How to Repair a Motorised Central Heating Valve

In this video, Roger shows you how a motorized valve works and what you need to do to diagnose and repair a motorised valve and avoid buying a costly replacement.
DIY plumbing repair of a motorised valve, how it works and avoiding motorised valve replacement. Please let us know if you like our plumbing basics and tricks of the trade.
#Plumbing #DIY #HowTo
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[@alanreed7147]

Thanks for this. In early December 23 when servicing our heating the engineer told us the zone valve was sticking and needed to be replaced because there was a 10 minute delay before system fired up. He had ordered the part and would come and fit it. In February the valve started sticking in the open position and after watching this video I was able to release it and messaged the heating engineer to have the work done. No response. Eventually as the problem got worse I ordered a Synchron Motor for £13.95. It arrived in a couple of days and was fitted in about 20 minutes. The hardest part was re fitting the tiny screws. All working great now. Thanks for providing so many really helpful instruction videos. They are a great help.

[@MillwalltheCat]

Spot diagnosis. I just needed to manually move the lever on the heating circuit back and forth a couple of times, and now it works fine - might have been a build up of material in the valve itself preventing operation. So you could try that before replacing any parts. Thanks Roger, saved a few quid there!

[@cruab1]

Thanks a bunch for this, I waited for three different plunbers/heating engineers to arrive and would have been happy to pay whatever, but all no shows. so on Sunday I swapped the downstairs valve ( faulty) with the hot water valve and just used the electric to heat the water. today I bought a new valve and replaced the water heating. all good now, thanks again.

[@geoffcallaghan3117]

Excellent, love this guy. right on and uncomplicated, top work dude!

[@usmaniqbal5838]

Fantastic video. Really clear and concise. Good context and then deep dive. Helped sort my hot water issue out in 15mins and £15 rather than the £140 for a plumbers labour as quoted. Maybe a few ideas for some more: - changing/recharging an expansion vessel - draining a hot water cylinder. - swapping out a pressure relief valve. Overall well done and thanks!

[@grahammorley5265]

Really useful explanation about motorized valves. It helped me to fix my central heating problem. Thanks Roger.

[@dalegriffiths3628]

Yay, thanks so much - just sorted out our valve issue £14 for the part. I’m glad now that the plumber wasn’t able to come out as it would have cost much more than £14 I’m sure. Also feels good to do it myself.

[@susanevangelou658]

This is such a good video. It’s so clear and concise. After 5 visits from plumbers who failed to diagnose or fix the problem we ordered the part and did the job ourselves. You are the only person who helped us and we must have saved a fortune. Thanks

[@drted1282]

I second that Susan

[@genefoad9146]

Excellent comprehensive video and a real money saver. Many thanks. Pay extra special attention to isolating the electrical power supply..as Roger says!

[@LairdJ56]

5 minutes in and I’ve fixed my heating by opening that valve. Boom subscribed. Excellent explanation. Thank you

[@garycutler3930]

I had this exact same problem with my central heating.... no hot water, after watching this I checked that small lever and yes it was loose with no tension on it. £10.50 later with a new motor off ebay fitted glorious hot water again. Thank you so much for such a clear and easy video to follow with good clear instructions. A subscribe well worth having.

[@zedman442]

Nice video Roger, sparks tend to avoid central heating wiring as it goes against most things they are taught! A lot of people shy away from it but it's fairly simple at the end of the day, it's just individual circuits that turn things on or off, the boiler is dumb it just knows when to fire up.

[@vassoscostas6513]

Thanks for another excellent video. I wish KZbin had existed when I had to change motorised valves for the first time 20 years ago. I was quoted circa 200 pounds back in the 90's for a new motor by a plumber and had to work it out myself-as you say, its not a very difficult job and in my case the motors have failed every few years (mainly after the summer, when the motor hasn't been exercised). It might be worth mentioning that the CH programmer should be set to run for a few minutes, even in the summer just to exercise the motor.

[@whitecab1]

Thank you very much. I managed to fix my CH myself after watching this video. It took 20 minutes cos I was being careful and only cost £15. Top man.

[@gigimoroni]

great help, well explained and easy to implement. we had the motor making a noise, we were not sure what it was, so called the assistance (for which we pay insurance). they would not even come, and if they did they would have charged 50£, despite the insurance said it was covered. 20£ of part, 30 min of work on my side, and the job was done. thank you so much

[@mikegallagher291]

Thanks for this excellent video. My daughter was quoted £330 by CH company to replace the motorised valve and that’s on top of a call out fee of £86. After looking at your video I sourced a syncron motor for £9.75 and fitted it myself in 20 minutes. A tremendous saving. My daughter is very pleased. Shame on the CH company. Thanks once again. MG, Wirral.

