boiler not firing up, pump seems to be running

boiler not firing up, pump seems to be running

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Discussion

stolt

Original Poster:

420 posts

185 months

Saturday 10th March 2012
quotequote all
hi there, need some help, noticed this evening that our heatin gisnt working, i can hear the pump in the airing cupboard and put my hand on the outer case and its spinning around. Ive just been up in the loft and the amll header tank is filled up.

I cant seem to get the boiler fired up so should i be concentrating my efforts, the boiler was in the house when it was built about 13 years ago



1point7bar

1,305 posts

147 months

Saturday 10th March 2012
quotequote all
Oil or gas?

stolt

Original Poster:

420 posts

185 months

Saturday 10th March 2012
quotequote all
hi sorry its gas.

stolt

Original Poster:

420 posts

185 months

Saturday 10th March 2012
quotequote all


hi i was having a quick look at why the boiler wouldnt fire up and i noticed the red switch on the right had lower of the boiler it was poking out, i pushed it in and it fired up. so all good but what does the switch actually do and what would make it trip in the first place.

thanks

1point7bar

1,305 posts

147 months

Saturday 10th March 2012
quotequote all
Pilot flame?

stolt

Original Poster:

420 posts

185 months

Saturday 10th March 2012
quotequote all
1point7bar said:
Pilot flame?
is the red switch a over ride for the ignition?

1point7bar

1,305 posts

147 months

Saturday 10th March 2012
quotequote all
possibly thermal/fire safety lock-out

stolt

Original Poster:

420 posts

185 months

Saturday 10th March 2012
quotequote all
hmm is that bad that it tripped then at some stage today?

1point7bar

1,305 posts

147 months

Saturday 10th March 2012
quotequote all
If the circuit senses rightly or wrongly no pilot flame it will lock-out.

stolt

Original Poster:

420 posts

185 months

Saturday 10th March 2012
quotequote all
1point7bar said:
If the circuit senses rightly or wrongly no pilot flame it will lock-out.
oh ok, i'm not a plumber (as you have probably guessed) so not sure why it would trip the only possible reason i could think of is the boiler is house in a cupboard and its got too hot, but its been like that for 6 months without any issues.
thanks for taking the time to reply by the way


tc153

61 posts

146 months

Saturday 10th March 2012
quotequote all
thats the over heat reset, what setting is the pump on? have you vented all the rads?

stolt

Original Poster:

420 posts

185 months

Saturday 10th March 2012
quotequote all
tc153 said:
thats the over heat reset, what setting is the pump on? have you vented all the rads?
hi the pump is on setting 3 on the dial on the outer casing. i can vent the rads i havent done it since before christmas and as i say i havent had any issues with it since.

tc153

61 posts

146 months

Sunday 11th March 2012
quotequote all
could just be a lack of water in the system? is it a poterton boiler

stolt

Original Poster:

420 posts

185 months

Sunday 11th March 2012
quotequote all
tc153 said:
could just be a lack of water in the system? is it a poterton boiler
its a 'ideal' boiler as i say it was in the house when they were built. i'm putting £30.00 a month away to a new one but only started last august so still got a way to go to afford a new one, if i can just keep it going for the next year or so lol

Should i turn the pump down to 2 do you think that would help?

1point7bar

1,305 posts

147 months

Sunday 11th March 2012
quotequote all
No.

tc153

61 posts

146 months

Sunday 11th March 2012
quotequote all
keep it on 3, helps move the heat out of the boiler, vent the rads and make sure the feed and expansion has water. is the boiler making loud banging noises or sound like a kettle? could be a faulty pump, lack of water in the system or a blockage due to scale/system sludge

stolt

Original Poster:

420 posts

185 months

Sunday 11th March 2012
quotequote all
tc153 said:
keep it on 3, helps move the heat out of the boiler, vent the rads and make sure the feed and expansion has water. is the boiler making loud banging noises or sound like a kettle? could be a faulty pump, lack of water in the system or a blockage due to scale/system sludge
hi ok i'll leave it where it is, the boiler doesnt seem to me making any funny noises, although sometimes when the air cupboard is open the pump (i thin) making a sort of metallic noise) hard to explain what it sounds like but its not really loud just notice it when the doors open

Martyn D

424 posts

173 months

Sunday 11th March 2012
quotequote all
Why do people guess! It's nothing to do with the pilot light it's an overheat stat cut out, if the control stat fails its a secondary back up or sometimes the boiler heats up to quickly and goes straight to overheat lockout, usually due to pump failure, lack of water or a blockage stopping the water being pumped away

1point7bar

1,305 posts

147 months

Sunday 11th March 2012
quotequote all
Martyn D said:
Why do people guess!
If you mean me, because I wasn't sure.

Rocksteadyeddie

7,971 posts

226 months

Monday 12th March 2012
quotequote all
Martyn D said:
Why do people guess! It's nothing to do with the pilot light it's an overheat stat cut out, if the control stat fails its a secondary back up or sometimes the boiler heats up to quickly and goes straight to overheat lockout, usually due to pump failure, lack of water or a blockage stopping the water being pumped away
No idea. At a guess, because they don't know.