*Links to the tools I use everyday here:* www.amazon.co.uk/shop/plumberparts Plus, follow my *Vlog “TimesWithJames”:* kzfaq.info

After reviewing a slew of your videos am happy to report I've corrected my boiler problem. I recall from one of your videos you talk about using the 'magnet trick' in order to find a clog. I thought to myself 'where am I going to find a strong enough magnet for that?'. Luckily we have a magnet board and had stashed some of those heavy duty magnets we took away from the kids because they were a hazard. I was able to find that yes, the reducing tee from the feed and expansion tank was clogged to the max. After the drain and flush of the system video and happy to report I've moved onto the cleaning the boiler and after a brief flush and treat will start cleaning the radiators this summer. You saved me sooo much cash from the service engineer who couldn't stop parroting 'you need a new boiler, you need a new boiler'. £2000 vs £140 for a couple tools, piping and treatment chemicals is a no brainer. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Don't know where to start mate, your videos are very interesting educational and simple to understand. And lets not forget it gives the viewer a good giggle too! Wish you were my plumbing instructor when i was an apprentice. Great viewing mate keep up the good work. Hold Tight!

Really informative video, I am really thankful for your efforts :) keep it up man

The opening 20 seconds got me gripped, haha! Kudos for the entertainment value, and above all the knowledge!

you saved my life this Christmas . the heating stopped, for two days , then i went into the loft , fixed the ballcock , header tank ,and wormed the family up . thanks to you .

Awesome video PP!!! Looking forward to the next ask the Plumber video! Hold tight

Your vids are clear and really informative. Gave me the nerve to give flushing my system and cleaning it a go. Hasn't been done in 10 years! Your presentation style is also cool and easy to follow. Keep up the great vids!

your vibe makes it interesting to learn not a headache .

Hold Tight!!!! Thanks for all your videos, been a massive help to me. I've learn't how to bend and solder copper pipe and run them all under the bathroom floor, fit radiators, toilet, bath and work out an open central heating system all thanks to you. Boom, that's done! Cheers chief .... One question, on an open heating system, I guess the pressure is created by the loft tank so no need for pressure like inside the combi and closed loop circuits?

Great video, very informative. Thanks mate.

And your positivity is really motivating. Keep on the good work man 👏🏼 peace

Absolutely quality again mate

I have always been keen on doing as much DIY as I can I'm an Engineer by trade so I will always do bitsd e.g. house electrics, plumbing , basic DIY and mechanical jobs. Always use KZfaq as some of the information is great and invomative . Hats off to this guy as he knows his stuff and interesting to watch keep up the great work buddy!!!!!

Thanks for all your help professor! !!!

before i saw himplaying the drums. i said to myself this guy is artistic, just from his aura, his flow of words, and the water boiling/ministry of sound metaphor. lol legend

Great video, thank you.

Thanks man - easy description

U DA MAN thanks for ya advice well handy

Best videos out there. Gonna give my F & E system a flush this weekend as the radiator water is blacker than my name teeth.

Thanks I've got one of these I now know what's going on with it

Nice one mate!!

U r brilliant Mate keep up the good work

Thanks!

thanks for the content

you saved me at the end with open valves manually. problem solved .....cheers

Great video, thanks. Question. How do you increase pressure in such Semi sealed system if it is below 0.5? My boiler (Baxi system megaflo) user guide says nothing about it so I'm wondering is it even possible or ever needed. Thanks

Nice explanation... in place of two zone valves I have a 3 port valve. Would draining down need this setting to the mid position?

Thank you for your video, got one question that I have four ports stove boiler for my gravity feed heating system .Can I Run the feed into flow pipe instead feed into return pipe ? Any answers will be appreciated.

Great vid. Is it a good idea to close all radiator valves before draining system so most of the water remains in the system? Just for convenience sake.

Great video . So if I was to take the rad off the wall for decorating( isolating and draining it first ) then when I put it back on , all I have to do to fill the system is to open the valves on the rad and bleed it ? The system should fill itself up from the tank in the loft right ?

.....Thanks for your great vids, can I swop my old indirect primatic cylinder for a new one with internal coil exchanger ? have you any vids on this ? .....Appreciate your time.

Amazing

Very informative video. Thank you. One question however. The explanation at 8:25, the hot water flow and the T with the feed cold water pipe. Doesn't get the cold water constantly sucked into the system, so close by the pump? Thank you.

Nice one

Classic plumberparts! Very good instructions James, get off the tools and start your own college!

