Clearing airlock from open vented system

[Phil Schneider]

Hello, I would like to ask for a bit of advice.
I was helping my friends with their bathroom renovation as they are in a rush, expecting a baby soon. Unfortunately we ended up having no hot water.
They have an open vented system with water cylinder beside the boiler and big and small tank in the loft. Unfortunately, after draining the whole system and finishing all the plumbing in the bathroom, we ended up having no hot water and no heating.
I used the bottom drain valve for draining the system. I opened all valves. I've switched the 2 motorised valves to manual and opened all radiator bleeds when draining.
After filling up the system and firing heating and hot water on, the pump started to be much noisier.
The pump and surrounding pipes are very hot.
All the other pipes around the water cylinder are still cold and there is no hot water in any tap.
Only two radiators are heating up, the other five are still cold.
I tried to repeat the process again, drained and refilled, bled all radiators, but there is still the exact same issue.
I found a bleeding valve at the bottom of the boiler that I have bled as well. I haven't found any other bleeding valves.
I would very appreciate any suggestions.
Thank you

 

[Chuck]

I would very appreciate any suggestions.

Back-filling the system from the bottom, i.e. via the drain valve, should do the trick. You'll need a hose and hose clips, and don't rush it. (Strictly speaking you should have a non-return valve on the hose.) Don't forget to add inhibitor once the system is working.

 

[JonnySegway]

Back-filling the system from the bottom, i.e. via the drain valve, should do the trick. You'll need a hose and hose clips, and don't rush it. (Strictly speaking you should have a non-return valve on the hose.) Don't forget to add inhibitor once the system is working.

I did this yesterday, except filled from the top feed pipe, which I disconnected and attached a hose - bled all rads as they filled. Bit difficult getting the hose on the 15mm copper pipe mind!

 

[Deleted member 120897]

Possibly trapped air at the pump - does it have a bleed screw? Are there any air vents on vertical rise pipes?

 

[Phil Schneider]

Back-filling the system from the bottom, i.e. via the drain valve, should do the trick. You'll need a hose and hose clips, and don't rush it. (Strictly speaking you should have a non-return valve on the hose.) Don't forget to add inhibitor once the system is working.

Thanks for the suggestion, I was planning to try the same, but there is quite awkward access to the drain valve under the kitchen floor. I planned to connect a hose with mains pressure for a while. If I understand correctly, filling the system slowly using the non-return valve is for protecting the pipework.
Should I drain the whole system again before back-filling or just connect the mains pressure?

 

[Phil Schneider]

Possibly trapped air at the pump - does it have a bleed screw? Are there any air vents on vertical rise pipes?

Thank you for the response. I didn't find any air vent on the vertical pipes. But I'll check the pump again. much appreciated

 

[moonlight]

Is the pump turning? You might be able to manually spin the pump it might be stuck.

 

[Phil Schneider]

I did this yesterday, except filled from the top feed pipe, which I disconnected and attached a hose - bled all rads as they filled. Bit difficult getting the hose on the 15mm copper pipe mind!

There are four 22mm pipes coming from the bottom of the tank. Is there any way recognising which one is feeding the system? Is it always 15mm? Should I look for a tee with 15mm pipe?

 

[Phil Schneider]

Is the pump turning? You might be able to manually spin the pump it might be stuck.

Thank you for the suggestion. I've never checked inside the pump. Should I drain the system and open the pump or how do I proceed? Many thanks

 

[Chuck]

If I understand correctly, filling the system slowly using the non-return valve is for protecting the pipework.
Should I drain the whole system again before back-filling or just connect the mains pressure?

Slowly because you want to keep everything under control, avoid over-pressurising anything and give the air time to bleed out of the open vents.

Non-return valve is to avoid the possibility of contaminating the drinking water supply. Any activity involving a hosepipe needs one really.

 

[Chuck]

Thank you for the suggestion. I've never checked inside the pump. Should I drain the system and open the pump or how do I proceed? Many thanks

There'll be a big screw head on the pump about the size of a 5p coin. It's sealed with an o-ring. Loosen it to bleed the pump. Expect a small amount of water to come out in the process so have a cloth to hand. If you've not been doing this, it's probably the cause of the problem.

 

[moonlight]

Thank you for the suggestion. I've never checked inside the pump. Should I drain the system and open the pump or how do I proceed? Many thanks

Depending which pump you have there could be a plug on the front the size of a 5p. Make sure you have cloths at the ready there will be some water that escapes. Behind the plug is a small fitting that you can try and turn. Be carefull! if you put the heating on the water could be hot. Once you start it spinning you will need to put the plug back in quick. It will get very hot quickly. Gloves might help.

 

[Timmy D]

There are four 22mm pipes coming from the bottom of the tank. Is there any way recognising which one is feeding the system? Is it always 15mm? Should I look for a tee with 15mm pipe?

The f&e tank will be a small tank, not a large one (cold water storage) with multiple 22mm connections (domestic cold water/hot water cylinder supply).