[@judehajichambi4147]

No shame on that company that’s standard price In London don’t be mad u don’t make that much money

[@cosycamperconversions]

Great video. Fair play

[@helenc9043]

Hi I don’t ever comment on videos but after watching yours I managed to completely fix my central heating that we have been putting up with not working properly all winter. I just wanted to say thank you very much for posting such a helpful and clear video. It turned out to be a very easy job! Thanks for you help!

[@SkillBuilder]

Thanks Helen. Glad to hear that you are now up and running. It makes it worthwhile

[@chrisgormley7939]

Cheers Roger! My boiler is now firing after changing the synchron motor. Couldn’t work out why boiler fired occasionally and not at other times despite the thermostat correctly calling for heat all the time. Turns out the motorised valve was failing to open/close despite power reaching the motor due to it getting hot and the sticky old oil on the cog making turning the valve more difficult. This is why it worked from cold but not when hot. Love learning new skills from you buddy, you really make things simple to understand and give keen diyers the confidence to give it a go. Thank you

[@JohnnieYen1976]

Excellent video. I was able to diagnose and fix my heating issue. My synchro motor was buzzing and I swapped it out with another unit that I had left over from a previous repair. Cost me zero dollars to fix a home that won't heat. Thank you! Subscribed!

[@mahindakularatne708]

Roger, THANK YOU so much! 1am the night before a bank holiday, staying at my mum's, and I notice after watching the snooker that there are noises coming from her airing cupboard - the pump is running hell for leather despite both CH or DHW being off. Boiler on, of course, and her smart meter energy monitoring gadget screaming blue murder! I checked her Hive system, and eventually decided that the problem might be one of the S-plan valves sticking open. I've dealt with combi systems before but never something like this. Your video gave me the confidence to diagnose the issue - sure enough, the lever was loose on the DHW valve. So I popped down to Screwfix in the morning and fitted a new valve head unit. It's all working nicely now. The old unit really isn't in great shape (hence replacing the whole head) but I'll probably run my multimeter over the motor sometime. I'll definitely be checking out a few more of your videos. Thanks again, and keep up the good work!

[@declanmoran1894]

Super tip Rodger , having untold problems with water heating coupled with emersion problems and very small repair budget . Perhaps some light at the end of the tunnel now ! Thanks man !

[@oldskoolsmithy]

This video was spot on, thank you! Came home from a weekend away to find the house cold. The heating was asking for demand but the boiler was not firing. After some fault finding, I identified the 2 port valve was not closing the circuit. £10 and a day later, I’ve replaced the synchron thanks to this video and it appears (touch wood) to be working! God knows what that would have cost to get a professional out.

[@meg171]

Thank you Roger, simple steps to help a layman like myself to understand. I fixed my daughters central heating problem at the weekend which not only saved them ££’s but it also saved them having a cold weekend.

[@SkillBuilder]

Glad it helped

[@rightreverendcraig]

Thanks very much Roger - followed your video & fixed the faulty heating saving me ££££££s!

[@mickdavies1692]

A massive thank you for this video. I have had no Hot Water but Central Heating is working perfectly. I was just about to call in a plumber with all the cost that brings when I saw your excellent video. I did the diagnostic test on the valves and one did seem to be faulty. To be extra sure I removed the motor from the CH valve and put it into the hot water valve. Tested the hot water and it worked perfectly. I have now ordered a new motor for little more than a tenner and will fit that back into the CH valve. I reckon I probably saved £200 or so, I also have a great sense of satisfaction and the wife thinks I'm brilliant! Thanks again Roger!

[@sikandarhussain8597]

Where did you find the that Valve?

[@MyW115]

This is a great insight, Roger. Thanks for sharing. Your videos are really useful.

[@timmy11toes]

Brilliant tutorial. Very clear. Thank you so much.

[@pt99810]

Excellent instructional video. Very clear, accurate and comprehensive. Replaced motor in ½ hr for £13.

[@SkillBuilder]

Nice work!

[@TimBurrell1]

Thanks Roger - this video explained the problem and solution very clearly - I replaced my two motorised valves and fixed my heating problem.

[@johnjpennington]

Brilliant instructive video. Very well and explained...

[@davidwilliams6334]

Cheers, Roger - great video - much appreciated! David.

[@geoffwilcock9542]

Splendid advice very well presented thankyou

[@jonlucking3364]

Thank you so much for this. Your videos allowed me to diagnose the problem and repair the valve today. Now I have warm house and a happy family again. You have a new subscriber.

[@IPC0101]

Great video, clear information and very helpful

[@arunpatel9812]

nice one you explain with your open heart thanks a lot

[@MyeditorYash]

Brilliant video. Thank you!

[@666man]

Thanks mate sorted the heating out great vid. Cheers !!

