Heating Hacks: How to Safely Unblock A Cold Feed Pipe
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- Опубликовано: 6 апр 2024
- In this video I Repair a Gravity Hot water problem on an old heating system. I unblock a cold feed with ease. Here is a link to the kit I used in this video, it is an affiliate link so if you buy it I get a (very very small) kick back. I didn't do this video for this kick back. I could find more money on the floor of the van behind the drivers seat ;-)
This channel is to help engineers fix boilers. I try and teach boiler repair for the betterment of the UK gas industry. The better we are the more work we get.
This Baxi Combi Boiler had be diagnosed by two different heating engineers and now it's time to find out who is right. Boiler repairs are not easy and everyone makes mistakes. This video is not a criticism on the repair engineers. Gas boilers are complex and servicing and troubleshooting them can be a difficult task. Common UK boiler brands such as Vaillant, Ideal, Worcester and Baxi all have more obscure models and this is one of them
Unlike the USA our boilers are all high efficiency and more technology makes for harder diagnosis.
For videos on Burnham, Weil-Mclain, Peerless and Lochinvar find a US Channel.
I typed all that for better keyword and YT ratings. Lets see!!
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Gallo Gun Type Tool
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Gallo Gun Type Tool Prime
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Actual Gallo Gun Tool
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Here are a few affiliate links to some of the stuff I use everyday.
Bahco Spanner
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Budget Friendly Martindale multimeter
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Fluke Multimeter
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Knipex Grips
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8mm ratchet spanner
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10mm spanner
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Kline Backpack
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Every heating engineer in the country should be subscribed to your channel mate 👍
Nah, I'm giving away all the secrets and a lot don't agree with it :-)
@@HeatingGeekSubsribed years ago. Top plumber/heating engineer you are mate. I remember an old geezer years ago in a company I worked for refused to tell me how to adjust a ferroli gas valve properly because I was doing it wrong apparently. I have always tried to share any knowledge since .Keep revealing those secrets😂
Everyone thinks they're special and wont share information!! That doesn't help our industry. A lot of engineers hate that I put this stuff out. I don't care enough anymore. Get it all out :-)
There's alot of "it's my ball and your not playing with it". Your average customer is never going to watch stuff like this and even if they do, would still be too scared to mess with plumbing. Binge watching your channel gave me the confidence to work for myself. Too many greedy individuals want to monopolise the market and absorb the one man bands. Reducing our prospects to provide for our families and have a decent quality of life.
@@jamescarter1088 Your absolutely spot on with that. Everyone wants to be a middle man in this game. Wont get their hands dirty but want to skim off your money. F em all. :-)
Had a D'Oh!! moment when you explained why the phials need water round the pocket and the Stat won't necessarily "click" unless within their temperature range. Thanks for explaining this and dropping back to oil boilers again.
Thanks for commenting. I done a few videos on Oil now. :-)
Great vid and tip mate. Really glad your back doing RUclips 👍🏻🙏 never seen this done before iv always had to cut pipes and find blockages. Defo going to get one for the van. One of those “break glass in case of emergency” tools 😆
Exactly. It doesn't come out often, but when it does :-)
I work in Stroud worst area ever for hard water this will save me some time cheers.
It's a great time saver. :-)
Nice quick fix and on to the next one 👍
Excellent.I am a retired engineer .First time I saw this.😊❤
Great, its a time saver :-) What does retired engineer do with himself?
Quality time spent with grandchildren. AND I also drive a school mini bus for children with special needs.
And enjoy watching videos like yours.
One is never too old to learn new things!
I enjoy learning new things too. I do a couple of courses every year. Keeps the mind fresh :-)
Lucky really
I’ve had them where they are solid at first tee, even to the point where a flexi cable rod wouldn’t break through.
But worth a shot with the co2 gun for a start
I agree. But I try this first and it usually works. :-)
In my experience it will block up again in a matter of months.Pipework and tee will need cut out and replaced. Gallo gun is also great for oil lines.
Quality vid as per usual mate!
Much appreciated! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment :-)
Great video Ollie
Glad you like it. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment :-)
Thanks for demo of Gallo gun Ollie got one on order, great upload as usual
Thanks :-) It is a great tool. I don't use it very often but it pays for its self first time you use it. :-)
Nicely done.👍
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment :-)
Brilliant! Never knew this could be done!!
Yeah, simple quick and usually works
Great video Ollie keep up the good work mate 👍👌
Thanks 👍I will try :-)
Wow that was amazing. Cheers for that
No problem. Thanks for watching and commenting. :-)
Was a common problem, so for the older guys like me who are pre combi easier to spot, putting a magnet on the cold feed tee would also have shown it. Great bit of kit and great vid.
