All Radiators Heat Up With Hot Water On Sometimes Only Bathroom One

[Murdoch]

I'll try again!

Has it ever worked properly?

 

[Ed51]

I'll try again!

Has it ever worked properly?

As I said before! 

Has hardly been used soon after got the wood burner, so at the time didn't try to remedy any observed problems.

Cheers.

 

[Murdoch]

Has anyone been fiddling with the controller?

This all sounds a bit odd and those photos suggest the install is some years old ......................

Where are you based?

 

[ProDave]

I'll try again!

Has it ever worked properly?

Until we know the answer to that I can't see how we can help further.

Initially I thought it was just the programmer outputs were wrong but from a previous answer the cylinder thermostat corresponds to the hot water output of the programmer, so that is correct, but unfortunately it controls the radiators instead. So Andy may be right and it's the plumbing that is wrong

Are you sure the manual override lever on that 3 port valve is not holding it open? it should be in the relaxed position, but I can't recall which way that is on that type of valve.

 

[Murdoch]

Could you post a picture of the controller?

 

[Ed51]

Could you post a picture of the controller?

Yes here you are.

 

[Ed51]

actually, it may be wired correct the the 3 port valve in the wrong way

The little lever on this 3 way port valve, what does that do?

 

[Ed51]

I would first check the 3 port valve. With just heating selected, the hot water should not have heated up. likewise with just hot water selected, the radiators should not have heated up

With such a bizarre fault, I have to ask, has it EVER worked properly?  It almost sounds like the outputs from the programmer are connectd the wrong way round, except for the fact the tank thermostat seems to be connected to the hot water output.

" I would first check the 3 port valve. " How would I do this, switch off at house mains supply? Silly question perhaps, but are there any components of the system, like capacitors holding a charge that could give me a shock? 

 

[Ed51]

Boiler was installed 26th February 2014 by a qualified engineer and all signed off properly. As I mentioned, has had very little use, because was given a big wood burner for my birthday shortly after and used an immersion heating element in the hot tank. Four years ago now, so I'm afraid I can't say weather was working perfectly as it should or not. Is it straightforward to check weather the 3 way valve is working properly? That little lever on the side of the metal casing, what does that do?

Cheers.

 

[Ed51]

Ps the controller has never been fiddled about with. Only when trying to set up timer thinking fault was due to not setting that up correctly, found procedure..... incredibly..... involved

 

[steptoe]

The lever opens and closes the valve manually,

I'm also inclined to think the valve may be plumbed the wrong way round,

Can you trace the pipework from ports A and B on the valve and check which one goes to hot water cylinder and which to radiators.?

 

[Ed51]

The lever opens and closes the valve manually,

I'm also inclined to think the valve may be plumbed the wrong way round,

Can you trace the pipework from ports A and B on the valve and check which one goes to hot water cylinder and which to radiators.?

Pretty sure I can do that, will give it a shot. Have some stuff to do, will get back to the forum later.

Regards solution, excuse pun, I think we are getting warmer

Thanks. 

 

[Rob_the_rich]

looks like a Honeywell mid-position valve https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwiZmpCpi5TZAhXrDMAKHTJMCBUQFgjIAjAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.honeywelluk.com%2Fdocuments%2FInstallation-Guide%2Fpdf%2F1083.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2R-u3ThvSFtEJdEVJT7NnL

should be radiators from port A and cylinder from port B

The bathroom rad is almost certainly plumbed into the pipe from the mid-position valve going to the cylinder, as I mentioned in my previous post, so gets hot as the cylinder warms up, but does not get hot when the other rads are getting hot.

 

[Sharpend]

A pic of inside the wiring box where valve is wired too and inside the controller may help. 

 

[Murdoch]

4 years since install is probably a bit too long to have a rant at the installer - BUT you could ask them to come and take a look ........ you never know you may get the proper diagnosis FOC

 

[Ed51]

4 years since install is probably a bit too long to have a rant at the installer - BUT you could ask them to come and take a look ........ you never know you may get the proper diagnosis FOC

Uum, had thought of going back to the people who originally installed but as you say bit too long now. Just going to finish off a bit of decorating, then will lift a few floorboards to see if can determine which ports on the valve go where.

 

[Sharpend]

Don’t lift floor boards. 

Make sure system is cold, then switch hot water on and feel the pipes on ports a and b, see which pipe gets hot then see if the rads or taps get hot. This will determine which pipe is feeding what. 

 

[Ed51]

The lever opens and closes the valve manually,

I'm also inclined to think the valve may be plumbed the wrong way round,

Can you trace the pipework from ports A and B on the valve and check which one goes to hot water cylinder and which to radiators.?

Under the floorboards I found the original packing box for the valve.

In it were the installation instructions which included a valve checkout procedure, see attached.

These are my results
1+2+ c = pipe hot at  port B.
3+c = pipe hot at port A.
4 = both pipes on ports A+B getting hot.

 

[steptoe]

View attachment 9117

We need to know which port is feeding hot water and which port is feeding radiators please, in your install.

We know which ports are supposed to, but it may be that it is plumbed "back to front" , so to speak.

 

[Rob_the_rich]

From your results it seems the mid position valve is wired correctly and that the programmer is telling it to divert the flow correctly. But from your earlier posts the heating and hot water are plumbed in the wrong way around. You could get the plumber in to fix his/her mistake, drain down, spin the valve 180 degrees, refill adding inhibitor.