Diagnosing lack of hot water.

[Ditto]

As with others, although a not too common issue, I do wonder about the HW cylinder. Are you able to check the temperature on the tank at various heights, where the insulating foam is cut out, after having the HW heating up for a while. One other observation. You seem to have two pumps, one red, one green (I'd guess Grundfoss and Wilo). Do you know both are working and what they each do? Edited November 8, 2019 by Ditto

[ChrisC]

As mentioned with it being a kind of pressurised system, is there a water tank that feeds cold into the cylinder, if so is it particularly low, so a pump has been used to increase the head (or is it mains fed)?

 

Just thinking if it's a tank, but the waters being pumped from it, that could raise the likelihood of historical debris/sludge being sucked into the tank?

 

Grasping at straws now, but it sounds like the sort of symptoms of having too small a volume of hot water for your needs (but the actual tank size looks ok). Either that or you have ridiculously hot showers.

[dapaulio]

As with others, although a not too common issue, I do wonder about the HW cylinder. Are you able to check the temperature on the tank at various heights, where the insulating foam is cut out, after having the HW heating up for a while. One other observation. You seem to have two pumps, one red, one green (I'd guess Grundfoss and Wilo). Do you know both are working and what they each do?

 

There are pipes at the top and bottom of the tank all but one is red hot so by assumption if pipes at bottom and top are red hot then the water at that level is also

 

The pumps are for the hw and ch. turn the water on and one pump kicks in. Turn the ch on and the other pump kicks in.

Edited November 9, 2019 by dapaulio

[dapaulio]

As mentioned with it being a kind of pressurised system, is there a water tank that feeds cold into the cylinder, if so is it particularly low, so a pump has been used to increase the head (or is it mains fed)?

 

Just thinking if it's a tank, but the waters being pumped from it, that could raise the likelihood of historical debris/sludge being sucked into the tank?

 

Grasping at straws now, but it sounds like the sort of symptoms of having too small a volume of hot water for your needs (but the actual tank size looks ok). Either that or you have ridiculously hot showers.

 

There is one pipe that is cold and assume this in mains fed.

[Ditto]

There are pipes at the top and bottom of the tank all but one is red hot so by assumption if pipes at bottom and top are red hot then the water at that level is also

The pumps are for the hw and ch. turn the water on and one pump kicks in. Turn the ch on and the other pump kicks in.

This is a bit of a shot in the dark, partly as I don't have much experience with pressurised systems. I'm just wondering if the pump on the hot water gets hot first, then is pulling through cold somehow = for example as a result of a failed non-return value. To check you could turn the power off to the hw pump and test a hot water tap and see how long it runs hot. TBH, the way the red pump is mounted, or in fact not mounted, isn't something I'd be too happy with. Unfortunately, you might have to bite the bullet and get a pro plumber in.

[dapaulio]

This is a bit of a shot in the dark, partly as I don't have much experience with pressurised systems. I'm just wondering if the pump on the hot water gets hot first, then is pulling through cold somehow = for example as a result of a failed non-return value. To check you could turn the power off to the hw pump and test a hot water tap and see how long it runs hot. TBH, the way the red pump is mounted, or in fact not mounted, isn't something I'd be too happy with. Unfortunately, you might have to bite the bullet and get a pro plumber in.

 

That’s the problem and reason I have come to ask my fellow geeks.

 

I have had several plumbers out. Thankfully I live in private rented so to no expense. Shower has been replaced, boiler has been replaced, the 2 pumps have been replaced.

 

Every plumber to have tinkered with it has left it in a worse state, it seems.

[bald_pig]

Then you need to tell your landlord to get a better plumber to be honest. I'd be telling my landlord that I want a plumber in, and staying there until the issue is resolved, I might also drop in that you are thinking of finding somewhere else to rent once your contract is up because of these ongoing issues.

[dapaulio]

Then you need to tell your landlord to get a better plumber to be honest. I'd be telling my landlord that I want a plumber in, and staying there until the issue is resolved, I might also drop in that you are thinking of finding somewhere else to rent once your contract is up because of these ongoing issues.

 

Yes I agree but I find with plumbers who attend rented properties they fob you off with the basic solution which they are then paid for by the call out by the landlord/agency. Plus when you deal with an agency you don’t tending to speak to the trader direct therefore you trust the agency to relay the problem accurately. I wanted a basic understanding of how my hot water system works allowing me to talk nearer on the same level as the plumber.

 

Since my last post I have spoken to my agency and also spoken to the plumber direct and he is due out in the next day or so

 

Watch this space

Thanks