The Boiler/heating Megathread- all boiler & heating queries in here please

[Mayfield 10]

Hi Mr P

 

It would appear that everything is working normally but what I am trying to establish is why the light is on when everything else is off?

 

Not sure of make and model... sorry. Its a back boiler behind a gas fire, ie its very old!

 

Cheers

 

It may be just the controller picking up enough power to illuminate the neon. As Mr. P suggested though the boiler that you have will not be efficient and although it may seem strange a new boiler could pay for itself in less than 2 years

[Lisablade 10]

Hi

can any one help?

I have a combination boiler, it is dripping water from the bottom, we can get heat and hotwater but the pressure is really low, also when we run the bath the heating turns off.we have tried bleeding the rads, works for a bit then does it again:help:

[theome 10]

Hi, can you see where the water is coming from?

Is it a trickle or just the odd drop?

What pressure is the system at?

.You say you bled the radiators..did you then top the system back up? If so likely the filling lop has a slight leak check you turned it fully off

Do you have the manual?

[Lisablade 10]

Hi, can you see where the water is coming from?

Is it a trickle or just the odd drop?

What pressure is the system at?

.You say you bled the radiators..did you then top the system back up? If so likely the filling lop has a slight leak check you turned it fully off

Do you have the manual?

 

it drips like a tap, and the pressure is on about 1 bar,the system was backed up and was fully turned off:help:

[theome 10]

In that case needs a pair of eyes on it.Either one of the compression fittings needs a part turn , or more unlikely a seeping joint.

[Lisablade 10]

In that case needs a pair of eyes on it.Either one of the compression fittings needs a part turn , or more unlikely a seeping joint.

 

thanks for that, any idea how much that would be to fix?

[theome 10]

Depends.. if its just tightning the nut its a 5 min job, if its seeping then it might need partially draining system or freezing.I dare say a proper heating engineer will be along shorty with a better idea of price.

Edited December 13, 2009 by theome
wrong email address

[Mr Peacock 10]

Hi there.

Most combi boilers wont fire up if the pressure is too low, so its important that the pressure is on 1 bar min to 1.5 bar max when cold.

You need to get the dripping sorted, especially if its coming from inside trhe boiler. If this leak manages to get into the PCB (printed circuit board) It could damage it beyond repair. This is not good especially as PCB's generally cost between £80 - £300 to replace depending on make of boiler.

It should be a cheap fix to sort out the leak. Expect to pay between £45 - £85 to get someone out to diagnose & repair ( based on labour only if simple fix )

[Greengeek 10]

I've got a question for the collective....

 

We've got a Gloworm compact 100e, and it keeps swapping over to boiler lockout.

 

It seems to think there is nearly a constant water demand, the pressure sits at about 0.8bar (What the manual recommends) and then rises to nearly 2.

 

The pump sounds like it's running and we do get hot water and heating if we press the button.

 

Any clues?

[corgigasman 10]

Think you have answered your own question. If it thinks there is a demand for hot water when there isnt then flow switch is defective, hence boilers runs a while but nowhere for heat to go so overheats and locks out. Pressure will rise as boiler heats and more noticeably when nowhere for heat to go, hope this helps, cheers, Steve

[Greengeek 10]

Ace, Any idea as to the cost of a flow switch, and is it easily replaced?

 

 

Edit,

 

That actually makes a lot of sense.

I came in to the Kitchen the other day and the boiler was clicking like mad, and the hot water demand led was flashing.

Edited December 15, 2009 by Greengeek

[Mr Peacock 10]

Ace, Any idea as to the cost of a flow switch, and is it easily replaced?

 

 

Edit,

 

That actually makes a lot of sense.

I came in to the Kitchen the other day and the boiler was clicking like mad, and the hot water demand led was flashing.

 

I agree with Steve. Looks like the domestic hot water switch is faulty. A few simple checks with a multi meter should confirm this. The switch is fairly cheap as far as boiler spares go, approx £25. It is easy to replace, however you need to confirm it is the switch, otherwise you would be wasting money by guessing and swapping parts.

A cautionary tale... I went to a boiler breakdown the other day, and the customer had already had a gas engineer attempt to repair it. They were getting heating (although it took ages) and the hot water was luke warm at best. The engineer had changed the hot water thermistor and charged em in the region of £100. When I checked the old thermistor it was fine. It actually turned out to be the ignition module (£183 inc VAT for the part).

If the fault had been diagnosed carefully and thoroughly by the 1st engineer, then the money they wasted could have gone towards fixing the real fault.

Always use us proffessionals to carry out your repairs, as were not all out to rip you off.

Give any of us on here a call, I'm sure one of us could fit you in.

Steve Peacock

Edited December 15, 2009 by Mr Peacock