Plumber please! Or bathroom expert

[2017watchoutherewecome]

The sink in our en suite has a plug that you raise by turning a dial below the taps, unfortunately the plug no longer raises when we turn it. I've tried using the suction thing to hold the sat nav on the dashboard but it can't get suction presumably because it's either too big or the plug is curved.
I can't afford a plumber, any suggestions please ? Thank you.

easy

you have a pop-up waste.

Pry the plug out using your fingernails or a sucker or by pressing blu-tak on it.

Sticking out of the bottom is a screw. Unscrew it 5 to 10mm and then turn the locking nut up the shaft towards the plug, to prevent the screw coming loose and falling out.

Put the plug back.

Turn the knob.

Does it now lift enough?

If not, unscrew the screw a bit more. There is a lever inside the waste that lifts up and presses on the end of the screw to lift the plug when you turn the knob.

BTW, it leaks. All pop-up wastes leak. Baths usually not as badly and as quickly as basins. Learn how to remove the bath panel so you can look at it leaking.

Ooh. Can I ask you a question while you are here please PigletJohn?

The radiator in a 2nd floor bedroom stopped heating up about a month ago. Well, it comes on with the others but it is as if it were on number 1 on the valve, not the 4 or 5 it is turned up to. We've tried to 'bleed' it but no diffrence - it is the same temp all over, not patchy like when it needs bleeding thou.
Any suggestions what i can please ?

turn all the others off.

Does it now heat up?

If not, post some photos of the TRV.

Feel the two pipes going into the radiator. The flow should be too hot to hold. The return should be too hot to hold for long. Write "F" and "R" in the pipes in inconspicuous small marker, for future use.

I've tried prising the plug out but the gap is so small that nothing can get in :( a suction thing and blutak havent worked either :(
Thank you piglet John.

Thanks. Will have to do that late tomorrow or Sunday
Whats the TVR ?

TRV

www.plumbase.co.uk/search?w=trv&x=13&y=10

Point of a small knife?

When/if you get it out, tie some thread or fine string round the stem to prevent it going out of reach.

I broke the knife, I think I'll have to get a plumber because I'm clearly incompetent . Thank you.

tip of a nail file?

Hi PigletJohn, I've had all the other radiators in the house off for the last hour. Bedroom seems to have warmed up quite a bit, but isn't really burning hot as I thought it might be.
I don't know how to upload pictures, but the TVR looks like the 3rd one along in the top row. It says Westherm on the top.
Before I turned the rest of the rads off, the pipe under the TVR was probably "too hot to hold for long" and the one at the other end was pretty cool - not freezing, but certainly not warm. Now they other rads have been off for a while that one is now hot.

What's the diagnosis ?

TRV

If the flow becomes too hot to hold, and the return becomes too hot to hold for long, once all the other rads are off, then it might be that your system needs balancing, to send more heat to the recalcitrant radiator and less to the others. You will have become more aware of it as the weather gets colder, because the other radiators will be demanding more heat.

However, if the cool radiator is an addition or extension to the system, it might be due to inadequate pipe.

if the radiator is cool at the top, or in the middle, or at the bottom, there is a different fault.

TRV

Thermostatic
Radiator
Valve

No - it's not patchy - it's just 'warm' (as opposed to hot) all over.

It's not an extension - was always in the system (as far as I know - we've been here over 13 yrs), although it is furthest away from the boiler (there are 11 rads + a heated towel rail being fed by a rubbish combi boiler, over 3 floors of an old Victorian house). That said, it's always been fine until a few weeks ago, so this is definitely a change from what has been.

So, is 'balancing' something we can do or do we need a plumber, or a 'boiler man' ?

you can balance it yourself, BUT with all the other radiators turned off, that's as hot as it can ever get just by balancing. Unless you have a hot water cylinder that has recently been getting unexpectedly hot, or a bypass that is a bit too open.

Open one other radiator, and see if it gets substantially hotter than your one bad one.

The thermostatic head on the TRV can be lifted off after undoing the big screw underneath it. Turn the head to max heat position before removing or replacing. You could swap it with the head from one of the others. Position the head before tightening the nut. The ad suggests your TRVs might be made by Honeywell, I remember quite a few years ago their TRVs used to work badly with age. No water will come out. When you take the head off you will see a pin sticking out. They should both look the same.

OK, thanks, will do that next

Backforgood. Do you know how old your TRV is? Sounds like the thermostatic valve, which has wax inside, is not switching on.
Does the head of the thermostat feel lose? Just grab it to see if there is movement.

Watchout. You will need to remove the waste collector from under the sink to remove the plug. The plug normally sits on a bar and it might have got stuck.

Thank you both for your help.
The room has seemed much warmer today, after the 'switching all the other rads off for an hour and a half' yesterday.
I will come back to it if it isn't sustained.
thanks again.

that suggests it might have been an air bubble or sediment obstruction problem. If not cured, please start a new thread about the problem.

Thank you