All educational videos should be like this

nice one

Hi, my vented system has a feed tank sat on pressurised hwc wrapped in green in the upstairs cupboard should I try and isolate or bung the feed supply b4 I mains flush the heating syst. I'm doing this cos or hot water supply is minimal and I'm told prob sludge build up around coil in cyl. Tried reducing pressure on our mains pressure on feed upstairs. Thanks hope I make some sense

Thank you, subscribed.

1:20 No one ever has fun in lofts. Oh, ’tis too true!

Its refreshing that he seems to be maturing

Hi there thanks for the vid. My system has a hot water cylinder with separate ch and hw controls. It also has a couple of large tanks in yhe the loft in addition tonthe small ch feed tank....I beleive its a fully pumped system. If i drain down the ch to fit some new rads, will i have to also switch off the hot water and take cold showers while ive got the system drained?

Can you please do a video on how you'd convert a open vented system to a combi system

Good video's mate ,with a bit of jolly banter 😁 Iv just subscribed ,as these week I am mostly being a plumber lol Iv got a lovely old baxi solo 2 pf ,and recently changed the board ,plus the air pressure switch ,and it's now firing up a treat .. One problem I do have though is the gas valve after about 2 hrs of the system running lovely ,decides to make a lovely old buzzing noise ,when it's about to fire up on call for heat . So iv ordered a new gas valve ,hopefully this one won't want to buzz it's head off occasionally lol

How do u know when the pump is not strong enough.i have oil/fire central heating. Have both pumps set to level 3 Could I replace with stronger pumps

Hi I have a small bathroom with a Air admitance Valve under the bath, this limits the amount of things I can update (I want to move bathroom around) can this AAV be repositioned outside (in roof space) and how much should I be charged. I can do the floor removal in prep for the work?

Hi my neighbour has a gravity fed system, for some reason the electric shower water comes from the loft. I recommended to her that it would be better for this to come straight off the mains, any idea why it might come from the loft and can you foresee any issues coming off the mains? thnx

You usually get something between a small grin or loud moan from me but diving back into frame wearing hat and gloves and saying you cannot find the plugs on the van had me in stitches.

Is it possible to change the plumbing to enable rainwater [from a water butt or large plastic trash bin] to be used for showering and flushing the toilet ?

thank you for your video's, can you do a clip on a plumbing system for a wood burning stove boiler? it's very confusing, I'd like to be able to run my radiators and hot water from it but don't know what type of system to use, also whether I could plumb in the combi so that when we don't use the burner in summer we can still call for a hot shower, thanks

Great video. I wish I could arrange for you to visit my college where I teach plumbing. Thank you!

Does the heat hero on a gravity fed heating system with a back boiler really work

Only thing I'm stuck on is finding the place to drain the system. We have a stove with a back boiler. Would that drain be located close to that? I was kinda hoping you'd show this part.

I've followed your vids to the pixel and yet I cant seem to refill my system. Its conventional (as described here) but has 3 inverted loops (I needed to use the drain cocks on all 3 separately to drain it fully). Now I cant seem to get water back in to the system - I get some in and then it airlocks or simply gives up filling for some reason - no rad gets to the point of bleeding water - just air for a while before they stop. I had all downstairs trvs and control valves open but bleeds shut and upstairs rads with bleeds open. Any ideas why it's not filling properly? I've bled it all down again and am back to square one. I also latched open both 2 port valves - my system didnt reflll at all in fact until I turned on the hot water system strangely.

I hope you can help, I'm replacing radiators and used quite a few btu calculators and each calculator comes up with an entirely different answer/total. Can you recommend a calculator/website that gives the right answer

can a system like this work without a circulation pump?

Are these the old setups? When our new Vokera Boiler was installed the cold water tank was given the P45. Just to add, our boiler is making a burbling noise, bled the radiators but it still persists.

hi just a quick question. l just change waterpump in my ollllllddddd heating system , and after that (and before) pressure in heating system is very low. Any idea what could be wrong??

if i change to a combo boiler, where do i pick up the hot water? and do i need to seal off any pipe from the old cylinder, i know where to pick the heating system flow and return thats easy , bot not sure about the hot water , can you help??? thanks keith

Thought you weren't aloud a isolating valve on the cold feed? Due to main of the expansion taking place there? Good vid though!! :)

Hi james, I have standard boiler in the garage, a storage cylinder in the airing cupboard and a storage tank in the loft, a small tank for the central heat but this doesn’t have a vent pipe leading into it ???? Just wondering why

Hi PP, I have a vented system with an F&E tank but there doesn’t appear to be an expansion pipe like in your video? The F&E tank even has a lid! How does my system expand with no expansion pipe?

