Best way to test a motorised valve?

[Dis Manibus]

Being a mean old sod, this is the time of year when I turn the central
heating off at the timer; and just leave the hot water switched on. However,
the radiators are still getting hot. I'm assuming that the motorised valve
is no longer shutting off properly, but I'd like to be 100% sure, before I
start buying things. I can think of a few ways I might test it (switching
some other components on and off, and seeing how it reacts), but I was
wondering if there is a standard way of testing these things?

[Bob Minchin]

Feel the pipe either side to judge if water is flowing through. If it
is, remove the motor head and see if the valve can be moved manually.
Once the motor is off you can see if turning the heating circuit on and
off makes the motor run or not.

I've been looking at honeywell valves recently for a new install and
buying them on ebay. Not only are replacement heads available but also
replacement motor/gearboxes for less than �10. The motors on the
honeywell look trivial to change.

hth

Bob

[Peter Parry]

On Tue, 14 May 2013 12:11:32 +0100, Bob Minchin
<bob.minc...@YOURHATntlworld.com> wrote:

> The motors on the
>honeywell look trivial to change.

On more recent ones, certainly. Older ones had a one piece unit where
the head cannot be removed in situ without water pouring out
everywhere (as I discovered!).

[charles]

In article <1g84p8dr5gi4u2cg1...@4ax.com>,

must be a lot older. Mine which were 1988 vintage have removeable motors.

--
From KT24

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.18

[dennis@home]

On 14/05/2013 12:11, Bob Minchin wrote:


> I've been looking at honeywell valves recently for a new install and
> buying them on ebay. Not only are replacement heads available but also
> replacement motor/gearboxes for less than �10. The motors on the
> honeywell look trivial to change.

They are, and I have replaced the microswitches too.
A crimping tool can be handy to connect the wires.

[Man at B&Q]

Turn the heating back on and check that the valves operate as expected
in response to the timer setting and thermostat. You can usually hear
them moving or watch the manual lever move.

MBQ

[dennis@home]

I doubt if you will see the manual lever move.
They don't on any of the ones I have.

[Man at B&Q]

On May 14, 2:34 pm, "dennis@home" <den...@killspam.kicks-ass.net>
wrote:

Then you doubt wrongly.

> They don't on any of the ones I have.

They have done on all the ones I have ever had.

MBQ

[Andy Champ]

They don't move on mine, and I've never had one where it does. The lever
has its own spring. You can however tell what position the valve is in
by pushing the lever.

Andy

[Graham.]

It's a good job too, mine are about 35 years old, and don't have
removable heads. Wet parts perfect (soft water), each has had new
micro switches and motors.
Motor flex connections were originally just twisted with a wire-nuts,
I replaced them with single choc-blocks.

--
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

[Graham.]

On Tue, 14 May 2013 15:56:32 +0100, Andy Champ <no....@nospam.invalid>
wrote:

I agree the lever does not normally move, but the spring isn't on the
lever itself, it's on the actual valve.

If the valve is open the lever is free to move, no return spring. if
you were minded to move it to the open position and then de-energised
the motor then the lever *would* move back to the closed position by
the operating cam.

That's for two port Honeywell's.



--
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

[Dave Liquorice]

On Tue, 14 May 2013 15:56:32 +0100, Andy Champ wrote:

>>> I doubt if you will see the manual lever move.
>>
>> Then you doubt wrongly.
>>
>>> They don't on any of the ones I have.
>>
>> They have done on all the ones I have ever had.
>

> They don't move on mine, ...

Not on my two port Honeywell valves in normal use either. If you move the
lever into the latched "filling" position it will unlatch and spring back
to its rest position when the valve is motored open.

I did have a three port valve that did have a lever that moved but I
don't think that was Honeywell and was three port. Mind you I don't think
the OP has said if his valves are two or three port...

--
Cheers
Dave.

[Dis Manibus]

"Dis Manibus" <d...@manibus.com> wrote in message
news:QMqdnSLXbJirkQ_M...@eclipse.net.uk...

Thanks, everyone. I'm going to conclude that it's not well, since it just
sits in mid position, whatever inputs are present. Seems odd, because I'd
have thought the spring would pull it to one side, but it doesn't.

I'm going to spend a bit of time trying to find out which part is broken.
The genuine replacement head costs at least �60 on eBay. Or, there's a
third-party one for about �35. Or, there is a replacement motor for about
�9. As I said, I'm a mean old sod, so I'm happy to spend some time on it.

[The Natural Philosopher]

same here. They don't move

--
Ineptocracy

(in-ep-toc’-ra-cy) – a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.

[dennis@home]

If you don't engage the stop that's there to keep the lever open.
The lever is there to open the valves for flushing and normally has a
notch or similar to keep it open against the spring return.

[Man at B&Q]

This one http://www.screwfix.com/p/drayton-zone-replacement-valve-actuator/76959
"Manual lever and valve position indicator".

The lever and indicator are the same piece of plastic. Same on all the
zone valves I have had.

MBQ