Below are listed some of the heating system faults we have been asked to advise upon, together with our client’s appraisals.

Mr & Mrs Heywood: South Ham, Basingstoke.

We were asked to advise and rectify the following problems. Uneven warm up. Overall the house was either too warm or too cold, with the exception of bedroom two, which was normally too warm.

Action Taken:
System was operating with an old conventional room thermostat that had approximately three degrees difference between turning on and off. This three-degree difference was the cause of the house being either too hot or too cold. To rectify this problem we replaced the old mechanical room thermostat with a programmable digital room thermostat that has an optimisation feature available.

The optimisation feature allows this thermostat to sense how much latent heat is left in the room and to switch off slightly before the required temperature is reached. Conversely, when the room is cooling down, the thermostat will automatically adjust its turn on point to ensure that the room temperature remains constant.

Regarding the overheating problem in bedroom two. We reduced the output from the radiator and as the airing cupboard was adjacent to this room, we checked the hot water temperature setting. As the setting was above the recommended setting of sixty degrees, we advised that the hot water thermostat be lowered to sixty degrees as the current setting was not only wasting fuel, but was contributing to the overheating of the room.

Whilst on site, we carried out a water and protector test on the system, all of which were fine.

Client’s Conclusions:
"The house is far more comfortable and our Daughter is sleeping so much better now that she is not being roasted. Well done and thank you for the work done and advice given."

Mr & Mrs Shanley: Oakley, Basingstoke::

We were asked to advise and rectify the following problems. Heating system had not worked properly since the property had been extended three years ago. As part of the extension work, the floor-mounted boiler had been changed for a low water content wall mounted unit and several radiators had been added. The heating system pipework design had been changed twice since the property had been extended, which I was told had cost some three thousand pounds, all to no avail. Basically I was told that, “We have not had any heating for three years”.

Action Taken:
Upon inspecting this heating system, it became apparent that a lot of the system components had been changed. Whether this had been necessary, or whether given the history of this heating system, they had been changed in a desperate attempt to get the system to work, I do not know.

The system had five AAV’S fitted, (Automatic Air Vents) one of which was leaking badly and was fitted incorrectly on the system’s primary return circuit. The circulating pump, even though it was not very old was noisy and was leaking slightly from its union with the isolating valve.

Although none of the previous items noted would render the system virtually inoperable, the next discovery certainly would. The feed and expansion tank in the loft was approximately half full of what can only be described as a heavy silt deposit. This was precisely why the clients heating system would not work. When a sample of this substance was shown to the clients, they asked me why previous engineers had not discovered it, to which I could only say, “I do not know”.

A Powerflush of the system was recommended as the first logical step in trying to make the system work as well as removing the incorrectly fitted AAV valve. A replacement pump was also recommended. It was made clear to the clients that given the past history of their system, there was no guarantee that this work would completely rectify their problems, but as a heating system is designed to circulate water rather than silt, it was the first logical step to take.

We were asked to proceed with Power flushing the system, removing the leaking AAV valve and replacing the pump. Cleaning the feed and expansion tank and refilling the system with a good quality corrosion protector.

Client’s Conclusions:
“Brilliant job. We never thought we would have a warm home again! Thank you ever so much for sorting this problem out”

Mr & Mrs Brackstone: Kempshott, Basingstoke:

We were asked to advise and rectify the following problems. Excessive boiler noise. Boiler was banging and whistling. Several of the downstairs radiators were not emitting sufficient heat and were very slow to warm up.

Action Taken:
The heating system, with the exception of the boiler was all virtually original in this property, E.G. about thirty years old, with the boiler being about twelve years old. A water test confirmed our suspicions that the system was highly corroded. The water test showed a large difference between the total hardness of the mains water supply and the system water, thereby indicating a large build up of lime scale. The alkalinity and chloride levels were also very high.

