My CH system is driving me potty! It is a Thermal Store with standard condensing boiler supplying CH and HW to a detached 3-bed house with 6 single and 2 double radiators.
When the central heating/hot water turns on the whole system, including the CH pump, is very quiet to start with, although the boiler pops and booms a little. After approx 15 – 20 minutes, the whole system whooshes which gradually increases in volume to a crescendo. This then stops and then there is a loud sound of rushing water and rumbling, accompanied by a high pitched whistling coming from the CH pump, which can be heard throughout the whole house. After a minute or so, this subsides.The whooshing and rumbling repeats every 10 minutes or so with the accompanying whistling from the CH pump. The system as a whole appears to function adequately providing the necessary HW and CH. All the rads have been bled and get hot although a small one upstairs has to be bled every four weeks or so. I have failed to find how air is getting in.
British Gas have said that this is common with Thermal Store systems as they have to run at extremely high temps to provide efficient HW and CH and there is not a lot I can do about it bar fitting a new system!! They did fit a new CH pump a few months back and I had the boiler moved a few feet when a new kitchen was fitted back in April. I have also heard that the CH pump can be bled too (there’s a nut in the middle), but how do I go about doing this without scalding myself and/or flooding the airing cupboard!? And will it do any good anyway?
Would power-flushing and treating the system maybe fix the problem (I live in a very hard water area)? Any advice greatly appreciated.
When the central heating/hot water turns on the whole system, including the CH pump, is very quiet to start with, although the boiler pops and booms a little. After approx 15 – 20 minutes, the whole system whooshes which gradually increases in volume to a crescendo. This then stops and then there is a loud sound of rushing water and rumbling, accompanied by a high pitched whistling coming from the CH pump, which can be heard throughout the whole house. After a minute or so, this subsides.The whooshing and rumbling repeats every 10 minutes or so with the accompanying whistling from the CH pump. The system as a whole appears to function adequately providing the necessary HW and CH. All the rads have been bled and get hot although a small one upstairs has to be bled every four weeks or so. I have failed to find how air is getting in.
British Gas have said that this is common with Thermal Store systems as they have to run at extremely high temps to provide efficient HW and CH and there is not a lot I can do about it bar fitting a new system!! They did fit a new CH pump a few months back and I had the boiler moved a few feet when a new kitchen was fitted back in April. I have also heard that the CH pump can be bled too (there’s a nut in the middle), but how do I go about doing this without scalding myself and/or flooding the airing cupboard!? And will it do any good anyway?
Would power-flushing and treating the system maybe fix the problem (I live in a very hard water area)? Any advice greatly appreciated.