What can you suggest....

[Joanna]

I was bleeding the upstairs bathroom radiator almost on a daily basis, each time it would solve the problem and the radiators would all heat up, this morning after a particularly noisy radiator fill I went round bleeding all the radiators finding once again there was a lot of air in the system… the last radiator to be bled in the bathroom started to hiss air but then started to become intermittent… the heating stayed on for it’s period then switched off.

I a bit later I switched the heating on for an hour, the boiler lit and the pump is buzzing but nothing is happening… no heat in any of the radiators???

I am a total novice and if that wasn’t a handicap enough a woman to boot CAN ANYONE HELP??? Please try and use layman’s terms in explanation thank you.

 

[charlieandlaura2002]

what is the pressure gauge reading?

 

[Joanna]

There isn't a pressure guage and the pump sounds like it is running dry

 

[ollski]

guessing from a distance it may be that your pump has been sucking air through the vent pipe and now siezed up or air locked. A possible cure would be to combine your vent pipe into your feed. A picture of the pipe work could help us diagnose.

 

[Joanna]

there is water in the header tank so It's not that.

The control valve above the pump had been spitting and hissing a little and shows a little corrosion or greening (copper pipes)
would this tie in with an air lock?

I have opened the bleed valve on the pump and it is absolutely bone dry... there is no water in the upstairs radiators only in the downstairs one.

 

[oilman]

there is water in the header tank so It's not that.

This could be misleading. There is water in the header tank, but is it able to get into the system?

Put a hose onto one of the drain cocks for a minute or so, and see if the header tank is being refilled. If water doesen't flow into the tank, then water didnt flow out of the tank.

The leaky valve may be where the air is getting into the system.

Please let us know what happens, as it sounds like your system is short of water.

 

[Joanna]

thank you for your help.... I will try as best I can to implement your idea, though If i am honest I haven't a clue where to start I will probably end up calling someone out, but will let you know the outcome either way.

Thanks again though

 

[breezer]

this

is what you want to be looking for.

although you will only see the "ribbed" bit and the bit on the end (technical term that, bit on the end)

 

[oilman]

Have something ready to mop up water. These things are notorious for not opening slowly, and you will probbly have taken the hose off the end to see if it's working. Then it realises what you've done, and promptly lets the water out.

Breezer's technical term is more fully stated in the plumbing manuals as "square bit on the end"

 

[Joanna]

thank you.... and I got the gag

will let you know