Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Help! Bit random, but anyone know about Megaflo hot water system?

[Mr Creosote]

Has anyone experience of a Megaflo unvented hot water system (particularly plumbers/heating installers)? Am trying to clean the strainer in the cold water pressure reducing valve which the manual states should be removable by just unscrewing the black cap. However, mine seems to unscrew for a couple of turns and then just seems to be turning on itself; furthermore there is the sensation of it being held from below by a strong spring, which is unlikely as there isn't one according to the manual!. My question is: should this just unscrew easily or it is normal for there to be some resistance - and how much force is it safe to exert on it? Could it be that scaled up that it is just stuck (bearing in mind I am in a hard water area). Is it safer to get a new valve installed rather than run risk of knackering the old one and being without hot water? If so, anyone in the trade interested in doing this (South Lincs area)?
Will end ramble here - if you've got this far without dropping off thanks for looking! Ian.

[Fordie]

Having turned of the mains water to the valve have you depressurized the hot water side by opening a hot tap. In theory the strainer should come out with the strainer plug.Normally a circular gauze Do you really need to clean it . If you have any crude coming through the cold tap fair enough but if the colds clear then the strainer won't need cleaning. 4D

[Mr Creosote]

Thanks for that Pete. Yes, turned on furthest hot tap from cylinder. No crud through the cold tap (probably isn't enough pressure to force it out ), manual suggests this is the remedy for little or no flow through the taps especially in hard water areas (BTW pressure at downstairs cold taps is fine). Is there owt else I could/should be doing - think I've noted somewhere that the air space in the top of the cylinder may need recharging). Ian.

[Fordie]

If you got low pressure in the cold tap then you aint going to get any pressure in the hot tap. Most of the trouble can be at the tap it self, with the calcium building up at the tap outlet, just like a shower head it will need a clear out now and again. Depending on the taps you have you can get trouble with the tap cartridges them selfs,turn the tap on and all though you turn it on full little water comes out,some times the screw thread in the tap body jumps a few threads and the tap does'nt open fully giving the impression of low pressure. Unless you have ceramic disc ones (then you won't have this problem) Have a nosey at the Megaflow.com site for a few tips there is a tech section to look at . 4D

[Mr Creosote]

Thanks Pete. Have already had a look at the Megaflo site but last night found a DIY forum where someone with a similar problem had posted a query - and wished I hadn't! The poor sod had inadvertently pushed the red button to start WW3! Eighteen pages (I kid you not) this thread went to, the first two staying on the point but the rest an increasingly bitter war of words between a small number of heating engineers. When it comes to bitching the DSC are definitely junior leaue! Never did find out if the guy got his system fixed as gave up on page seven feeling severly depressed. Won't bother posting a request for help on there, then! However, the iphe website proved much more fruitful and have located a plumber with knowledge of unvented systems only a few miles away from me who is coming round Tuesday to (hopefully) get me sorted. Ian.