I have this system, I’ve recently drained the system because we had a suspected leak at pipework under the floor near a radiator, since fixing the pipe I’ve filled the system and marked the level in the header tank then shut off the water supply to see if the level went down......it has by about 3 or 4 mm after 3 days! Does this mean I still have a leak somewhere? Thanks

Sorry for being late to the party. Isn't that open expansion tank kind of an old design, with modern systems using expansion vessels? I 've seen some info about them, and they suggested a minimum hight for the tank, or if the hight cann't be reached, the tank needs to be of certain dimentions in order to have the needed preasure on the water surface etc. You never mentioned preasure in the system. My info mentions 1.5 to 1.7 bar, which needs a certain hight for the tank, and certain dimentions to be followed, in order to have the proper prasure pushing down on the water. Is my info correct? Is there anything else to be considered? Pipe diameter or position of the junction? before or after the pump, or on the return side?

Very nice and clear explanation. On these types of systems, a vent pipe drawing in air is the kiss of death, so what's the best way to avoid this ? Thanks

Sweet Vids braa! I've got one of these systems. I've drained it down, had sludge remover in, drained and refilled with someinhibitor. But now the boiler either konks out on its own and the overflow gets it or when the heating switches off the overflow goes. What's going on??

The open vent is just that ...a safety vent to atmosphere to prevent any possibility’s of going to above boiling point it also enables trapped air to be excluded .... the Feed is the expansion and is usually one pipe size smaller so the water expands further up and back to the header tank IE :- it expands back to system water the same as per a pressure vessel . If water were to expand up the open vent. It would then fall into the header tank from height and would aireate this is the reason for pipes of different sizes to ensure this does not happen ... it’s a misnomer to call them a feed and expansion as the term is “feed and expansion combined” and an “open vent”. separate !

i have the airlock problem - except the other way around in the hot water side and wondering if you could help me understand why - i recently installed a new shower (to replace the old bath) and with own pump, which has all been done correctly - however i continue to get airlocks each morning (yet i can not find any leaks occurring certainly not big enough to cause the size of airlock i experience each day. Not ethe system is around 40 years old and the traditional gravity fed system (rad I think on two pipe system) - possible the hot water and cold feed from header tank I think are the same pipe - Basically over night I get a build up air on the cold water feed side, and until I can clear this via the kitchen tap - no hot water will run - purely cold water out hot tap until the air is pushed out. Just for your knowledge there is also some form of cylinder problem that the hot water bleeds over into the radiator system (and presumable vice versa) yet even with this bleed over I am sure to if can cause the airlock problem I have - I rent and land lord isn’t doing much to resolve this issue and it driving me up the wall as it sort have me make a cup of coffee and breakfast (whilst running the hot water tape each morning) before there is any change of taking a shower in the morning. The only other thing I ve noticed is kitchen cold water runs fine a lot of pressure - which I thing is on it own split water supply from the main stop cock - yet when you hold the cold water pipe from the main stop cock that running vertically to the loft - it feel like its not a full bore of water (this when I am running the hot water tap to clear the air) feels like it maybe dragging air up the pipe - however once the hot water eventually get rid of the air and runs hot water, this pipe then feels like it more the full bore / full flow - so not sure if a faulty stop cock could be causing all of the above ? Again I don’t recall the airlock problem being an issue in the summer seems to be a big problem now th heating is now on for winter - so I am not sure this cross over of hot water / rads is somehow causing the issue - this sort in my head explains why in the morning once the air lock is clear all is fine and then by late evening and over night - each morning the airlock is back with vengeance. I was hoping you may have some ideas why the above is occurring - could be a leak pre main stop cock in the ground leaking and air getting in - hence why I can not find a leak occurring indoors any where PS the head rad does also trap air which I do constantly bleed out - note also the whole system as been drained down / clear water with the fluids you put in, etc so it not sludge causing an issue - under there sludge in the cylinder ? Please help as it driving me nuts!!!!

G'day I'm getting a rain water tank 3000L will feed some of that water to the toilet using a gravity fed system (an old copper tank in the loft that still in good Nick).I may go a couple steps more feeding the washing machine and dish washer, having a PVC system using sharkbite will make the job very eazy. I can still go one more step which is connecting to the hot water system, can this be done? Rainwater tank at ground level water pumped up to water reserve (old hot water tank) in loft then feed to more or less the whole house besides drinking water, low pressure 4-5 psi to the new gas Hot water tank out side is where I need help will it work will she feed at such low levels would a 2nd pump be required?

