Vented System - No Hot Water

[zom247]

Thanks for all the replies, I feel like I've poked a hornets nest!

Anyway, I managed to get a couple of plumbers out yesterday to look at the problem. First one told me it was the tank at fault and I'd need a new one to start with. Then they talked about changing the boiler to a combi as it would be tons better etc. Second one arrived and first thing he looked at was the position valve actuator which several of you have mentioned. He removed it and checked the valve which wasn't stuck and then put it back on. Turned the water/heating off/on a couple of times and the switch that moves from one to the other was sticking so said I'd need a new one so coming back on Monday to fit it (the first guy never even looked at the actuator either.). Since then however my water has been red hot again. Gonna stick with my current setup as well until it's past it's time. Mrs saw the silver lining though, said as we're now not forking out for a new boiler we can have a holiday with the money we've saved

 

[henry hoov3r]

Thanks for all the replies, I feel like I've poked a hornets nest!

Anyway, I managed to get a couple of plumbers out yesterday to look at the problem. First one told me it was the tank at fault and I'd need a new one to start with. Then they talked about changing the boiler to a combi as it would be tons better etc. Second one arrived and first thing he looked at was the position valve actuator which several of you have mentioned. He removed it and checked the valve which wasn't stuck and then put it back on. Turned the water/heating off/on a couple of times and the switch that moves from one to the other was sticking so said I'd need a new one so coming back on Monday to fit it (the first guy never even looked at the actuator either.). Since then however my water has been red hot again. Gonna stick with my current setup as well until it's past it's time. Mrs saw the silver lining though, said as we're now not forking out for a new boiler we can have a holiday with the money we've saved

Is it a Drayton or a Honeywell zone valve? First guy sounds like a bit of a chancer to be honest.

 

[-Ad-]

Thanks for all the replies, I feel like I've poked a hornets nest!

Haha, it's good to chat.

Glad you had a second guy out to sort it, sounds like the first guy is similar to what I experienced. Probably knew the fault but just wanted to upsell you something you didn't need on top. Typical useless scum.

 

[zom247]

Here's some pics of the actuator valve, blue one is the old one and white one the new one:

Spoiler: Valves

I also had a couple of quotes from the first guy who came, 1.1k for replacing the tank and 3.3k for fitting a new combi boiler.

Now the actuator valve has been changed the water is back to being red hot and I had a lovely deep bath last night. I will be respectfully declining the offer of a new tank and combi boiler for now though as all seems to be working as it should

 

[-Ad-]

Fantastic result, glad it's sorted.

I hate people trying to sell such upgrades as the "fix". At least you have the first guy for plumbing needs in the future.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

Combis generally oversized for water use which makes them inefficient for heating use.

I hate this. Mine short cycles all the time because the plate was sized for DHW and not HTG. It's just crap.

 

[zom247]

Fantastic result, glad it's sorted.

I hate people trying to sell such upgrades as the "fix". At least you have the first guy for plumbing needs in the future.

Yes, got him coming back next month for annual boiler/gas fire check.

 

[Gammawolf]

Take the advice given here with a pinch of salt m8

If you're thinking of a new system then get a professional to assess your system, listen to your requirements, and weigh up the options.

Do you really need to heat 150-200 litres of water daily and keep it at 60C? Gas isn't cheap any more, and most people don't need that volume of water. 60C is how you don't grow legionella in the cylinder, whether you use it or not!

A combi only heats the water you use, so bare that in mind.

I fitted a combi boiler for my mum (and a couple of friends) last year, it came with 18 years warranty & lifetime on the heat exchanger. Weather comp is included, and both cold and ch filters, the inbuilt controls can time the ch and the dhw preheat.

One single appliance can replace your existing: Boiler, cylinder, header tanks, pump, motorised valve(s), controls, etc. Great if they are old and tired.

To your current problem:

You've most likely got a Y plan, that has a motorised valve stuck in the heating position, this can either be from a stuck spindle or a stuck synchron motor. Using the manual lever will generally not fix this, as all 3ports are spring return to dhw, therfore the lever is only to open the ch. Removing the head will also not fix the problem of a stuck spindle or motor, because like I mentioned above you need the spring mechanism in the head acting against the motor to move the spindle into a dhw position.

Have fun

I just want to point out that while heat loss from the tank is true, in winter time (unless you don't heat your house or your tank is in a loft etc) then that heat loss just contributes to your home heating eventually. So the paper figure of 1-2kWh per 24h is only really applicable to half the year when the heat loss is unwanted. Even taking the upper figure of 2kWh @ 4p for 200 days we get £16 a year of wastage. Given most gas use is actually used for heating, in the grand scheme of things this is preferable and less wastage than if you put in a say a huge combi to cope with two bathrooms and then lost efficiency on the heating because your boiler can't modulate low enough to keep peak efficiency with weather comp/low flow temps.

Combi should be put in for its strengths, which is primarily space saving for people with less space like flats etc imo