Air locks or Sludge?

[armyash]

Hi Guys went to a job a couple of days ago, had to replace a section of cold feed pipe as it was blocked.

System refilled ok. Bit of a nightmare to have it all running fine though. At first there was a lot of air in the system but that now seems to have cleared.

Heat is getting round to all the rads but some have big cold patches (central of the rad but hot all the way along the top).

The F+E tank had an inch layer of sludge sitting in the bottom of it, don't know how long it's been like that and don't know how much of this has been dragged in to the system.

These cold patches were also an issue before I did any work.

I think it's a build up of sludge in the rads that have cold spots, boss recons it's circulation problems. Possibly a balancing issue also but most of the valves look as though they have been leaking at some point. Half the rads have trvs, half do not.

What do you reckon?

 

[village idiot]

Probably been pumping over for awhile. A good flush of the system needed for a start
BTW, all the rads need not have TRV's only mandatory for bedrooms. If I wasdoing thejob and had that much kraarp in f+e tank, and valves not looking good, I will encourage customer (nearly said custard, then realised BasilDog will be annoyed) to let me change the lot

 

[tamz]

Sludge may be a factor but if the rads with the cold spots are bigger or longer ones it could be circulation and need balancing properly. You'd know if you shut the other rads off.
Also if the pipes are 8 or 10mm to a rad over about 2 kw on 8 and 3kw on 10mm it will never fully heat unless the runs are really short.

 

[armyash]

Villiage thanks, if it was up to me, I would say needs a good flush and new valves all round.

Tamz thanks, One radiator is 1600 long, the other 2 are 600 x 600 (approx. going off minds eye). I have had all rads turned off but these and the problem still occurred.

 

[tamz]

Needs a flush through then

 

[gassafe]

You seem to get all the sludged up systems Ash lol!

Are we not allowed to call them custards anymore? I picked that up from this site lol!

 

[Leo21]

Villiage thanks, if it was up to me, I would say needs a good flush and new valves all round.

Tamz thanks, One radiator is 1600 long, the other 2 are 600 x 600 (approx. going off minds eye). I have had all rads turned off but these and the problem still occurred.

Youll have to quote inches for Tamz.

 

[Ray Stafford]

Youll have to quote inches for Tamz.

Nothing so modern. He still deals in ells and falls.

 

[tamz]

I can still count in sections too Ray. 48 section :lol:

 

[IDCHAPPY]

I can still count in sections too Ray. 48 section :lol:

I've only just converted my dad from them

 

[tamz]

Its hard to teach old dogs new tricks :smile:

 

[R.Oak]

if the cold feed was blocked then the heating system is obviously in a poor state. Id take the worst rad off and put mains pressure through it and see what comes out. If its all sludged up id reccomend a powerflush, if thats too expensive then offer to have the other rads off and do the same.

 

[armyash]

Seem to be working on a lot of carp systems lately. Its places we go to regularly but it just seems to be a matter of getting them going again not sorting them out for long term fixes. I understand why because it regularly keeps us in work getting called back every 6 months or so to complete repairs/replace rads etc.

System cleaner has now been added, not that I expect it to do anything but the customer has complained of more cold spots. Every rad is getting hot just a few with cold spots. We are booked in for Tuesday.

 

[mountainman]

I've yet to try it but I'm told that X800 is meant to be very good.

 

[gassafe]

If there's big cold spots then it needs flushing out I recon, x800 is good but will not shift big cold spots like if used with a powerflush machine, magnet filters & a rad hammer!!