Discuss Last two radiators not heating in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net

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Hi All

I have an issue where the last two radiators (furthest from the boiler) are not heating. I have taken a few boiler engineers/plumbers to have a look but they are not able to fix the issue. So let me give a bit of a background. This should answer a few questions that you are likely to ask.

This heating is on a fourth floor flat. The central heating system was installed by the council around 1994 and there has never been any issues with any of the radiators. The boiler (with a hot water tank) was installed in the bathroom which is kind of central to the property. Around 2010 the boiler packed up and we replaced the boiler with a combi boiler. A few years after this we started getting issues with the last two radiators not heating up. I was insured with British Gas and they used to come and do their stuff and get the radiators to work. They kept on insisting that a power flush was required. I didn't give them the go ahead as it was very expensive. Eventually in 2016 I got a power flush done by a powerflush company. They used heat guns to check that the water was flowing and that there was no blockages. This was certified and all was well. Around mid 2017 the boiler packed in and it was not repairable so I got the boiler replaced. At this point I had the boiler moved to the kitchen which is at one end of the property as the bathroom is apparently no longer a place where you should have a boiler. Since installing the new boiler we do not seem to be getting any heat going to the radiators in the end two rooms. We have tried re-balancing all of the radiators and we get them to work. However, once the heating is switched off and then switched back on again those two radiators stop working again. I have spoken to a few people regarding this and they are a bit baffled as to why this is happening. The radiators have been re-balanced and a powerflush was done only recently. The boiler is pretty much brand new. When we close off a couple of radiators close to the boiler it seems to get the radiators going in the end rooms but we can't be doing that all the time.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. The property is in central London if anyone thinks they know what the issue might be and wants to come down and have a look.
 
How big is the flat and what is the make and model of your boiler?
I'd give the manufacturer a call to check over the boiler which should be still under warranty.
 
Could be down to pipe size any chance of some photos, Have you had the radiator valves replaced ?
 
How big is the flat and what is the make and model of your boiler?
I'd give the manufacturer a call to check over the boiler which should be still under warranty.

I was trying not to get the manufacture involved straight away. Once they find an issue they tend to hide behind that and not fix anything that gets reported afterwards. Certainly found that with British Gas home cover. There was one instance when an engineer turned up and refused to fix an issue because one of the previous engineers recommended a power flush. My tenant had to fix the issue himself!
So I'm trying to ensure that I have everything covered before going to the manufacturer.

The boiler is a Baxi Main Eco Elite 25 Combi. It is a fairly long flat but as I've mentioned we have not had issues for years, the problem only started more recently.
 
Could be down to pipe size any chance of some photos, Have you had the radiator valves replaced ?

As I've mentioned the system has been working for over a decade. So I doubt it is the size of the pipes. Radiator valves also seem to be working as we have tried switching the valves on/off and that worked.
 
As I've mentioned the system has been working for over a decade. So I doubt it is the size of the pipes. Radiator valves also seem to be working as we have tried switching the valves on/off and that worked.

The system hasn't been working properly since the new boiler was installed in the kitchen which will involve the addition of new pipework. You've chosen a fairly low-end boiler, (amusing considering central london rents for a large flat) why have you not contacted the original installer to remedy their work?
 
When we close off a couple of radiators close to the boiler it seems to get the radiators going in the end rooms but we can't be doing that all the time.

The fact you mention it helps when you turn a couple of rads off then this would suggest that it is not balanced correctley. I know you have balanced the system but it does sound like a balancing problem if turning off another rad solves the problem.
 
The system hasn't been working properly since the new boiler was installed in the kitchen which will involve the addition of new pipework. You've chosen a fairly low-end boiler, (amusing considering central london rents for a large flat) why have you not contacted the original installer to remedy their work?

The additional pipework was minimal, where the boiler was installed. So I doubt that is the issue. He has come back since and balanced the radiators and got the end boilers to work. However, as soon s the heating is switched off those two radiators stop working.
I thought it was a medium end boiler. I was told it was more than sufficient for my needs.
 
The fact you mention it helps when you turn a couple of rads off then this would suggest that it is not balanced correctley. I know you have balanced the system but it does sound like a balancing problem if turning off another rad solves the problem.

I thought it was balanced. The last plumber closed all the radiators and got the last to rads working. He then opened all other radiators by half a turn. Is that not balancing?
 
Try isolating every radiator apart from the two in question and leave the heating to run for 15 mins in this way, then open back up one by one.
 
Try isolating every radiator apart from the two in question and leave the heating to run for 15 mins in this way, then open back up one by one.

I think we have already tried this but I shall give it another try and see what happens. Thank you for the suggestion.
 
How about get a plumber out to investigate it properly instead of asking us how to do it then doing it yourself?
I came to this forum after going to many different plumbers and spending a fortune to try and resolve this. I had British Gas cover for over 6 years. I cancelled with them because they couldn't resolve this issue and kept on hiding behind their extortionate power flush service. I have had a power flush done by a power flush specialist but it did not resolved the issue and British Gas refused to accept that a power flush was done even though it was certified by the power flush association. I am only on this forum because plumbers tend to come and show me they've done something and take my money but I am still left with the issue but never get a refund! I hope that answers your question!
 
Get a decent heating engineer to remove the 2 radiators and firstly flush them out and then open each valve into a hose to flush each pipe and confirm the flow is good and remains constant.
This needs done with all other radiators turned off, so not to have a blocked flow pipe feeding from another radiator return, for example.
You might have better luck with an independent engineer, rather than asking the big companies to send out just anybody.
 
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