valve connected to hot water tank, how open?!

[Paul332]

Hi,


This is the valve (the red one) that opens the hot water (two pictures). It is connected to the water tank in the up stair's cupboard. I noticed the valve was only 1/4th open (perhaps the last plumber who repaired the system left it like that). Should this be fully opened?


Does this have anything to do with radiator heat balancing? (e.g. does opening it fully results in better feed of hot water to the radiators?)


Thanks for your advice




Paul

 

[rocketmanbkk]

....

 

[Stu Davis]

Hi, that is a bypass valve and would normally only be open if all the radiators have thermostats fitted.
You can get automatic spring loaded valves that sense when there is a restriction in flow ie thermostatic rad valves closed and opens to allow a circuit back into the return.
Check you rads, if you have some that cant be turned off, ie no trvs i would close it.

 

[Paul332]

Thanks Davis for your advice. All my radiators have thermostat. So if I open this valve in full (or if I fully close it) does it have any effect on the flow of hot water in the radiators? (I want to get a better flow in the system as currently I feel the flow of hot water is too low for the whole house).

 

[Stu Davis]

You have a fully pumped system with a three port valve that basically does the hot water cylinder and heating.
In relation to that valve that is only linked to the flow and return pipework to the boiler and is nothing to do with the hot water flow out of your taps.
I would close that valve, then open it up counting how many half turns you get and then close it down again leaving it about a third open.
The only issue you will have is that it is always looping round that circuit, in an ideal world i would close the valve and take a thermostat head off a valve in a bathroom to leave a permanent circuit.
If you have flow issues with the heating i would shut all the upstairs radiators. Then re the upstairs radiators that in theory should have the thermostats fitted on the flow ( pipe that gets hot first ) i would then shut the opposite side to the thermostat, then open the thermostat then the other side 1/4 turn at a time until heat starts comes into the radiator. Leave that and move to the next. If you find any are slow to heat up open another 1/4 turn.
What you are doing is diverting more flow to downstairs

 

[Paul332]

Many thanks, I will follow your advice.

Paul