Morso back boiler + central heating issues

[born2zsolt]

Hi

 

I have a Morso 1430 + thermostat + waterpump + 3 radiators + header tank set up on my 65 ft narrowboat, and in the last 3 weeks i was having issues with it. It feels like that it keeps loosing water and no amount of bleeding can sort it out. It works for 2-3 days after bleeding it, then it starts to play up again, making the pump struggle slightly, sloshing noises in the radiator, banging noise in the pipes. I looked around and fixed one minor leak at radiator tap but the problem still persists.

Has anyone got an idea how to fix it?

 

Many thanks

 

Zsolt

 

 

[b0atman]

have you checked that it is not overheating and venting off coolant ?

[nicknorman]

If the pump is installed just after the header tank T then perhaps it is sucking in air via the header tank.

[Loafer]

Check your pump isn't running when you attempt to bleed it. That wouldn't work on the system we had once - there had to be no motive force on the water.

[peterboat]

the pump should be pushing the coolant into the backboiler. i take it the system isnt new and has been in use as is in previous years if this is the case maybe it is drawing in air somewhere or a blockage has occurred reducing the flow

[born2zsolt]

The system has been in place, but we bought the boat last spring so we never used it very heavily.

I don't think it is overheating, the thermostat controlling the pump is set to 50C. Ii used to push out the water from header tent when it was set to higher temperature, but not any more.

The pipe is installed before the back boiler inlet close to the stove, while the header tank is on the far end of the boat.

the pump should be pushing the coolant into the backboiler. i take it the system isnt new and has been in use as is in previous years if this is the case maybe it is drawing in air somewhere or a blockage has occurred reducing the flow

Am i right to think that if it is drawing air in then it should also leak the same place?

 

How can you find such blockage?

Check your pump isn't running when you attempt to bleed it. That wouldn't work on the system we had once - there had to be no motive force on the water.

Interesting. I will give it a go. I was convinced that the water has to move in order to push out air from all nooks and crannies.

Edited November 24, 2015 by born2zsolt

[NB Lola]

The system has been in place, but we bought the boat last spring so we never used it very heavily.

I don't think it is overheating, the thermostat controlling the pump is set to 50C. Ii used to push out the water from header tent when it was set to higher temperature, but not any more.

The pipe is installed before the back boiler inlet close to the stove, while the header tank is on the far end of the boat.

 

Am i right to think that if it is drawing air in then it should also leak the same place?

 

How can you find such blockage?

 

Interesting. I will give it a go. I was convinced that the water has to move in order to push out air from all nooks and crannies.

That's what I thought, turned pump off, bled rads, checked header tank, back to bliss

[Higgs]

Long shot, if it's had some years of use. I've just replaced my boiler, because it was leaking into the stove. Was continually topping up the water last winter and just made it to the end.

Edited November 24, 2015 by Higgs

[canals are us?]

When the pump is on and fire going dip the vent pipe into a jar/jug of water and see if it sucks up the water. Also see if the vent pipe is dripping/spurting out water as in pumping over.

 

James

[born2zsolt]

Long shot, if it's had some years of use. I've just replaced my boiler, because it was leaking into the stove. Was continually topping up the water last winter and just made it to the end.

Interesting! So how did you figure out that it is leaking into stove? Could you feel dampness when the fire was not in inside the stove?

[Higgs]

Interesting! So how did you figure out that it is leaking into stove? Could you feel dampness when the fire was not in inside the stove?

 

 

I think initially it was on an occasion when I'd left the stove out for a few days and on preparing for the next lighting noticed the ash inside the stove at the back near the boiler was clumping together and not loose and powdery, as it normally would be when bone dry. I then looked below, at the back of the ash pan compartment and it showed obvious signs of damp.

 

The other apparent sign was that the expansion bottle fluid level was falling and I think it probably looked empty. When you begin to lose fluid in the system you may find the furthest radiator fails to warm up. My system is totally thermo syphon, without a pump.

 

Anyway, I reluctantly came to the conclusion it was down to a leaking backboiler. When I did eventually take the boiler out, the bottom edge was rotting through.

 

I only lit the stove again on Sunday. Had trouble finding a decent welder to make a new flue. Anyway, the old boiler came out the front and the new one went back the same way. Hope it isn't your boiler.

 

 

Because I had to frequently top up the expansion bottle fluid, I developed a bleeding-the-system technique. Apart from the usual practice of opening the bleed valves on the rads, I just blew into the expansion bottle, with as much pressure as I could. Wait a few seconds and out comes the air. You have to repeat a few times. It does work.

[born2zsolt]

That's what I thought, turned pump off, bled rads, checked header tank, back to bliss

OK, tried that, i was bleeding and letting out water for about 20 mins just to be on the safe side.

While doing that i watched few youtube videos about plumbing and they did seem to suggest that you can also have an airlock which would come undone when bleeding through bleeding nipple but you have to take out a whole bleeding nozzle and connect hose to release air/water (this is after isolating the radiator then opening the in and out valves one at a time).

 

So this is what i will do this weekend, as although the splashing in radiator improved but the lower side of the rad still felt cold for quite long time. As i understood it it is crucial for the rad to work effectively to get the lower bits heating up fully as this will generate the airflux through ribs.

[pipistrelle]

I'd check for leaks again. It took a few false starts to make my system airtight.