When I filled the system (initially with water) there was a substantial leak at the bottom right hand corner. I'd forgotten to tighten a compression joint. And a small leak (which I found later when the system pressurised) at the top where another compression fitting needed a bit more brute force. Otherwise totally uneventful.
Filling with antifreeze took a while. I didn't want to try pumping in 40 litres of fluid - too much like hard work. Luckily the tops of the panels are just a little lower than the ceiling in the boiler room, so I rigged up a large bucket and hose into the pump station, and balanced it on a stepladder on top of the boiler. Gravity did the rest, slowly it's true. I opened a valve at the bottom in the "return" pipe in the garden shed to allow the antifreeze to push out the water in the pipes: when the water started coming out pink I closed the valve. The panels then filled and started pushing the water in the "flow" pipe back up to boiler room. Eventually - much more slowly as it's uphill - the water coming out the end of the drain on the pump station gave way to antifreeze, and Voila! - filled. I then pressurised the system using a garden sprayer pump and a bit more antifreeze. The pressure went up and down a bit, I suspect as air gradually vented through the (three) automatic valves.
But then I was able to plug in the controller and to my surprise it all started working. Good and hot too. For the first time we have a hot cylinder completely full with hot water - the boiler can only heat the top third of it.
As it's good sunny weather I've told the boiler to stop trying to heat the water. It's still doing the radiators....
That looks pretty brilliant dad :-)
ReplyDelete