Extra rad not getting hot

[Galliwobble]

Hello I've just had my plumber add a rad to my conservatory by running pipes up to sons bedroom under the floorboards and tapping into 22mm junction with microbore. All rads really hot except conservatory rad is hot at the top and lukewarm at the bottom. It's a microbore system. I've asked him about balancing each rad, but he just fobs me off. Any ideas anyone?

 

[IDCHAPPY]

Balancing may help a bit but the heat is getting there and the circulation isn't bad or it wouldn't heat ok at all.
How big is the radiator and what size of microbore is feeding it?

 

[SimonG]

And how long is the run from the manifold to the radiator. Also bet it doesnt meet building regs with regard to independant control.

 

[Galliwobble]

Rad is a double 1000mm wide 600mm high. Microbore is 10mm

 

[Galliwobble]

Approx 5 metres, rad has a Drayton thermostatic valve on it, set to highest temp

 

[Best]

He fitted it, so he's responsible. Get him back to sort it. If the rad is barely heating this weather, then in winter it will be a lot worse because the rad heat loss will be much greater.
The system should be balanced & sometimes circulating pumps can need upgraded. Your "plumber" may not know this.

 

[JCplumb]

Did your plumber flush the system before doing the work? It's not something you have to do but I'm thinking the new microbore run dropping down from the 22mm feed and returns would be a perfect place for any existing muck to gather.
I went to a job where a little used radiator in a back bedroom would only get hot(ish) at the top, I thought the rad was probably sludged up so took it off and hosed it out in the yard, a fair bit of gunk came out but not as much as I expected.
After reconnecting it was still behaving the same. Took it off again and opened both valves into buckets, one was good but the other one was just a trickle. Connected a hose pipe up to the valve on the bad side with a 3/4" flexi tap connector and dangled it through the window into a grid. Went back to the boiler and cranked it up to 3 bar and opened the valve.
Trickle, trickle, trickle.... Woosh! A worm of black sludge shot out and all was cleared, I opened the filling loop for 10 mins or so to flush that run out a bit.
Connected everything back up, stuck a calshot in (thanks Ray!) and had a very happy customer. Apparantly I was the third 'plumber' who had been out to it :rolleyes2:

 

[Ermintrude]

If anything the new rad should be melting your face off . But it sounds like you have a micro-bore manifold for rest of house, this basically means the water leaves boiler and returns to boiler very easily , far easier than it can go through new rad.


You need to cut the 22mm on one side of the new branch, slot in a gate valve. Wind it down until the new rad is hot then u may need to open it a touch to get rest of system running perfectly.

Once sorted you must install a two port valve on to that new rad to meet regs. Valve must be controlled by programmable stat in room or similar.