Central heating 3 way valve, which one to buy?

[Trevorleach]

Bog std 1987 c/h set up, been here 30 years, and once every few years the 3 way valve goes tits up, can always tell as when boiler is heating the hot water a few of the upstairs rads start to heat up as well!
Pretty sure I have tried cheapies (did not last long) and Honeywell/Drayton etc, I have defo done this job at least 5 maybe 6 times in those 30 years.
What makes do people recommend nowadays?

 

[Kayos]

Cheapest from Screwfix

Even Honeywell have dropped in quality these days

 

[angellonewolf]

drayton frist choise (only because the head is clip on clip off so if the valve its self is fine and the motor part is shot esasy swap out and rewire in the new motor

then honeywell

we had a cheap crappy china copy one installed only lasted 2 years at max so never again

if theres room id as i have now done installed a lever valve both sides of the 2 port we put in so if they pay up again it should be a doodle to swap again

 

[angellonewolf]

how clean is your heating system does it have a magnaclean in it some where ? also inhibitor a good amout carp in the system defo does not help

 

[Trevorleach]

how clean is your heating system does it have a magnaclean in it some where ? also inhibitor a good amout carp in the system defo does not help

Fluid is pretty clean, I drain and flush it down every year or three, last done about 6 mths ago, it is certainly not your usual black gritty sludge that many are.I drain it down into a 25 litre barrel, and whilst there are a few black bits they are minimal.
I only really do the drain/refill to try and keep my 1987 boiler going.
No mag trap fitted, though there has been one sat in its box in the garage for at least 2 years!

 

[angellonewolf]

Fluid is pretty clean, I drain and flush it down every year or three, last done about 6 mths ago, it is certainly not your usual black gritty sludge that many are.I drain it down into a 25 litre barrel, and whilst there are a few black bits they are minimal.
I only really do the drain/refill to try and keep my 1987 boiler going.
No mag trap fitted, though there has been one sat in its box in the garage for at least 2 years!

im not a heating enginer but the black sludge does not move much when your draining the system put the mag clean in run it with a clean product then refill using more than you need in the inhibtor if you have 7 rads i bottle would do id stick 2 in and every couple years stick another bottle to top up

a boiler bloke has said you cant put to much in

 

[addjunkie]

Is it the mechanical part or the coil…..coils are cheaper and easier to sort

 

[brightspark]

probably just the motor inside knacked , thats all that normaly go and easy to change. there about 19 quid from screwfix

 

[dave h 2]

My 1988 y valve had it's first replacement motor head 2 years ago it's upstairs in the old airing cupboard. Your number of replacements seems excessive

 

[Trevorleach]

im not a heating enginer but the black sludge does not move much when your draining the system put the mag clean in run it with a clean product then refill using more than you need in the inhibtor if you have 7 rads i bottle would do id stick 2 in and every couple years stick another bottle to top up

a boiler bloke has said you cant put to much in

Is it the mechanical part or the coil…..coils are cheaper and easier to sort

Always been the valve itself, I have tried the motor heads in the past with no luck.
I always take the old one apart and never seem to see an actual fault.

 

[reb78]

One of my three way valves kept jamming up so the motor wouldn't move it. It was odd. I could free it up with pliers fairly easily. I noticed a tiny bit of corrosion around the spindle and wondered if that was making it tight. I put a few drops of 3 in 1 on it and worked it back and forth. I could then move it with my fingers easily. That was about 2 years ago now.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Honeywell 2 way valves don't last very long...it's usually the brass arm that wears out on them not the motor. I've looked but can't find the arms sold separately which is annoying....reckon if someone could cut new ones they'd sell quite a few.

 

[Trevorleach]

Drayton one bought today.
Be a few days before I can fit it as waiting for smoke bombs to arrive!

 

[RichardM]

Danfoss has two micro switches which cause problems every 5 years or so, just fitted a Honeywell as a replacement.b Check the nut threads as they are different between the above, maybe different on the Drayton

 

[Trevorleach]

Danfoss has two micro switches which cause problems every 5 years or so, just fitted a Honeywell as a replacement.b Check the nut threads as they are different between the above, maybe different on the Drayton

That is interesting to know, sadly I will have to drain the system to find out!

 

[badabec]

While it's drained, can you separate the upstairs and downstairs circuits, each then having its own thermostat and valve?
We did that last year, we now use 40% less heating oil.

 

[RichardM]

That is interesting to know, sadly I will have to drain the system to find out!

Depends if you have isolator valves fitted, I have isolators on the pump, also isolators to the central heating and hot water return from the cylinder which I close.
I also have a drain valve to empty this part of the system, if not a washing up bowl under the valve and gently undo the nuts has sufficed for me prior to fitting the drain valve.

 

[Trevorleach]

While it's drained, can you separate the upstairs and downstairs circuits, each then having its own thermostat and valve?
We did that last year, we now use 40% less heating oil.

That sounds above my skill set, plus my wife would at some point in the very near future say she is cold!

 

[Trevorleach]

Depends if you have isolator valves fitted, I have isolators on the pump, also isolators to the central heating and hot water return from the cylinder which I close.
I also have a drain valve to empty this part of the system, if not a washing up bowl under the valve and gently undo the nuts has sufficed for me prior to fitting the drain valve.

No isolator valves fitted, but system drain down is dead simple, even bleeding the rads is a quick job.