The other one in the bathroom does not have a TRV

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

Not sure how to turn that rad off as there’s no TRV

 

[gmartine]

That's ok the bath rad doesn't usually have a TRV, are any of the pipes leading up to the bath rad hot? Do any of the radiators need bleeding?

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

the pipes leading to the rads appear to be cooling down now but the rads are still hot

 

[Riley]

One end will spin and spin the other will close down

 

[Mandy Cowlishaw]

There is still no change to the two rads downstairs