My friends heating system (combi boiler fired in a newly built house) is playing some crazy games.
When he turns on the hot water only, the rads fill as well. WHAT THE HELL!!!!
He's had a plumber and a heating engineer to look at it and they've both been stumped so it's nothing obvious.
Ten points for whoever solves this mystery!
2006-11-04 20:27:03 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Okay, more details...
It's a brand new house so the boiler and system will be brand new too.
As for the rads, they heat up when the hot water goes on.
Cheers so far!
2006-11-04 21:05:23 · update #1
I guess I missed an important piece of info the first time around.
Your problem is quite simple. It sounds like you have 'tank-less hot water' on your boiler. Tank-less hot water consists of an immersion coil that is inserted into the boiler water jacket so as the boiler water heats your domestic hot water. This system requires a triple relay aquastat. Your boiler will "Fire" when your heating thermostat calls for heat (on temp fall). This will fire the boiler & close the relay to run your circulator pump. in the summer, the aquastat in the immersion coil drops below its set temperture & fires the boiler giving you hot water. The relay for your circulator is separate, hence triple relay aquastat. Thats why you get hot water but it doesn't heat your house. Your system is wired incorrectly. That my dear, I am sure off.
2006-11-04 20:56:50 · answer #1 · answered by david g 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
this is kinda funny,,,, better get ya a new plumber,,, evidently not installed to many boilers,, he has done 1 of to things,,, the first and most likely thing ,, the water supply comes into the boiler and is suppose to ha a check vale in it so that the boiler will call for the water when it needs it , and he has also piped back into the hot water supply causing the problem, making a complete circles, and when you turn on the water it makes a loop through the complete system and then out the faucet, ,,, need to get this fixed, hold the plumber or installer liable and make them fix it,,, lol hope this helps ya,,, the less common thing is a failed check valve,,, but it would still have to be piped wrong for this to happen,,,good luck,,,,,oh i just thought of one possibility that may make this a correct installation, is he using this for his hot water and heat, if he does not have a separate hot water heater , then maybe it was designed to be his hot water and his heat, but still there should be thermostat zone controls to each room in the house so that water cant make it to the heaters unless the t-stat is turned on to that heater, so check these possibilities, there is nothing else it can be, good luck
2006-11-05 02:45:50 · answer #2 · answered by technician68 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The information you have given is very sparse, when you say the rads fill do you mean they heat up or do you mean the pressure in the system increases. Make and age of boiler would also help, Baxi ?
If its the second option then remove the filling loop and if it still continues get an engineer to replace the water to water heat exchanger.
If its the first option then get an engineer to replace the diverter valve.
Don't take this as gospel but it 90%
CORGI reg installer
2006-11-04 20:49:39 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Is there a HW storage cylinder as well as the 'instant' HW output?
If not then the heating flow and returns should be a closed and sealed circuit. If there is a cylinder then there must be zone valves to isolate heating and HW.
Either way, it's not your problem, get the installer back right away. I can't see how anyone could be stumped, there must be a very obvious pipework problem.
How long before hot water gets to the hot tap after opening it??
2006-11-04 21:54:29 · answer #4 · answered by jayktee96 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This could be a leak in the heat exchanger for the hot water. Normally the heating water and the hot water don't come into contact but if there is a leak then they will. See if the pressure gauge changes when the hot water is turned on if it does then it could be the heat exchanger.
2006-11-04 20:40:50 · answer #5 · answered by derek 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Without reading the other answers: The radiators should be hooked up to the cold water, they shouldn't get hot water in them when turned on. Someones missing something here, very obvious.
And, since it's a new house it should be covered by a warrant through the dealer of the furnace, call him back and tell him to get his butt down there and fix it.
2006-11-04 22:13:58 · answer #6 · answered by cowboydoc 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It can only be that the rads..are connected to the hot water outlet pipe or fittings..so every time hot water is turned on
it supplies water to the rads
2006-11-04 20:42:47 · answer #7 · answered by JJ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi >
Could well be a bit of mis-wiring in the control circuits.
The contoler & thermostat have to "talk" to the boiler & pump etc.
A good qualified electrician should have a peek at the set-up.
Worth a try.
Bob
2006-11-04 20:49:41 · answer #8 · answered by Bob the Boat 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The heating engineer should have checked the valves. (Don't bother with plumbers!) If it is not valves, maybe the whole thing has been installed incorrectly. It looks like the installers are going to have to dig it all up again. sorry.
2006-11-04 20:36:08 · answer #9 · answered by Barks-at-Parrots 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The electrician has wired up the controls to the zone valves incorrectly, or they are not performing correctly.
2006-11-05 03:48:50 · answer #10 · answered by xenon 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