[@omnimatty]

Thank you so very much for your very clear instructions. This fixed my issue and wasn't too hard to do and only cost about $30!

[@omnimatty]

I just had to replace it again 3 years later, these motors seem to not last lobe. But thanks to you I replaced it for the cost of the motor $42 dollars here in New York!

[@markharvey262]

Thank you so much Roger... love watching ur vids just for knowledge plus love the rants ... but this time I came looking to get me out of a snag and what u said was right on the money for me . .. Great stuff

[@diydave3034]

Thanks for this excellent video, it gave me the confidence to tackle this job. Two things not shown 1) the left hand mounting has no screw but it does need to sit in a slot correctly - bit of jiggling and mirror is useful, 2) my Honeywell V4043H1056 had torx10 screws not posidrives. Apart from that, much easier job than I expected. Thanks again.

[@SkillBuilder]

All true. They used to have two screws now you just jiggle them in.

[@robinjackson2426]

Just to reiterate the good comments stated already, great video!!! and cheers. This video was just the info I needed to get past my initial problem, which is turn tells me exactly what the issues was. Thanks for the clear delivery, I have subscribed. Great site.

[@jamesdean8288]

Thanks for the video... you doing a great job for the society..👍

[@chrishoward99999]

Thanks for the great video - just replaced the motor in on of my valves. Heating now working perfectly!

[@SkillBuilder]

Excellent!

[@user-ut4bm6rs4d]

Really clear & informative video. Turned a daunting job into an easy one took the motor off, found the gog was gunged up. Greased the cog and now works fine cost £0, so thank you for saving me £300 or more!

[@OldFloatingSeaman]

Great info, Thank You. I had issues last evening with the boiler not firing up when Hot Water was called for. To confirm it was the Valve, i swapped the two control wires over, swapped the Hot Water and Central heating valves over, then called for Hot water and the boiler fired up. I then called for central Heating and sods law, that fired up also. Chances are the motor is on its way out so ordered one today.

[@manishtiwari78623]

Roger you a gem, hope you keep fit and keep sharing you wisdome with us. Your grumpiness are little fireworks around the main show. May God keep you well

[@darlenegolightly6494]

Excellent video. It was very helpful. With your great guidance, I replaced the faulty zone valve and I now have hot water. Thanks

[@SkillBuilder]

Great job! So glad you got it done

[@yesthankyouples]

Fabulous! Neat trick manually opening the valve too.

[@frundlemud]

retired plumber, aggree with all. Very helpful and not beyond your average DIY person.

[@nigeld8694]

Thanks for this useful video Roger!

[@davidhorobin1060]

Thank you so much. I just changed the synchronous motor in one of my valves and it solved my heating problem! Wouldn’t have known how to do it without your wonderful video. Thanks again.

[@SkillBuilder]

Glad it helped

[@chrislodge726]

Thanks well presented video Very clear and easy to understand.

[@luongtime5364]

Extremely helpful to know theres a bypass when hot water isn't flowing through the taps. Got me out of a sticky situation. Thank you. ❤

[@tristanhaskins]

Thank you. My motor was just spinning non-stop and getting hot. I removed it and noticed no resistance when turning the screw arbor. New Synchronised Motor ordered from Screwfix - all back up and running now :-)

[@GilesGuthrie]

Awesome video. Really clearly explained. Thank you

[@SkillBuilder]

Thank you Giles, nice to hear

[@petelynas408]

Super lesson. Thanks.

[@vlncents]

ROGER you're star you just saved me at least £150-£200 pounds I had a quote from a plumber he said its about £70 for a new valve and we may have to drain the system plus two hours labour... I saw this video .........ordered a syncro motor from amazon for £10 and fitted it in under an hour all working fine. I think you're the best plumber on here as your videos are so clear and made it so easy for me. It makes you think where can you get a decent plumber that will do the job as fairly as possible, you are continually on your guard to make sure you're not getting ripped off. Thank you so much..... Craig

[@SkillBuilder]

I am glad it helped. I always give the customer the option of the synchrom motor change. If the valve is operating freely there is no need to change it. If you want to help our channel grow please like and share and maybe watch another video. We have over 600 videos now and some of the older ones are hardly watched.

[@nicnak4475]

Great video thanks Roger so well explained and brilliant close ups which always helps ! :o)

[@ianstevens8696]

Great work! Thanks Roger.

[@cujimmy1366]

Simple and to the point.

[@bradshawbradshaw8891]

Awesome job thank you. Bought a new motor from Amazon, inc delivery it was £11 and after watching your video it was an easy change, saved me a lot of money.

[@SkillBuilder]

Nice work!

[@alanjackson6113]

Spot on dude, many thanks.

[@jameshoran76]

Great video, many thanks.

