Central heating woes :S

[PsychicPaper]

There doesnt seem to be enough pressure in my central heating system.

When the heating is on, not all the radiators get hot. If I close some of the hot ones off, then the previously cold ones will warm up.

Does this sound like a pressure issue?

It is a back boiler, and I cant find a pressure gauge on the boiler. The pump is on full.

Any help much appreciated!

Well, until PigletJohn comes along I can share my recent experiences.

I had a similar issue, partially caused by the previous owner putting in wrong sizes of pipes. Unfortunately without taking up solid flooring we can't replace all the piping but replacing some has helped. We also had the system re balanced and replaced defective thermostatic valves. Lastly we now have the water timed to come on before the heating so the two are not in competition, which helped enormously.

PigletJohn will come along soon!

It is not a pressure issue. It is a balancing issue.

Am in a hurry today, please go to the Advanced Search button and look for posts containing Balancing and author PigletJohn

try this

here we are

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/a1850696-Help-Question-on-radiators#41549507

I really think the Queen needs to give Piglet John an OBE as a matter of urgency. The things I have learnt from his posts! He is truly fab :-)

Could your rads need bleeding due to air build up in system?

Can't help you find pressure gauge. Is it on the actual boiler unit? If not try and find the water inlet for the boiler unit and see if there is an external gauge.

He is awesome. I wish he was my plumber. Unlike the muppet who moved my boiler. grumble grumble.

PsychicPaper mentions a back boiler. this is likely to be quite old and not pressurised.

Many (but not all) modern boilers are pressurised, it is not essential. AFAIL combi boilers are all pressurised.

An unpressurised boiler is called "open vent" and will have a feed and expansion tank, usually in the loft. As it is open, it is more prone to dirt and sediment, and the water is in contact with air. An open vent system is more likely to need cleaning to remove sludge and sediment after 30 years or less.

The F&E tank is more correctly termed a cistern as it is open at the top, but hardly anyone calls it that.

I always called my feed and expansion cistern a cistern when I still had one.

God I miss my conventional boiler. It was so easy to keep the system running yourself. I replaced the pump a couple of times and a few of the radiators and it just kept going. Almost anything could be fixed with a whack with a spanner. Any time anything goes wrong with the combi I have to call someone out.

Viessmann 100 compact mate.