electrician with heating problem

[madrid]

I have a problem with the heating in a house I have just bought.It comprises a baxi barcelona boiler ,fully pumped system with an unvented ariston cylinder.It supplies 11 rads and a towel rail.the living room has 2 small long rads under the windows as does the master bedroom.There is an extension at the rear of the property which is the family room and this has a very big rad under the window(2 metres) .Problem is some of the rads only heat up luke warm and the big rad in the family room doesn't heat up at all now(was luke warm before ).I had a plumber mate of mine put trv's on a couple of days ago and the system was drained down at the time.Now the towel rail doesn't heat up and the big rad is freezing.I have since had a heating engineer round and he says it needs power flushing as a result of sludge and balancing after at cost of £500.I have just moved from scotland to bucks area and don't have anyone local i trust to give advice.If it needs flushing fine but don't want to get it done and find other remedial work required.Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Plumbcrazy56]

It could be sludged up, you try turning off all the rads that get hot and see if this forces the hot water round to the cold ones..this usualy works if it is an airlock.
It could also be the pump failing.

 

[metaldust9]

you could try a diffrent plumber its got an unvented cylinder so its not as easy sounds like sludge has got in the valves and stopping them opening when drained down

 

[gasmarc]

the only things that are guaranteed in life are death and taxes ,it could be numerous things the problem could be on the boiler or as above on the pump ,the list is endless , why not take the guys advice about flushing the system and tell him if it does not sort it out he doesnt get paid that is if he is agreeable

 

[madrid]

Thanks very much for ideas but i noticed the immersion was switched on permanently(it was tucked away out of sight),I switched it off and then ran a bath.I then turned on the hot water at the programmer and guess what ,2 hrs later and no hot water.

 

[gasmarc]

if you are not getting hot water try putting heating on also and observe boiler

 

[madrid]

Heating was on so i turned it off and the hot started to flow through tank .really weird though as towel rail in bathroom is now heating up.Also don't think hot water valve is working .i had to stick it on manual.

 

[gasmarc]

it might be the way its plumbed sometimes the bathroom rad can be on the same circuit as the cylinder, so you are down to a fault either on the programmer or the zone valve , cheapest option is to change sychron motor first for around a tenner from screw fix

 

[madrid]

thanks.managed to get the valve working and flow and return through heat exchanger are hot.it does seem that the bathroom rad is on with the hot water feed to the cylinder.

 

[gasmarc]

just bleed all the rads starting downstairs when system cold and recharge to 1 to 1.5 max, best left to normal weather ,just turn off all the rads that are hot upstairs and that should get the rads working down stairs if the rad is stone cold on the bottom you maybe looking at a powerflush

 

[spanner]

Sounds like a weak pump, I'd guess, have you checked the thermostat on the unvented cylinder, are there two thermostats??

 

[spanner]

Are both thermostats on the unvented cylinder at the right settings.
It would be a waste if the flush is done and the problem persist,well as an electrician, is ther any way of checking the pump or to check the pump setting??