we have gas central heating in an ex coucil house, there are 7 radiators but 3 of the 4 upstairs are cold, they all have a temp' control on one side(which i presume is the hot water inlet side?) and when i bled them (the water that came out was cold) they got hot on the at the oposite side. how do i get them to heat up? do i need a plumber or can i do it myself? the boiler is an 'ideal classic', thanks for any help you can give.

kris cornell, November 2007

1/ Are all three Rad's in series or parallel ? If series any one valve being closed will stop all 3 !
2/ Can you isolate the temp. control valves ? If so strip the top ( bellows ? ) portion, slowly return water to line while checking for leakage and then open the control valve manually; press down or pull up as appropriate. This will tell you if the blockage is truly at the control valve or elswhere.
3/ If it's the valve most manufacturers will supply repair kits; beats taking the valve body out of the line and fixing subsequent leaks.

GMR, November 2007

To add to a previous answer, here's a tip on how to tap on a plumbing fixture with less chance of bending or breaking the fitting. Use two hammers. Hold one against the fitting on one side, and rap on the other side with the other hammer. The shock wave passes through the fitting and makes the other hammer move, sort of like those desk toys with the five steel balls.

Tom Gloger, November 2007

lightly tap the valve with a hammer--if still not working take of top lightly tap spindle-dont hit too hard

wp, November 2007