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Because they don't know what they're talking about.
and please use their services
Boiler problem. Any experts about?
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Not necessarily. My boiler failed last week and has a fault light as opposed to a read out. Other than that light, it appeared fine.
I do agree about the pressure though.
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Pressure of the heating system
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Because we're not all boiler experts, aren't anal enough to know every make and model of boiler and what type of system it is and are just trying to help the OP from our own experiences.
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Maybe, but the rest of aren't, so it would be anal.
Most of us just made suggestions based on our experiences not because we are heating engineers and know exactly what type of system the OP had just by looking at the front cover of his boiler. That's why many of us suggested water pressure and to look for a guage.
I'm not really sure why you are even mentioning Peter anyway. I don't know Peter or his profession. My post was in response to your comment which came across a little condescending.
I should also point out that I have a conventional condensing boiler which is pressurised, has a pressure guage and a pressure vessel.
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Mr Bump
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not obsessing but any modern(ish) boiler relies on pressure in the system to actually detect pressure changes, that is how central heating pumps know when to go and when to not go, boilers are all about detecting pressure changes to do stuff.
my question was about the central heating loop and I suggested somewhere there should be a guage showing the central heating look pressure, in a modern combi they are slapped on the front of it.
In a lot of hot water cylinder type installations there is often a pressure vessel installed in the same cabinet as the hot water storage cylinder and that will often have the pressure guage.
If a boiler has a very low central heating pressure it will often not even supply hot water on demand as per our valiant.
hope this clears things up for you.
Mr Bump
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you are confusing header tank with pressure vessel.
A pressure vessel is the thing usually inside a combi or other boiler that allows for expansion in the central heating loop when it gets hot, in installations where there is a hot water cylinder installation the pressure vessel a ballon sized red thing is often installed in the cabinet with the cylinder, this allows for the system boiler to be much smaller as well.
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Nope, I wasn't. I have both up there.
It doesn't really need clearing up. this particular boiler is a conventional condensing boiler, it isn't a combi, (op has already said its a normal boiler, it isn't a combi) it isn't a system boiler (they are just heating only) just a conventional boiler, it doesn't come with a filling loop or a pressure gauge they are generally tank fed with a three port valve normally in the airing cupboard along with a pump and hot water cylinder. There is a chance I has been converted to a pressurised system but unlikely.
Hope this clears things up for you
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Central heating pumps don't rely on pressure for turning on and off.
Thats what the timer, thermostat and motorised valve do.
Combi boilers are different, but we're not talking about combi boilers here. They still have a pump, but it's inside the boiler case. They don't have motorised valves, but use a diverter valve to switch between providing heat or hot water.
A timer and thermostat still controls the heating, turning on the boiler and pump.
To activate the burner for hot water, you only need to turn on the tap, and the flow of water activates the burner/diverter valve.
Combi systems are sealed systems, meaning they are pressurised, and require the system to be topped up using a filling loop at the boiler.
System boilers are similar to a combi in that the pump is inside, the system is sealed, but it still uses valves to operate the heating/hot water, and the hot water comes from a tank.
Regular conventional boilers are not usually sealed, have separate pump/valves for the heating/hot water and hot water comes from a tank. The system is topped up automatically via a header tank, usually in the loft. This is called an open vented system as a vent runs from the boiler/hot water cylinder to the header tank.
Sometimes when replacing a boiler, if the vent is not configured correctly and it's not practical to run a new vent, the header tank can be removed, an expansion vessel fitted and the system becomes sealed and is then topped up manually using a filling loop like a combi.
You also get unvented hot water systems where the hot water tank is fed from the cold mains, and they operate under high pressure and will have an expansion vessel and gauge.
It is all very confusing for most folks.
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I had a roughly similar fault on a Potterton boiler. Due to poor design the circuit board inside warps when the boiler runs and causes microscopic cracks in the solder tracks, which disconnects part of the boiler circuitry. Then the boiler would refuse to run. When it had cooled down, 50% of the time it would work again with no issues, 50% it needed a reset. It took weeks to identify the problem and eventually needed a new circuit board to sort it out.
I’m not suggesting you have the same issue, just that these things are really difficult to diagnose, especially an intermittent fault, without having access to the boiler and system. I’d get a heating engineer in.
