Upstairs Radiators Hot But Cold Downstairs

[Islay]

Hi, we ran out of oil and got a delivery yesterday.
Turned the boiler back on and it fired up straight away, but only the top floor radiators are heating up, the middle floor and ground are not.
Any suggestions - do I just need to let it work for a couple of days for pressure to build up? Or is it a plumber jobbie?

[donny48]

Check that your pump is working.

[Islay]

OK - daft question how do i do that?
If the radiators are working at the the top of the house does that not mean the pump is working?

[Ryzen]

The top floor may get warm because hot water rises.Is there no heat at all on the mid floor?

[bhg481]

Islay - not necessarily. You can get gravity-fed hot water anywhere above the boiler. A pump is required to pump the hot water downwards. You can hear the pump running if it's working.

[Islay]

ryzen hubby has just said the middle floor is now working so hopefully the bottom floor will start to work soon!

[mazie]

Did you run the oil tank down to empty Islay? If so could be gunge in the boiler from the bottom of the tank .

[donny48]

Upstairs can warm up by gravity, depending on the boiler and the heating system the pump should either be inside your boiler casing or close to your boiler. What boiler do you have ?

[donny48]

Mazie, gunge would stop the flame from igniting and therefore no hot water at all

[Islay]

Yes Mazie totally out but it restarted without me having to bleed the boiler so I must have caught it in time.
No idea Donny won't know till I get back later today.
Strange that yesterday it was upstairs heating today its also the middle floor so hopefully tomorrow will be the ground floor!!

[mazie]

Hope you get the whole system working today Islay. Thanks Donny. New to oil myself and I dread the stuff running out.

[Islay]

mazie - I hate the bloody stuff, but no option out here in the sticks!

[mazie]

Snap Islay... And septic tanks and an electric oven :0(

[Islay]

Oh no we are advance we have mains sewerage lol!!

[mazie]

Show off ;0) lots of upsides to living in the sticks though. Couldn't live in a town or city again x

[Islay]

Absolutely x

[Islay]

yaaay just got home and downstairs radiators how now too!

[Ryzen]

Islay...it sounds like the rads need balancing :-)

[mazie]

That's great news Islay x

[Islay]

Thanks Mazie, we are now all nice and warm, just intime for the weather to heat up again!!