We recommended that the system needed cleaning by dosing the system with a system restorer and then thoroughly flushing to remove the build up of lime scale and magnetite. We informed the client that if asked to proceed, the system would be flushed using our Fernox Powerflow pump as Powerflushing would enable us to pump the system water in both directions, thereby removing corrosion debris far more thoroughly than a conventional manual flush would. We also recommended that the header tank ball valve be replaced.

We were asked to proceed with flushing the system, replacing the ball valve and refilling the system with a good quality corrosion protector.

Client’s Conclusions:
"Boiler whistling has completely gone and banging noise is vastly reduced. The most surprising difference is that now that the downstairs radiators are working properly, we have been able to reduce our heating setting by two degrees. Will contact you in twelve months time for the annual system protector check. Thanks very much. Regards, Alan."

Comment: Government figures state that turning down your room thermostat by one degree can save ten percent of your fuel usage!

Mr Graeme McDermott: Dunsford Crescent, Basingstoke.

We were asked to advise and rectify the following problems. Uneven warm up. Radiators heating up upstairs, whilst downstairs were cold.

Action Taken:
The heating system in this property was a mixture of old and new components due to the property having been extended. The majority of the upstairs radiators had been replaced within the last two years, with the downstairs radiators being some thirty years old. The boiler had been replaced and was about eight years old. We were also informed that a large utility company had had two attempts to cure the fault under the customer’s service contract, but had not managed to improve the situation whatsoever

After inspecting the system it was immediately obvious that the circulation problem was being caused by an excessive amount of corrosion. When we showed the customer the amount of corrosion and debris that was in the feed and expansion tank, he was rather shocked at what he saw and requested that we powerflush the system. The system was power flushed, the feed and expansion tank was thoroughly cleaned and a good quality corrosion inhibitor was added. We were also asked to fit a digital room thermostat.

Client’s Conclusions:
"Do you want to employ someone to fix your Grannies heating system? That’s how much I trust Basingstoke Powerflush to sort out your problem in a timely, tidy and cost effective manner. Heating is now probably more effective than at anytime in its life!! The new programmable thermostat (no hard sell required) makes a big difference to maintaining a cosy home, and is especially suitable for my lifestyle. It is not a cheap process to have carried out, but actually provides excellent value for money when you see the amount of work involved and experience the difference in the way the heating system works after all the dirt has been removed. Cheers, Graeme "

Mr & Mrs Coppin: Kempshott, Basingstoke:

We were asked to advise and rectify the following problems. Uneven warm up. System noise that started in one part of the house and then travelled to each upstairs room in turn. Regular air ingress to bathroom and bedroom three radiators. Leaking valve on bedroom one radiator.

Action Taken:
Although the heating system in this property was pretty much original, the floor standing boiler had been changed to a low water content wall mounted boiler. Also, as the property had undergone a lot of structural change and extension, several radiators had been added. Therefore, the system now had a mixture of small bore and micro bore radiator feeds.

Upon carrying out an inspection, several faults were apparent. The air ingress was being caused at least partly by the alterations to the system and also by poor system design, As rectifying this fault would be an expensive job that would cause severe disruption to the household, we suggested that we first try installing an Automatic Air Vent in the system. As the water test revealed that the system was very corroded, a Powerfush was also recommended as we felt that corrosion was the main culprit regarding the system noise and uneven warm up and could well be a contributory factor in the air ingress, (A corroded heating system can produce Hydrogen Gas, which can be mistaken for air). We also advised that if the above recommendations did not stop the air ingress, the system would require major alteration.

We were asked to carry out the recommended work and after explaining the benefits a digital room thermostat can give, were also asked to replace the original roomstat.

Client’s Conclusions:
"Heating is now working really well. Noise is hardly noticeable and is reducing more and more and the two radiators that kept filling with air are now pretty much ok. The new roomstat is the best thing though, the level of control and comfort is exactly as you described. Many Thanks for doing a good job within budget."