Vaillant ecotec plus installed and one freezing radiator

[And3]

Good morning,
Can someone help me please? I've had my kitchen extended and was advised by my builder to buy a Vaillant ecotec plus boiler as it would be able to accomodate at least 20 radiators (I now have 7 and a heated towel rail). The plumber came in and attached a hose pipe to the radiator in the corridor and drained the whole system so that all of the water went through each radiator and then out of the front door. The new boiler was installed and everything was fine apart from the radiator in the living room which got warm on the top but never got hot. I've now endured nearly 3 months of head scratching as to why it's all good and I just need a new radiator and a power flush. When the new radiator and heated towel rail were installed in the extension 2 more radiators stopped working. This has now been rectified. Finally at the weekend my builder cancelled the connection from the radiator in the living room and connected it from the radiator in the corridor. I now have a radiator in the living room which gets warm an hour after the rest of the house. The main bedroom radiator gets hot after 2 hours and the second bedroom doesn't get hot at all. I know that the claim that the last radiator in the circuit will never be as hot doesn't make sense. We have since discovered that all of the pipes flow but there is no return on the system. Help please as I'm now relying on electric radiators and calor gases around my house.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Do you know if you have a two pipe system or a one pipe system

And I would suggest getting a decent heating engy out to have a look at the system

Did the builder install the boiler ?

 

[Last Plumber]

As shaun says really, need a good Heating Engineer.

It does sound like you have a one pipe system and not a two pipe.

Which Vaillant ecotec is it that you have, ( there are quite a few), could you tell us make and model ?

The info is underneath the Boiler on a data plate. ( white sticker), it will say Three numbers for the model either begining with a 4,6 or 8 normally.

 

[kris]

Hi there, 7 rads and a Towel rail , plus the 2 should heat adequately , even with the smallest output boiler it shouldnt take 2 hours to heat a rad,,,,,,
Sack your engineer and get another,,, heres something u can try yourself,,,
Isolate / close the thermostat valve on a few radiators and put heating on to see if rads in question get hot quicker, you may have air or sludge or something affecting your circulation, it might be the pipework itself ,,,
Its possible the system was never balanced properly,

 

[Last Plumber]

And3
I was asking the model so I have an idea on what type of system you have installed at your property.
Is it an external pump?

 

[And3]

Thanks for all of your replies. I don't know if it's one or 2 pipes. It is not an external pump. The model is ecotec plus 832 H combi A.

 

[Last Plumber]

Sounds like an air lock or blockage.
Is this a drop system, as in pipes go up and over and then drop to each rad?

 

[And3]

No everything feeds from below.

 

[Chalked]

How old is your house? And is the existing pipework copper, or plastic?

 

[Last Plumber]

You need to get a good heating Engineer to look it over. It can be resolved I have no doubt.

 

[And3]

I really hope it can be. I've turned the thermostats down on 2 radiators as suggested. Waiting to see what happens. The pipework is copper and the house was built in the 40s- 50s

 

[Old Account]

Hi there, 7 rads and a Towel rail , plus the 2 should heat adequately , even with the smallest output boiler it shouldnt take 2 hours to heat a rad,,,,,,
Sack your engineer and get another,,, heres something u can try yourself,,,
Isolate / close the thermostat valve on a few radiators and put heating on to see if rads in question get hot quicker, you may have air or sludge or something affecting your circulation, it might be the pipework itself ,,,
Its possible the system was never balanced properly,

Sludge? That would be weird because if you install a new boiler you would think the engineer would have done a power flush don't you ?

I would think it's either pipework itself or Has an airlock

 

[Chalked]

40's 50's. that's probably a one pipe system. It's probably sludged up too!
One pipe systems are quite difficult to clean and should take some time. Possibly a whole day, with the right power flush machine and the correct chemicals.
One pies are difficult to extend and adapt, without good knowledge and experience of how they work. Even fitting the wrong thermostatic valves can stop a rad completely.

Was your plumber under 35? If so, he won't have come across many. I recommend you get and older plumber that's used to one pipes and older systems.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

40's 50's. that's probably a one pipe system. It's probably sludged up too!
One pipe systems are quite difficult to clean and should take some time. Possibly a whole day, with the right power flush machine and the correct chemicals.
One pies are difficult to extend and adapt, without good knowledge and experience of how they work. Even fitting the wrong thermostatic valves can stop a rad completely.

Was your plumber under 35? If so, he won't have come across many. I recommend you get and older plumber that's used to one pipes and older systems.

Good old diverter and swept tees

 

[And3]

He is probably about 35. I turned the thermostats down on 2 radiators as suggested and after an hour had heat in both bedrooms. The bottoms of both radiators are still cool. The radiator in the living room is now cold again. The plumber gave me gas certificates from Vaillant so I'm afraid I thought he knew what he was doing. He now keeps saying that I need to pay for a power flush and he's all but washed his hands of the job. I've since found out that he has had and left the same problem at another local house. We have flushed the radiator in the living room over the past few months and black sludge came out and then it runs clear but no heat.

 

[Harvest Fields]

I would have power flushed it on the boiler install. But unfortunately not everybody does this. It sound like there maybe sludge or an airlock or maybe even some partially closed radiator valves. I would get a different gas safe engineer in to have a proper look.