Anyone helpus with Heating prob! why so close to XMAS!!!!!

[SteveAle]

Hi all,
Tonight we seem to have no hot water and no hot radiators after a heavy day of xmas shopping!

Can anyone help with a few questions?
It not the newest of systems but has /was always reliable. It has a water tank in the airing cupboard,along with a Grundfos Selectric pump...
This pump is making an operating noise when I turn the heating on but is very hot to the touch? (right or wrong?)
The pipe below the pump is quite warm but the pipe above the pump is cold (right or wrong?)
The valve that switches between hot water /central heating is operating well when i switch between the two on the heating/water constant switch pad you can hear it switching over.

Downstairs I can see the pilot light ok in the back boiler...
I am not sure if this was normal before but I am sure that when I used to turn the wall stat up in the lounge I used to hear a woosh of the boiler firing up and it doesnt seem to now?

I had another look at the pump and the spindle is working when the pump is operating but wondered if it is possible for the impellor to come adrift from the motor thus thats whats causing the pump body to be so hot??? and if this pump is faulty could that make the back bolier not "woosh"?

Finally if the pump does/has stopped working would I only lose heating and not the hot water??

Sorry for so many questions in one post but in a panic with a 8 month old baby and a chilly house!

Regards for any help recieved

Steve

 

[stardanny]

Check that there is water in F&E small tank, could be lack of water, air lock, faulty pump?

 

[SteveAle]

Check that there is water in F&E small tank, could be lack of water, air lock, faulty pump?

Just been up in the loft and both small and large tanks have water??

 

[lagunaglen]

If its a fully pumped system and the pump has gone then you will get neither hot water or heating. sounds like pump, does the boiler fire up briefly before going out ?

 

[stardanny]

Hi. Have you done any work to it? Have you drain the system down?

If pump gone, you lose both heating and hot water unless you have a electric heater on top of cylinder.

Sound like gas valve faulty, air in return pipe, pump broken.

When was the boiler last service?
Best to get a corgi to look at your back boiler.

 

[SteveAle]

Hi. Have you done any work to it? Have you drain the system down?

If pump gone, you lose both heating and hot water unless you have a electric heater on top of cylinder.

Sound like gas valve faulty, air in return pipe, pump broken.

When was the boiler last service?
Best to get a corgi to look at your back boiler.

Thanks for the replies so far!
We have not long been living here and we have had no work done on it as yet.
With regards to the pump i took a photo (scuse the wallpaper) and added which pipes were hot/warm/cold if its any help?

I keep thinking if the pump is SO much hotter than the surrounding pipes should it be????
As the spindle of the pump IS spinning IS it possible for the impeller of the pump to have fallen off? or can this not happen?


http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa64/cuttlefish_photos/plumbing.jpg

 

[SteveAle]

If its a fully pumped system and the pump has gone then you will get neither hot water or heating. sounds like pump, does the boiler fire up briefly before going out ?

The boiler definately fires up if i turn the switch to heating constant but then nothing.

 

[gigz]

If the pipe above the pump is cold it could be the 3 port valve, switch this manually see what happens.

 

[SteveAle]

If the pipe above the pump is cold it could be the 3 port valve, switch this manually see what happens.

Is this the valve that clicks (motorized noise) when turning switches from heating constant to water constant or both constant etc? Port a and port b?
If so you can definately hear it moving.

 

[stardanny]

If you switch it to hot water constant only, do the bottom pipe to cylinder get hot, boiler fire up? ( if the hot water tank is cold or warm )

If not, faulty pump, it rare to have a impeller falled off . If the water not flowing right, pump do get hot.

Do pipework running from boiler get really hot?

Other thing, by looking at the photo, the 3 port valve is upside down.

 

[SteveAle]

If you switch it to hot water constant only, do the bottom pipe to cylinder get hot, boiler fire up? ( if the hot water tank is cold or warm )

If not, faulty pump, it rare to have a impeller falled off . If the water not flowing right, pump do get hot.

Do pipework running from boiler get really hot?

Other thing, by looking at the photo, the 3 port valve is upside down.

Star Danny,
I turned the heating to just constant hot water and the boiler fired up for around two mins and the shut off? and when the boiler shut off I could hear some noises from the system/pipes
The boiler is set behind a gas fire in my lounge so I can only see pilot light and flames from the boiler until they go out.
Unfortunately it wont run long enough for me to check that bottom pipe for temp.

Are we any closer to solving the prob?

 

[stardanny]

So you haven't done any work to the system, Boiler working ok, boiler stat cut in when hot, control system working, water in small tank, all rads bleeded, Heating water not getting to cylinder.

Boiler working, heating up water inside heat exchanger, got nothing to take heat away from boiler meaning.......

Pump need replacing.

 

[gigz]

Could you take another photo showing pipework arrangement above the pump, also try manually switching three port to hot water only and see if the pipe which you marked cold on photo gets hot. i would open (then close) vent/drain cock in photo as well.

 

[doitall]

Have you bled the air vent on the pipe to the left of the cylinder.


Boiler and pump off when you do.

 

[GforceJames]

It is quite possible the impellor has sheared off the end of the shaft, I find this quite often. Close the two pump valves and undo the four allen bolts holding the pump head to the pump body and take it off and check only takes 5 mins to rule it out.

James