I’m not suggesting you have the same issue, just that these things are really difficult to diagnose, especially an intermittent fault, without having access to the boiler and system. I’d get a heating engineer in.
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A number of common faults on this , boiler are the diverter valve head motor the display board and the
pcb, either could cause your problem., it could be external controls.Unfortunately diagnosing intermittent faults can be a nightmare, over the internet is even worse, you would be wise to get someone Gas safe registered to call out and sort it , it could be any number of things. If you are any good with a multimeter you may be able to trace the fault for yourself. Ideal Isar and Icos boilers work on 240v switches.
pcb, either could cause your problem., it could be external controls.Unfortunately diagnosing intermittent faults can be a nightmare, over the internet is even worse, you would be wise to get someone Gas safe registered to call out and sort it , it could be any number of things. If you are any good with a multimeter you may be able to trace the fault for yourself. Ideal Isar and Icos boilers work on 240v switches.
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Sorry, I hadn’t read the whole thread
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I am going to call them out tomorrow. I don't want to get ripped off so if anyone might know what the problem is I would be very grateful
Did you call them out ?
Did you get the issues resolved ?
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I had a roughly similar fault on a Potterton boiler. Due to poor design the circuit board inside warps when the boiler runs and causes microscopic cracks in the solder tracks, which disconnects part of the boiler circuitry. Then the boiler would refuse to run. When it had cooled down, 50% of the time it would work again with no issues, 50% it needed a reset. It took weeks to identify the problem and eventually needed a new circuit board to sort it out.
I’m not suggesting you have the same issue, just that these things are really difficult to diagnose, especially an intermittent fault, without having access to the boiler and system. I’d get a heating engineer in.
Just a bit of extra info - if you have any other issues - check the condenser trap (if it has one) is clear and flowing as it can block and back up into the secondary heat exchanger.
Also - as I found out last week, if you have any weird issues, check the ignition module - mine had got some condensation ingress - due to a blocked condensation trap and was confusing the hell out of the PCB / boiler, would be working fine and no reason, would stop....
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??
Wasn’t replying to OP mate, was replying to boogie man...
And my boilers a conventional boiler and does have a secondary heat exchanger:thumb:
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Condensing boilers have a secondary heat exchanger to extract more heat into the system, making them more efficient.
Both conventional and combi boilers are now mainly all condensing.
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A condensing boiler has two chambers in the heat exchanger. The water enters the lower condensing chamber first. Picking up latent heat from flue gases as they cool. The moisture in the gases condense into droplets that form at the bottom of the heat exchanger. The condense goes to a drain. The water then enters the upper heat changer to collect more heat before flowing to the radiators and hot water cylinder.
A combi has a secondary plate heat exchanger
A combi has a secondary plate heat exchanger
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It’s not a combo: no condensation trap.
OP
Skyline
Emmet Brickowski
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Remember me asking about this problem? Turns out the boiler condensate (condenser?) trap was full of silt.
Sooooooo, they removed it and cleaned it up, then replace it. Next day water coming out of the boiler.
Called them back out. Where he put the trap back on it had split. They ordered a new one.
New one fitted, now the smell of gas. Gas shut down. Someone else out to find leak. Leak found from one of them not doing something correctly.
They went to turn it on and it wouldn't ignite. Something about electric box to the spark plug had gone.
It was one thing after another each time they came to fix something.
Anyway. after freezing through that cold spell we just had I'm pleased to say it's all running smoothly.
Sooooooo, they removed it and cleaned it up, then replace it. Next day water coming out of the boiler.
Called them back out. Where he put the trap back on it had split. They ordered a new one.
New one fitted, now the smell of gas. Gas shut down. Someone else out to find leak. Leak found from one of them not doing something correctly.
They went to turn it on and it wouldn't ignite. Something about electric box to the spark plug had gone.
It was one thing after another each time they came to fix something.
Anyway. after freezing through that cold spell we just had I'm pleased to say it's all running smoothly.
OP
Skyline
Emmet Brickowski
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We were with British Gas Homeserve but I got fed up fixing the boiler after each "maintenance" visit
That sounds about right