Hi All,
I have a bit of a plumbing puzzle you might be able to help me figure out; I can send an attached drawing of the system in my in laws home to anyone who might be able to help.
They used to have a separate hot water tank in the attic but it was replaced by a plumber a few years ago with the current system, it has me driven mad.
I replaced a rad for them, and shut off the water to the system as my step father said he normally would, I drained the system at the boiler as he said he normally would.
When the water had stopped, I removed the rad, it was the last rad down stairs on the system and I just capped the pipes close together rather than rip up the floor all the way back to the next rad and the second thing I did was I fitted a new double rad farther back the system in the same spot as an older single one.
The old plumber had disconnected their back boiler a few years back but rather than remove the built in furniture and concrete floor and cap the pipes the lazy bugger stuck some plastic pipe into the line to make a loop, at the same time he took out their hot water tank in the attic and place in a expansion vessel (CIMM 18 ltr EXE CE).
I also found a leak on a buried pipe so I fixed that and left all the new fittings exposed for the weekend to make sure leak free. My father in law said that the system refills itself after a while so I thought it must be an automatic top up sealed system, no worries says I. The rad's all heated and hot water came from taps and the rad’s bleed so off I went.
The leak I had discovered didn’t seal up fully so back I went after 2 day and did a job on it, I drained the system again and a bit of swearing and grunting later I stopped the leak fully and filled in the pipe channels in the floor with sand and sealed the floor with screed.
Then the doubt started. Where was this auto top up valve located?, I went back for another look as the hot water line had air locked on them and after freeing up the lock and restoring water I traced the whole system that I could find, now I am completely freaking out as I cant for the life of me understand where the hell new water is getting into a system that I have drained twice in the last week, I really want to add some inhibitor and get around to balancing the rad’s fully, but I am completely lost now and tearing my hair out.
SO a very long winded first post and thanks for taking the time to read it but questions for you all, please.
1. What type of system am I looking at?
2. Where is the top up valve?
3. Am I after capping a pipe I shouldn’t have?
4. If I had made a mess of it how in god’s name does the heating still work?
5. Why did I ever agree to do this job for them?
I know its hard to explain without seeing a drawing.
I have a bit of a plumbing puzzle you might be able to help me figure out; I can send an attached drawing of the system in my in laws home to anyone who might be able to help.
They used to have a separate hot water tank in the attic but it was replaced by a plumber a few years ago with the current system, it has me driven mad.
I replaced a rad for them, and shut off the water to the system as my step father said he normally would, I drained the system at the boiler as he said he normally would.
When the water had stopped, I removed the rad, it was the last rad down stairs on the system and I just capped the pipes close together rather than rip up the floor all the way back to the next rad and the second thing I did was I fitted a new double rad farther back the system in the same spot as an older single one.
The old plumber had disconnected their back boiler a few years back but rather than remove the built in furniture and concrete floor and cap the pipes the lazy bugger stuck some plastic pipe into the line to make a loop, at the same time he took out their hot water tank in the attic and place in a expansion vessel (CIMM 18 ltr EXE CE).
I also found a leak on a buried pipe so I fixed that and left all the new fittings exposed for the weekend to make sure leak free. My father in law said that the system refills itself after a while so I thought it must be an automatic top up sealed system, no worries says I. The rad's all heated and hot water came from taps and the rad’s bleed so off I went.
The leak I had discovered didn’t seal up fully so back I went after 2 day and did a job on it, I drained the system again and a bit of swearing and grunting later I stopped the leak fully and filled in the pipe channels in the floor with sand and sealed the floor with screed.
Then the doubt started. Where was this auto top up valve located?, I went back for another look as the hot water line had air locked on them and after freeing up the lock and restoring water I traced the whole system that I could find, now I am completely freaking out as I cant for the life of me understand where the hell new water is getting into a system that I have drained twice in the last week, I really want to add some inhibitor and get around to balancing the rad’s fully, but I am completely lost now and tearing my hair out.
SO a very long winded first post and thanks for taking the time to read it but questions for you all, please.
1. What type of system am I looking at?
2. Where is the top up valve?
3. Am I after capping a pipe I shouldn’t have?
4. If I had made a mess of it how in god’s name does the heating still work?
5. Why did I ever agree to do this job for them?
I know its hard to explain without seeing a drawing.