Balancing system

[Dee]

Are these they? 

[PeterW]

Right they are 2 port valves ... the one that goes to the heating, does it have a lever on it ..? If so, slide it across - will hear the motor whine - and then lock it into the clip. 

 

If  it won’t go all the way across then it’s the valve at fault. 

 

With the valve open the heating should start up and the rads should get warm.  

[Nickfromwales]

5 hours ago, PeterW said:

Right they are 2 port valves ... the one that goes to the heating, does it have a lever on it ..? If so, slide it across - will hear the motor whine - and then lock it into the clip. 

 

If  it won’t go all the way across then it’s the valve at fault. 

 

With the valve open the heating should start up and the rads should get warm.  

Ahh, out of the mouths of babes. ??

The metal lever on the Honeywell valve will only ( manually ) open the gate valve, it won't fire the pump and boiler. Some other valves will, but not the Honeywell.  

The lever, when gently pushed all the way across to its maximum throw, will lock if you then push it over to one side. You'll see the little 'notch' where the lever catches, if you've missed it the valve lever will slowly return to its rest position and you'll have to try again. 

As peter says, if the lever won't go reasonably easily to the opposite position to where it resides when the power is off ( heating off / satisfied ) then the valve gate is siezed / U/S.  

@Dee Can you switch the heating and hot water controls off. Identify which zone valve does the heating, and manually push across the little metal lever, and lock it into place. Then turn the heating ONLY back on via the controls and run the heating. Once you know the heating is running, turn  the controls off again. If the zone valve is working fully it'll have just un-latched itself and will return to the park position by itself. Energising the valve electrically with the normal controls will spin the motor inside and the mechanism that you move manually with the lever will travel a bit further ( internally ) than you can push it manually, which is required for the valve to hit the integral switch that turns the pump on and tells the boiler to fire. 

Once you have confirmed that the zone valve opens enough manually for you to latch it, and that it energises and releases itself automatically when powered on and back off again via the controls, you'll have conformed it is in working order. 

Off you go !

[PeterW]

8 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Ahh, out of the mouths of babes. ??

The metal lever on the Honeywell valve will only ( manually ) open the gate valve, it won't fire the pump and boiler. Some other valves will, but not the Honeywell.  

 

 

... and now you know why I won't fit that Honeywell rubbish !!!

[Nickfromwales]

Just now, PeterW said:

 

... and now you know why I won't fit that Honeywell rubbish !!!

Honeywell all the way, you poor misguided fool. ?

 

[Onoff]

I've actually repaired Tower valves with bits from Maplin before...

[Nickfromwales]

The motors are changeable but it's usually the gear / toothed rack or pinion that wear out, so I just change the whole head if it's a failed actuator, but the usual cause of those failures is a grotty valve that has started to sieze up putting excessive strain on the motor and gubbings in the actuator. Tbh, Anyone who asks me to change just the head gets the lecture, and I only change the whole valve as its usually just a short lived 'cure' otherwise.