[@albertoskytwins3527]

You're a legend, you saved me a lot of money, thank you so much!

[@stevewilson3160]

Grate video, Steve from ireland

[@porter761]

Great video as always comprehensive

[@samadams9347]

saved me a small fortune, thank you.

[@steve5433]

well done superb instruction, found this very very easy with your help

[@SkillBuilder]

Good stuff it gets you out of trouble then that is all we hoped for

[@erdogan330]

thank you very much great advice.

[@homolgus1]

you are a great teacher a natural.

[@carol-lo]

Extremely useful!!! Informative!

[@DjSkipAlexander]

Brilliant as always

[@durhamsteven6930]

Great video. Great explanation. Just had exactly this problem and the heating engineer changed the syncron motor rather than the entire valve.

[@SkillBuilder]

Great to hear!

[@katharina...]

Goodness, you are a great teacher! I'll play with my motorised valve tomorrow and see if it looks similar to yours. If it does, I will order the syncron motor, and fingers crossed that will be the end of my troubles ;) Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience!

[@familymemories462]

very useful thanks

[@theresecollett4944]

What a great explanation, no heating at the moment so trying this. Thank you very much 👍

[@SkillBuilder]

Let us hope it works, if not let us know and we will try and help [e-mail]

[@theresecollett4944]

@@SkillBuilder Very strange when we swapped the functioning motor from water to heating. The motor spun around as soon as we switched power back on even though we hadn't switched the central heating on. This didn't happen when same motor was on the hot water. It worked normally. Does that indicate it's the programmer?

[@traian23us]

Best breakdown ever, zone valve fault! :) I haven't got DHW but my heating is working lol

[@-danR]

7:18 The man's a saint. Everything I wanted to know about that lever. I couldn't find it explicitly stated anywhere, even in the installation and specs PDF's (Not Honeywell, but Motortrol Valves model, but same principle).what that lever does.

[@user-mb9lx7rx4g]

Great video, thanks 🎉🎉

[@mattsidebottom7603]

brilliant video. my unvented cylinder was not heating water although the boiler was working. what you described is exactly what my valve looks like. a £10 part next day from amazon sorted it! cheers i reckon a plumber would have been lookin at over £100 to sort that

[@terrychan4468]

Thank you for your video, it was very useful

[@martincbooth1321]

Absolute star cheers Roger ..

[@screemin187]

Great guide thanks!!

[@smilehoho1]

Thank you! very useful video indeed

[@leegergett9888]

Brilliant information, sorted within the hour of watching this video, keep up the great work

[@SkillBuilder]

Glad it helped

[@alastairchestnutt6416]

very helpful. Thanks.

[@davehunter6920]

hi Roger - just found yer site - excellent stuff - cheers dave moylena plumbing and heating

[@joecampbell6486]

Thanks very much for the video

[@ratchriat1716]

found the video very informative and usefull

[@derekdowney5157]

Very informative 👍👏

[@dracatacre]

excellent video, many thanks

[@SkillBuilder]

Thank you. Please take a look at our channel when you have a moment.

[@gernkmccory3836]

Well done mate, thanks.

[@stewartcross9939]

Nice and simple thanks 👍👍

[@SpilsbyOpenMic]

Thanks for another great video its given an understanding of how the valve works, I have slightly different problem my central heating pump is running even when hot water or heating not on. I moved the cable going into the motorised valve and the pump stopped immediately. Not sure what the problem is but appears to be to do with that valve. Thanks again

[@craigconroy3785]

great info & content thank you

[@heatheryoung6269]

Brilliant thank you ever so much. I've just temporarily fixed mine. Tomorrow I will go get the bits to fix it now i know what it is! I was worried it was going to cost me a fortune. Brilliant!😍

[@heatheryoung6269]

I did it! Worked straight away. It took less then a hour but was in a really tricky, hard to get to area. Thank you

[@embecmom5863]

great vid.. my plumber (unfortunately now retired) said I would be able to do this myself.. scared stiff because I thought you needed to turn the water off! ...

[@joew8438]

Thanks I actually have one of these that's failed. Going to give it a try as a DIY project, you probably saved me a service call.

[@michaelpugh3112]

Thank you so much for this brilliant video. I am a women in my 60s and after watching his I now feel confident to sort my heating out. I now that you make it look easy but the full explanation and reasoning behind why I have to follow the safe and sensible steps have helped me no end. I have subscribed.

[@SkillBuilder]

Thank you and welcome to Skill Builder

[@dodgygeezerdandy]

Great video. Thanks. I have 3 of these, 2 separate heating zones and one hot water. They are fairly new (18months) but one of them is making a loud buzzing noise when open? Does this mean it will need changing? Thanks

[@3214569544]

Great video!