Understanding my radiator system

[Calgary]

Good morning everyone. I hope somebody out there can help. I moved into a house last week with gas fired microbore central heating through radiators. When I switched the heating on the upstairs rads warmed up but not the downstairs. I eventually discovered that the lock valve on the downstairs rad nearest the boiler was fully closed. When I opened it all the downstairs rads warmed up. Why would that be please?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Any chance of a picture of the valve you opened ?

 

[Calgary]

Any chance of a picture of the valve you opened ?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

You opened that single valve and all the downstairs rads worked ?

 

[Calgary]

You opened that single valve and all the downstairs rads worked ?

That's right and I was baffled. The previous house owner hadn't realised it was shut. There is also electric underfloor heating downstairs so he relied on that.

 

[SJB060685]

Unless it's a one pipe system and all downstairs rads flow through that rad it doesn't make sense

 

[Calgary]

Unless it's a one pipe system and all downstairs rads flow through that rad it doesn't make sense

I agree but there are trvs on the rads so that doesn't seem logical. I wondered about an airlock but couldn't see how that would affect all downstairs and not upstairs. Tomorrow I will shut the valve and see what happens. Will post results. Thanks for your interest.

 

[cjg]

i can see where your going but on a one pipe system you t off under floor to rad, and feed back in from the other side, so the main run still runs on,

 

[SJB060685]

i can see where your going but on a one pipe system you t off under floor to rad, and feed back in from the other side, so the main run still runs on,

You say that but we used to have a customer in a static caravan with a primatic cylinder and a one pipe system. The first radiator had no common link, so all flow for the rest of the rads only come through the bathroom radiator, needless to say the bathroom was like an oven, that is ofcourse until I repiped it.

 

[Calgary]

Sorted thanks. I shut down lockshield on first rad and same thing happened so shut down second rad and opened first and bked

 

[Calgary]

Sorry bled it and then opened second again that sorted it so I assume an airlock. Losing pressure at quarter bar a week so next job is to try and find weepers and fix. Thanks again