Any plumbers on here? Baxi Solo 3 Boiler question - fill loop?

Hi folks

Sorry to ask off topic but searches on T'internet are fruitless at the moment.

I have a Baxi Solo 3 boiler (not combi). Its fitted in the internal garage, hot water tank, pump and (divertor valve?) in airing cupboard on the landing upstairs and cold water tank in the loft (standard central heating setup of days of old).

There is no fill loop that I can make out on the boiler (its got metal cover underneath and the water pipes exit upstairs through the roof of the garage into house.)

I really want to flush a few rads that are cold at the base but obviously I want to top the water back up? I cant see a fill loop or tap? I can see a thick pipe that has a gate valve that connects into the water pump in the airing cupboard, which comes down from the loft (guessing the cold water tank) do you think this could be the way to top it up?

Some pictures to help? Ignore the woodwork, that is my Heathrobinson contraption for clothes drying!

Divertor valve?

Water pump

Is this the fill up for the central heating? That tap joins the waterpump pipe in the previous picture

 

Unless its a pressurised system it fills from the header tank by gravity the tank has has a ball valve to refill it. There is no direct mains connection on the heating side. Suggest you valve off the rads, drain em, remove them and wash em through. If you pressurise the system from the mains you may find you will create leaks around the system. We use a power washer to do this if they are full of crud but be carefull as dependant upon how old the system is or how much internal corrosion there is they could leak once you blow the crap out.

 

this system is filled direct from mains via a header tank usually in the loft?. i believe, the 2 taps either side of pump are for pump removal.and replace save draining the whole system. check loft.
turn off stop cock on tank or tie it up to stop filling, and then drain system, if you refill system get some sentinal inhibitor to help it from clogging up.
but im sure a plumber might be along to help on this matter at the end of the day. if your unsure , get a plumber, as your mrs wont be to happy if you flood the place, or fall thru the ceiling by going in the loft. jive J is a plumber on here...

 

I'm not a plumber.
Do you think it is being run as a vented system rather than sealed/pressurised? I did a quick google and the solo 3 does not shut off when the pressure is too low anyway, does it have a pressure gauge, is it working with the pressure from the head from the tank in the loft?
If so you will need some sort of power flush device to flush the rads.

 

Thanks mate appreciate the advice. I might climb in the loft and see if I can follow the pipes a bit more (Spiderman has nothing on me!)
New build house 8 years old, but was drained about 5 years ago when the nail a builder had put it burst a pipe. They put that anti corrosion stuff in but I can tell 2 of the downstairs rads have cack in the bottom few inches as they are cold whilst the tops are warm.

 

I cant see any pressure gauge on this model boiler , unless its behind the main boiler sheilding, but I dont remember seeing it before when that was off for a service a while back?

 

Its not a pressurised system so wont have one.

 

Have you found the header tank. if the rads have cracks replace em. or try bleeding em 1st to get you over the cold spell. if the cracks are paint and you think the rads are ok. i would take each one off and take it out side and flush it thru a feww times with a hose pipe m8. and if it is clogged the w......s previously prob used fairy liquid and charge you for a inhibitor

 

Think he said CACK as in pooh or muck (Not crack) - for gods sake dont buy any class A drugs or you will be smokin some good sh1t!

 

think my glasses need cleaning lol.

 

Hahaha I am sure I can get that sort of stuff easier than finding a good plumber these days! The cowboys that built this house..... well thats a subject in its own right!

Thanks for the help chaps very kind of you - right time to get covered in cack then!

 

You have a vented cylinder. and feed and expansion tank in the loft which fills the system don't use fairy liquid when refilling as its corrosive pm me or notify me if you need to know more

 

Get chemical cleaner and put in to the system ,leave it in for two weeks and then drain ,flush with clean water

 

Thanks mate - dont worry I have no intention of using Fairy liquid (its bleedin just salt anyway)

 

As above, if it's old school, the heating circulation will be filled by a small header/expansion in the loft. Yer ballcock should move freely.

Shut the valves off both sides of the rad, then disconnect it and do your flushing. Connect it back up, open the valves to the same position, and fire it up. The header should top up any water lost (good opportunity to stick some Fernox in it). Will have to bleed rads afterwards.

 

You'll need to take them off completely and get outside with the garden house. Amazing the muck that comes out, esp in the lower ones.

Only fill your system with Fairy Liquid if you want a Jacuzzi in the loft ...

 

Whatever you do dont leave your radiator outside the front of your house when your flushing them
My mate did and someone swiped them pressumably to weigh in for scrap

 

I dont intend leaving anything outside - but these are new house rads the cheapest the builders could get I think? paper thin and as good a quality as you can furnish from B&Q - i,e s*****t!

 

We usually use Stelrad rads - good compromise between price and quality!