Hot water or heating but not both gah

[BWatchWatcher]

Hi Folks,
I’m hoping someone can help me not get ripped off here.
So we have a 1930s semi. It was re-plumbed maybe 15-20 years ago. New condensing boiler in 5 years ago. Oil fired central heating.
At the end of the winter the tap stopped having hot water. Water would flow but it was cold. Heating still worked though but didn’t heat the water in the tank in the bathroom.
We have an electric shower, washing machine etc. Asked our usual plumber to come out but he never did.
I determined it should be sorted before winter and found a new plumber. New plumber came around and said the house was poorly plumbed and the direction the water was coming into the tank was wrong and that we had a blockage somewhere.
He has now ‘fixed’ it so that we have hot water, but the heating/radiators don’t work.
He’s quoted me £250 to come over and re-plumb a section of pipes heading to the tank but I’m not amused that he’s bust the heating and left two screw taps off the boiler which meant it’s been leaking water.
I’m not sure what to do next.

I should add that the hot water was not flowing from any tap, upstairs or downstairs before it was ‘fixed’.

So you have a hot water cylinder. What colour is it?

What is the pressure showing on the gauge on your boiler? Do you know how to repressurise it?

When you bleed the highest radiator in the house, does water squirt out forcefully? What colour is the water?

Take some photos of the pipes, pump and valves around your boiler and the hot cylinder, please. There may be a valve with a rectangular metal or plastic box on it. Take a photo of the end with a little metal lever sticking out. What letter is it next to?

^"he’s bust the heating and left two screw taps off the boiler which meant it’s been leaking water.
I’m not sure what to do next."^

you should ask around for personal recommendations of a better local engineer.

Oil boiler people are somewhat rare, but if it's just piping and valves, you don't need one as they won't need to work on the boiler.

Ok thanks so much @PigletJohn!
Cylinder is copper.
I do not know what the pressure is on my boiler. I don’t believe it has a pressure valve.
Radiators are all bled. Water comes out but doesn’t shoot out.
Water is clear.

Boiler pictures!

I put the two caps back on the boiler and now it doesn’t leak anymore. That’s at least something.

OK. So no pressure gauge and water doesn't squirt out.

In the loft you probably have a large cold water tank, and a small feed-and-expansion tank, about 18"x12"x12". Rather like the cistern on an old fashioned but probably black plastic. It has a ball-cock in it.

• Does it have a lid?

• how deep is the water?

• is there a layer of mud at the bottom? Is it brown?

Are there any labels tied to it, or empty white plastic bottles nearby, suggesting that cleaning or anti-corrosion chemicals have been added?

The will be a copper pipe hanging over it, arranged so that water can vent out and go into the small tank. Tie a rag to it so the rag will be wetted if any water comes out. Look at it in a couple of days to see if it has been wet.

I can't make out any clues from the photos. Haver to go out now. Maybe some clever heating engineer will take a look and spot something

ttfn

Thank you!
There is a tank in the loft.
It has a lid but is filled with crap.

is the float floating, or is it lying on the bottom of the tank?

the water level should be a couple of inches higher than the outlet near the bottom of the tank, where you will find a copper F&E pipe on the outside.

If you press the float down, water should run into the tank from the ballcock. Don't do that much because it will stir up the mud in the bottom of the tank and it will get down into your circulating pipes. Is the mud brown?

The ball cock is floating and there was water flowing dribbling in. Mud is a kind of reddy browny colour.
Thanks again for your help with this!

I think you need a new tank upstairs and a power flush

Then see how you go
Are you sure the boiler is only 5

there was water flowing dribbling in

do you mean it was constantly running?

then you have a leak.

It's too early to say a powerflush would cure it.

If HW is working but not CH, I'd want to see the valves and controls.

The boiler is definitely only 5 years old because we had it installed.
There was a light dribble into the tank but nothing huge.

any water flowing into the tank from the ballcock means there is a leak. There should be none at all, except it makes up losses from evaporation.

Sorry for the delay.
I went back up to the loft. There is an occasional drip into the small tank. When I said the water was flowing I was talking about when the ballcock was pushed down.

There is some weirdness going on downstairs with a radiator which I thought was a leak but the old plumber didn’t think was a concern.
Is it possible that this and the gunge could be the source of the problem?

Thanks again everyone for your helo. It’s very much appreciated.

*help even

It might be worth contacting Grant UK who manufactured your boiler, they’ll have a list of engineers in your area who will be able to have a look. It may not be the plumbing, it could be the timer/programmer for the boiler.

I really think the boiler is fine. It’s serviced every year and was installed only 5 years ago. It’s heating the water in the pipes that flow to the cylinder without issues.
It’s once it gets to the cylinder that I have issues.

It's much more likely to be the 3-port valve at fault, unless, since it worked correctly, you have changed the controls or wiring. The valve has working parts, including a switch, and can wear out.

A boiler mender can diagnose and replace it. Some modern bioilers, especially combis, have it inside the boiler casing, but your is much more likely to be next to the boiler or the hot cylinder.

If you are having work done, I'd suggest having a system filter fitted at the earliest opportunity, and doing a chemical clean outside the heating season. This is an easy DIY job, the chemical costs about £15. You already know where the feed tank is, you will have to find the drain valve (will be near the lowest point, probably next to the boiler). It's much cheaper than a powerflush, and, in conjunction with a filter, may save you the trouble and expense of a powerflush in the future.

p.s.

the thing in your photo looks like an old leak. It may have scaled up by now. It looks like the pipe goes through a concrete floor so is a wearisome job to repair. Perhaps you mender couldn't be bothered.

Thanks so much @PigletJohn!
I will suggest it’s the 3 port valve and get whoever does the work to fit the filter.
The older plumber is close to retirement. I reckon he cherry picks his jobs now. Can’t say as I blame him!

Just back to let everyone know it was the pump in the end.
Our house is too old to have a triple valve (though the guy did say that was a good guess!).
The guy who wanted to entirely replumb was wrong.