Down stairs radiator not heating up . All others hot. Removed radiator flushed with hose and re fitted Started to warm up then went cold .notice feed pipe hot return pipe still cold yes both valves open .could return pipe be blocked with sludge ?. Going to remove radiator again and flush with chemical as well see if any more sludge. Now if i put hose on return pipe and flush dose this push the water into loft tank

Help! What is the problem if you have really noisy rads and the expansion tank fills with really hot water? This happened to me had to turn system off. Help!

Hi, you say some people fit the feed pipe straight into the vent pipe. Is this acceptable or to be avoided. Appreciate it if you would clear this point up as I,m thinking of doing this to get over a blocked feed pipe lower in the system that I cant get at easily. Cheers mate, really informative vids.

Thanks for this. I've just moved into a house with a conventional heating system. They have replaced the hot water cylinder with a new one in the loft. When the hot water is activated though, one radiator heats up. I assume they have connected the pipework of the old cylinder shown in your plan to this radiator?

another gooden jaz keep them coming brrrrap

Can you show me how to open the ports? I'm draining the system tomorrow albeing well

F&e connected to the same air separator it’ll find its own level

I seem to have strange little round thing with pipe return from boiler splitting off left back to pump and up to attic tank. Clearly combining the expansion and top up into one pipe. Anyone know what it’s called so I can buy a replacement?

My overflow pipe is getting water out outside the house. How do I stop this?

Why is my feed pipe hot and Vent pipe cold. Sometimes. It used to be the other way round. Why would the hot water go back up the feed pipe. Or maybe the Vent pipe spewed a load of hot water in to feed tank and then cooled down, leaving the feed pipe hot as the water feeds the system. Radiators are all hot so I just want to know if it is something that needs attention or can it be left?

What a nice guy, handsome too!

Thanks for this video! It's really great! My vent/expansion pipe going into the F&E tank feeds hot water into the F&E tank sometimes. Is that okay? Or a fault? Also, it is only JUST above the water level and so sometimes is actually submerged! Is that dangerous? Many thanks again!! You are a life saver

I am going to replace my old galvanised F&E tank, finally, a couple of years ago I bought 2 tanks, one for cold water supply, and a smaller one for the F&E, I replaced the cold tank but put off doing the F&E now Questions, does it matter if the new tank is larger? And I’m not sure if it’s a small cold water tank, or suitable for 70c ,I am not sure if it has anything written on it, I am sure I would have stated what it’s for at the time I bought it, a few years ago. Should I buy new or use it, thanx Mr Plumber.

I currently have a 2 pipe system and wanted to plum in my heat exchanger on the back of my aga can I just use this system to plum it in only difference is I don't have a hot water cylinder

What exactly do you mean when you say “make sure the 2 zone valves are fully latched open”? Please explain. Many thanks

hi, I have a gravity fed system and when the heating comes on the hot water comes out of the expansion pipe all the time the heating is on. Causing a lot of condensation in the loft, can you help please?. Regards Ian.

Hey would the gravity system work with a three story header tank on top solid fuel stove middle floor and hotpress in basement "hot water cylinder " ??

Good video, but here is a query an indirect cylinder 1" feeder pipes to the coil, very hot,but water coming out of cylinder is tepid, There is an automatic bleeder valve just beside the instantor elbow fitting heading into the top of the coil, same temperature at the bottom of the coil, the mystery is why the water in the 40 Gal insulated cylinder is not getting as hot as the pipes servicing the coil Thanks if you can help. Bill.

drained my system today but it doesn't seem to be filling up again, its like there's no pressure and the water is trickling out, i left a couple of radiators on the ground floor disconnected until they can be replaced would this maybe be causing the problem, or maybe a blockage some where? it seemed too drain ok.

Can you tell me how big must be a water tank in the attic

Is it normal for system like this to have the expansion pipe run through the roof top before finishing in a crook??

😀

Why is there a pump in a gravity system?

Naughty, naughty. No valves on the heating cold feed or expansion pipe allowed, tut tut tut. Anyway Hold tight

Wow, what a strange system! Why would you want an open tank in your roof space? If we did that here in Australia, it would just give the possums/rats/snakes etc. somewhere to drink!

Still don't understand the difference between a direct and indirect hit water system

So I'm not the only one who thinks McDonald's food is hanging 👊 I know why do they put them tanks in the darkest corner 😕 there's nothing more annoying than being itchy rockwool commando's 😷😷

WTH has this got to do with gravity fed heating systems, when this obviously has a pump?? title should be "Vented pumped central heating systems"

Wish he was speaking normal English. Couldn't understand at all unless look at the screen .

Lmao....it sounds sooooo easy to work on a gravity system, but its not! Only fools mess with their own heating lol