Thanks, the old magnet trick works a treat on airjecs (spelt wrong obviously). This will push all the soft stuff back into the tank. Which isn't great but customer then have the option to clean the system or not. And We get paid :-)
Great video never heard of a gallow gun before! Cheers Ollie!!
No problem :-)
Thanks for demo of Gallo gun , taught me something , thanks
No problem. It works a treat :-)
Knew the phials would be hot but still pulled them out and grabbed them anyway 😂😂. Only laugh becuase its something i would do. Great idea with that drain gun 👌🏻
Yeah, I had to check both of them too. :-) I wasn't going to show it and then thought f it. Its real.
Never seen that before. Come across a few blocked feeds recently, definitely look to get one. Thanks for the video
No problem 👍 Its a great time saver. :-)
Hi Ollie I have been a subscriber and also am a heating engineer and I must say I have learnt a lot from your videos over the years.this hack must be one of the best things I have learnt from your videos
Keep it up you are a legend!
Thanks for watching and commenting. I appreciate it :-) I gave this a go about 7 or 8 years ago and was shocked when it worked. But it did and I keep doing it. So far I have had good success with it :-)
this is a tool I never knew existed but I will add it to my arsenal, Thankyou for sharing your wisdom and god bless you.
You're very welcome. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment. ;-)
Good old blast 💨and she is working again.....😎
Yeah, and I get paid the same if it took me 5 hours or 5 minutes. So happy days :-)
I’ve liked and subscribed.
You super star. Thanks :-)
Great vid again Ollie - I need to get myself a Gallo Gun!
Yes mate, saves the day . :-)
great job you know your stuff
I have been doing it 24 years so I had to learn eventually :-)
@@HeatingGeek you either have it or you haven’t some people are very talented
I'm crap at lots of other things though :-) Spelling, drinking too much and laziness to name a few. :-)
That's a great job I use a high pressure bicycle pump there is two settings on the pump high and low it's after getting me out of more trouble love it.
Great tip! I have used an old expansion vessel (diaphragm split) and a lever valve to store pressure and shove it through a system before it worked a treat. But I was scared with a vessel at 5 bar. :-)
Top video again pal. 5 hr round trip for 30 min job. That’s commitment. I have a mini 18v air compressor to clear blockages.
I like this because it's so small and fits onto loads of pipe. It was 1.5 hours back. :-)
My Makita 18v cordless compressor is one of the best tool investments in the last 5 years for me mate👍👍👍
@TheDickPuller Yep. Great bit of kit. Use it all the time
Great video as usual been using gallow guns for 20 years normally clears all , keep up the good work 👌
Thanks :-) Gallo gun is a great tool underused by gas engineers
Excellent ! everybody has a cold feed story or two. I wish I'd had a gallo gun on callout 20 years ago. It could have saved a lot of grief. A mate and I were even sent to change a 'faulty boiler' once. It was just a blocked cold feed wrongly diagnosed by a numpty 🙄 It could also be used for unblocking central heating pipes. I have used a foot pump for that, but this would have made it a lot quicker.
Yeah. lots of people are mentioning a foot pump. Just sounds a bit awkward to do in a loft. :-)
Havnt heard of these guns before, not something ur going to use every week but definately a handy tool
Just for this its worth every penny :-)
😂😂I use a electric pump, but this gallow pump is far more convenient and Well Done Man for the Share
No problem. I have an electric pump and used to use it but this is faster and gets most of them done :-) How do you connect onto the pipework with your pump?
huh, pretty cool that. I've always used steam power to clear them but this is a great option.
Steam power?? Explain dude :-)
@@HeatingGeek haha, does sound a little strange in hindsight. In instances where you can't get to the blocked tee on the feed I've often cut in a valve or simply turned off the existing valve and heated the outside of the pipe with a blowtorch. The heated, trapped water quickly shifts the plug with STEEEEEAM POWARRR haha
Ah blowtorch. I thought you were going to cap the expansion and run the boiler :-) :-) That would be fun. :-)
Excellent teaching methods and explanations. Sod the others, I did my apprenticeship in social housing and didn’t get to learn much as some of the installers were on price work. What causes the cold feed to block up? Sediment?
Yeah, if you watch the water in the tank you see the sediment come through first :-) It goes hard eventually and you will need to cut the pipework out. :-)
Nice
Thanks :-)
Great hack there. I would usually run a temp bit of speedfit of the main, bung the expansion and connect to the down pipe and blast through with mains pressure. This is much better and quicker 😅
Yeah, I used to cut it out every time. Absolute pain in the ass. Then for a few years I back filled it. This is good enough for 90% of customers and the other 10 will get it flushed> ;-) Saves loads of time.
