Request for diagram of a Potterton Flamingo 50s

[tpot5]

Fundamentally I'd like to know which pipe connections are which.

This may be a silly question. but when facing the front does the water flow from my left to right or from my right to left?

Also an installation manual or diagram would be nice.

If you google the make there are manuals to download online

I've done that and can't actually find one for the Potterton Flamingo 50s.

That's why I'm asking here.

There's a Flamingo RS50S but I have no idea whether that in any way resembles the 50s

If you can see the connections to the heat exchanger flow is from the top and return in the bottom.

@Omg8 - good point

So it flows from my left to right.
Thanks @Omg8.

Is it the RS 50 (There's no Flamingo 50s listed on Potterton's site)?
If so: www.plumbase.co.uk/documents/product/3550291
or www.freeboilermanuals.com/potterton/

No, it's not the RS50.
It is, however, very old.

Reverse circulation is unlikely unless it has always happened or you have made changes to the pipework. You need to check that the hot water return is the last tee before the return goes back to the boiler. No radiators should tee into the return between your boiler and your hot water cylinder.

It most definitely is reverse circulation.

The trouble is I've never paid much attention to whether this was happening before or when and if it might have changed.
(My wife says we've always had this problem but deals with it in the summer by turning off all the TRVs).

My mind is now focused by the impending rise in energy prices so I'm trying to get control over all of our energy usage.

So whether it was like this when we moved in 23 years ago or whether it was wrongly re-routed when we had the extension added 14 years ago, I don't know.

The reason I'm confident that there is reverse circulation is because I've measured the temperature of the radiator pipes and compared the temperature differential of CH calling and CH not calling.

All of my radiators run forward when CH is calling.
All of my upstairs radiators run in reverse when CH is not calling while the downstairs radiators continue to run forward.

So you need to examine the hot water return - the pipe from the cylinder not connected to the mid position valve. Then trace this pipe as it runs back to the boiler. There should be no radiator pipework (or any pipework) coming off this Primary return after the cylinder tees in. If pipework does tee into the return between the cylinder and the boiler you would need to reroute it so that it tees in on the other side of the cylinder. Otherwise you could fit a non return valve or on each radiator pipe where it tees off the primary return.

The best option is probably what your wife has been doing for years and turn each radiator off when not needed.

Yeah, I get it. And I guess we'll be stuck with turning the valves off.
The trouble with that is you have to turn off all rads on one or other side of the circuit in order for the remaining ones to behave.

This has been a journey of discovery so far, but I can see even more pain in my future if I try to trace the errant joint.

The radiators are behaving as though the bad decision was made to connect the upstairs rad return to the tank return in order to save someone running an additional pipe between floors.

The downstairs rad return is obvious, so I could stick a non return valve in there. But then there is every chance I'd need to put another non return valve into the upstairs rad return as well.

How accessible do the non-return valves need to be? do they need occasional maintenance / replacing?
I'm replacing the carpet in the landing and I'm hoping that I discover the location of the problem at that time.
Would I need to divert the return to an accessible place before I carpet over it again?
(I know that if I find the joint I could run a pipe downstairs but that feels like a major project to me).