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Mend Potterton Heating Radiators Controller

1980's Potterton boiler fires up, but radiators not heating?

My old boiler, regularly serviced, fires up, but the radiators don't get hot and I don't think the water is circulating to the radiators. I think it may be the pump, is there any way of checking the pump to see if it is working? The controller has recently stopped working, so I have left it on 24 hours and used the thermostat to control the heat (when it was working). The problem arose, after the gales and the pilot light went out. I cleaned the burners which were very sooty, and if fired up fine. I noticed one radiator wouldn't 'bleed' and only got hot halfway up, but the other radiators were fine. The boiler is on, but no heat whatsoever in the radiators. The water is hot, as I have an Aga which heats the water, but not the radiators. Any help/advice would be welcome. Thanks

ES
January 2012

Potterton Heating, Home Heating Systems Heating Radiators Controller

If a radiator some distance from boiler, is getting hot, pump working, (otherwise how could hot water get to it) Where is the one that would not bleed fully situated? If higher up,( I do not know the system. If you have tank, check level). The only way one would not fill fully, (unless faulty closed valves, (sealed system, It would get water from both sides.)) is not enough water in the system, Goes for all systems. most not enough pressure, But if you have a header tank, check that, I have known them, to not fill, so your heating does not fill. ALL Depends on location of of bad one, as to problem.

SD
January 2012

make sure that all the valves on the rads are open" the rad that was only hot half way up, might be full of muck/dirth so bleeding it , cant get the muck out of it, you hear the pump comming on when the power to it is turned on, so check the fuse on that line, you dont say if your home has two floors, or it just has one, as the pump is for pumping the hot water back down to the ground floor, as the hot will rise to the rads upstairs, and its the pumps job to send it back down, so if the rads upstairs are hot, and the downstairs are cold, then the pump is not kicking in,so chack that you have not turned any valve at or around the boiler, and forgot to turn it back on,

g
January 2012