Great video as always ollie! Do you use the genuine gallow co2 cartridges? They are abit pricey I think.... also last time I was sorting a header tank out, a giant rat jumped out onto my we both fell through the loft hatch and it started running around customer house! Horrible experience lol
Can you use the threaded ones for cycling tyre inflators?
I use the genuine ones, only because I didn't want to buy the cheaper ones and find they didn't fit or were crap. :-) Rat in the loft is terrible. I hear a slight buzz and shit myself :-)
@andywareham6334 I don't know ?
Great video, always something to gain, can we use this gallo gun for block sink and air lock?
Really looking forward to get one.
I would use it for a blocked sink. The pressure is quite high though and it will blow stuff to bits. trust me I know.....
Made me laugh 😂 that random subscribe part lol
But yh everyone do so a lot of golden tips tricks and knowledge on this channel top man
Some "Guru" told me to put that in. I need to work out this RUclips thing so I can retire on a beach soon...... Or not. :-)
I would of refused to fix unless the customers paid for a powerflush, and because their heating system isnt working you can bend them over a barrel and charge double, easy money!
Yeah, but I like my 8 hours :-)
Your James bond of heating and plumbing hahaha
Just getting it done and getting home :-)
Hi Ollie.
One thing that may be a concern is the motorised valve on the gravity cylinder return especially for overheating issues ?
If it is a bungalow, I assume there is not a towel rail or another form of open circuit loop to allow the boiler to cool down when the hot water demand switches off ?
It could be that someone has done something semi clever with thermostat/pipe stat controls that only allow the motorised valve to close when the hot water is satisfied and the primary circuits have sufficiently cooled, it looks unlikely ? It could also be the boiler can deal with this closed loop ? Generally not considered to be great practice ??
Excellent educational presentations.
It's a C Plan system. Quite normal 30 years ago. The boilers can take the punishment without a problem. A new boiler wouldn't :-)
Great Video. Thank you
No Problem, thanks for watching :-)
That was interesting Ollie. Gallo gun was a good one. Can this be used to unblock other things like new pipe work ?❤
I used it a few times on condense pipework. I have had mixed results. It blows it to bits sometimes....... Usually behind a kitchen unit. :-)
That was really interesting
But bit confused as to how the gallo gun worked, I know you removed an airlock but how did it work?
The pipe was blocked not air locked. Watch the video and you will see all the crap come into the tank when I squeeze the trigger. The debris isn't rock solid so the 200psi pushes it out. ;-)
20 odd years of cutting out blocked cold feeds 😅 just ordered a gun , thanks for the video ! Out of interest , have you used the gun to unblock other things like 10mm rad pipework ? Obviously, with an open end if on a sealed system
I have used it for blocked condense pipework. Unfortunately I have a couple blow to bits behind kitchen units or out of the compression fitting under a sink.... Very messy and the clean up ruins the day. :-) I still try it though. Just don't give it all the onions straight away :-)
@@HeatingGeek Haha, wow , you’re a brave man! 😂 Thanks for the reply , thanks again for the brilliant tip that will certainly make life easier for anyone dealing with blockages , what a game changer !!
Thanks :-)
How do you know you've cleaned all the debris away from the tee without, draining the F & e cutting pipe and cleaning inside of pipe out? That way you can also put a valve in the cf for the next time it happens?
Quick fix but probably not the best overall.
Gets it going though. :-) I agree with what you wrote. In this instance the customer isn't covered for the repair as blockages are not covered. This gets it working and gets me home :-) The proper solution is a power flush.
Nice vid. Do these work on blocked condense pipes? I don't want to blow the fittings apart if it's too powerful
They blow them to bits if they're blocked badly. :-) I know from experience :-)
@@HeatingGeek Yeah thought that might be the case, will stick with my wetvac on blow
It’s a great insurance job fix👍 but now everyone’s gonna buy that gun and put it next to the ct1 in the van
It's the type of tool you only use once or twice a year but is saves a lot of time and gets a customer up and running. :-)
Genuine question, wouldn't connecting a foot pump or any other pump to the overflow achieve the same result? Or is it something in the CO2 that helps break down blockages?
