New radiators not warming up

[interested bystander]

We renovated this year.
Ripped out the old copper pipes and had a new pex heating circuit installed in March. Aluminium rads each fed direct through a manifold system upstairs and downstairs.
Powered by an air to water heat pump.
We moved back in last month but only switched on and set the heating this week. But the upstairs rads aren't getting warm. Downstairs is working great.

The flow manifold for upstairs is getting hot to the touch but the return isn't and none of the rads are.
So I am thinking there is a decent airlock preventing the flow reaching the rads.

My plumber who installed is out of action with his back and not answering calls but texted back to promise faithfully i'm top of the list when he returns to work. But I have no idea when that will be and i'm reluctant to call someone else.
I have bled air from all the rads and it doesn't seem to have made any difference. Should I keep repeating this?
Can anyone give me a checklist of other actions I can try please?

New baby in the house... SOS before the wife murders me!!

[ProDave]

Can you post some pictures of your manifolds etc and any controls like motorised valves?

 

Do you have individual controls for upstairs i.e. on a separate timer channel to downstairs?

 

Can you hear the manifold pump running on the upstairs manifold?

[interested bystander]

The manifolds are stock brass like this 

I can send on pics of the motorized valves later.

 

We have 3 zones in the controls, upstairs, downstairs, hot water.

Upstairs and downstairs come on in tandem. I know its coming on as the flow manifold for upstairs is heating up.

I'm not sure the manifolds have pumps Dave, i'll haven't seen any. I thought the heat pump was enough for circulation in the system, maybe i'm wrong i'll check when i get back after work

[Nickfromwales]

Have you checked that the radiator valves are fully opened? 

[ProDave]

15 minutes ago, interested bystander said:

The manifolds are stock brass like this 

I can send on pics of the motorized valves later.

 

We have 3 zones in the controls, upstairs, downstairs, hot water.

Upstairs and downstairs come on in tandem. I know its coming on as the flow manifold for upstairs is heating up.

I'm not sure the manifolds have pumps Dave, i'll haven't seen any. I thought the heat pump was enough for circulation in the system, maybe i'm wrong i'll check when i get back after work

Sorry I had my under floor heating manifold thinking cap on.

 

For the flow manifold to get hot, there must be some flow, otherwise that would remain cold. So as @Nickfromwales says check the radiator valves are on.  Try also turning all the downstairs radiators off, that might encourage a bit more flow upstairs to get it started if it is an air lock.  If all else fails, turn all radiators off then upstairs rads just one at a time.

[interested bystander]

They are all open Nick yes, thankfully I didn't overlook this!

Thanks for all that follow up advice Dave, i'll try all of that later and let you know if anything works

[Nickfromwales]

2 hours ago, ProDave said:

If all else fails, turn all radiators off then upstairs rads just one at a time.

+1