Maybe. Im in a hurry though and just want it done ASAP :-)
Already subscribed!! I just bought this gun, will the 12g CO2 air rifle cartridges work with it? Ta
Its always worked out well for me :-)
May have missed it at what point did you know it was a blocked cold feed? Stat not clicking and water in the tank? Thanks
You don’t necessarily ‘know’ all the time but for the sake of five minutes, it’s a process worth carrying out as part of your tests. I had one the other week but the Gallo gun didn’t work. So the blockage was lower down. Turned out to be a blockage on the H air separator pipework.
Boiler overheating and the flow pipe is cold, meaning there is no water in the system to heat up. Boiler running dry.
There was no heat transfer up to the cylinder and the boiler was overheating like mad. The little bit of heat that went into the cylinder pipework cooled off instantly (it was steam not water). Also the cylinder was the highest point on the system. So the first bit to suffer when the cold feed gets blocked. I hope that makes sense.
Would be good for blocked condense as well? Open vent is a rare thing to see for me
It is a bit too powerful for a blocked condense. It blows them apart if they are properly blocked. It will unblock them if you're careful though. :-)
Good video as always! Just a point gravity... its pressure you are referring too. Gravity is a theory.
It's the type of system I'm referring to. They could call it relative density for all I care. Please explain what you mean :-)
Can you explain the term you used?@@HeatingGeek
@@simplemind7532 Which one?
Gravity @@HeatingGeek
It's what the industry call it. Hot water being less dense than cold so rises up to the high point. At the same time the cooler water falls down through the water column back to the boiler. Thats why we call it gravity. No pump required for it.
I hope this is what you mean?
Good tip, for me didn't work. As the blockages was beyond shift able. But handy.
Its worked for me many times :-)
I love my Gallo Gun. Cartridges are a bit pricey though.
Yeah, I always buy in bulk to get them cheaper :-)
Where do you buy your cartridges in bulk from if you don't mind me asking? Great Videos! Enjoy watching your breakdown/repairs definitely as helped me @@HeatingGeek
@@adija12 The last lot i got were from a Wolseley branch in Slough. I bought the 3 boxes they had because they were cheap. I usually go online tbh.
I’d agree with some comments cut out and clean or repipe close coupling
I don't get paid for that though :-)
@@HeatingGeek well if it clears it all well and good but as you and I know it will build back up .But you’re a good lad so no worries 😊
If I get 30 day's out of it I get paid again to unblock it :-)
That’s why you’re rich lol 😊
@@brianhutchinson970 I wish. But I'm happy :-)
🤘😎🤘
I bought the cheaper version and all was well until i screwed in a cartridge too tight and the plastic sheared and the whole thing exploded in my face 😂 luckily no injuries other than the customer absolutely shitting themselves. I think it was user error rather than being a cheaper version. I must get myself another one!
WOW that would be scary. Just the back pressure on the expansion pipe was worrying.:-)
Mate think you may have just sold a few of them
A tad quicker than cutting out cold feeds 😂
And 1004578374% cleaner :-) I just post the links Amazon sell them.
If you clean the tank first you wont fill the system back up with all the crap you just cleared
Im just doing emergency repairs. No cleaning etc. I didn't have to unblock the cold feed for the customer. Blocked pipes are not covered. Customer has been advised to get a power flush which should have the tank cleaned as part of it. :-)
First
Yes you are :-) Well done :-)
Game changer pal🎉🎉🎉🎉
Thanks :-) Saves a lot of time :-) How would you usually do it?
@@HeatingGeek cut the cold feed out, facking nightmare. I’ve seen lads use a foot pump, took ages to set up lol. Definitely buying one. Buying shares in gallo too 😂😂
The legit ones are expensive. I don't know what the fakes are like. I linked both types.
@@HeatingGeek il get the proper one, for 50 quid it’ll pay for it sel first job
Yeah it does. If you get home a couple of hours early then it's worth it. Also if you don't get shitty water all over the bed sheets in the airing cupboard it's a double win. :-)
I always trying to see if any new videos are out of yours
I done 1 a week for about 4 months this year. Having some time off now. :-)
Great demo Ollie, the Gallo Gun is fantastic also for clearing blocked boiler Condy pipes.
I first seen them used by Fridge Guys on blocked AC unit Condy pipes.
Cheers China👍👍
Luv Dick Puller❤❤
I had a couple of problems doing condense pipes with it. The sound of PVC exploding behind a kitchen unit will bring a tear to my eye... It was a bad day :-)
@@HeatingGeek A think the days of fitting 21.5mm PVC overflow pipe for boiler condensates are numbered. Too many problems with it, leaking joints & brittle pipe, it’s just not man enough!!
Yeah but the effort to fit something better is long. Having to core 1 1/4" through the wall is a pain too. Especially when my own condense pipe is 19mm through the wall and has never froze.