Bloody boiler, and bloody useless insurance company

[Rocksteadyeddie]

My boiler has stopped working. More specifically it will run for a little, the pressure gauge will increase into the red after about 20 minutes. The safety lockout will trip, and the boiler will turn off. Once it has cooled down it can be reset and you can repeat the process. With two small kids this is far from ideal.

I called my insurance company who look after the boiler, heating, plumbing etc on their direct line. It turns out that they are utter st and can't / won't get anyone out until tomorrow - despite my remonstrations with them about having small children, and no heating.

Has anyone got any ideas of simple things I might be able to try to sort it out ?

Thanks chaps.

[robinhood21]

What do you mean 'into the red'? Is it a combi? If so, the pressure gauge should be reading above one bar when the boiler is cold. If this is the case, then top the boiler up from the filling loop underneath the boiler to about 1.5 bar.

[Rocksteadyeddie]

It is a Baxi 100HE boiler but not a combi. It is rigged up to a megaflow if that makes a difference? The gauge is definitely a pressure gauge and the red bit is when the pressure goes above 3 bar. Does that makes sense and/or help at all?

[dirkgently]

To be fair any one that comes out to look at it today(Sunday), will probably say "XYZ is nagered, I`ll come back tomorrow when I can get the part."

ETA, contrary to modern thinking small children will survive one or two days without heating.

Edited by dirkgently on Sunday 28th March 14:19

[Ferg]

Sounds like the pressure vessel is fuggered. No-one's going to have one with them, I wouldn't imagine.

[Rocksteadyeddie]

Ferg said:

Sounds like the pressure vessel is fuggered. No-one's going to have one with them, I wouldn't imagine.

Worth bothering to recharge it?

[Ferg]

Might be worth it yeah, but it very rarely helps.

[Rocksteadyeddie]

Checked the pressure. Seems fine. Reading about 1 and a bit Bar. Any other ideas?

[Ferg]

Did you check the vessel pressure with the system pressure at zero?

[Rocksteadyeddie]

Good point. It may have had some residual pressure in it. Which presumably would just give the same reading from the pressure vessel?

[jasperwade]

it's hardly -10 outside though. Put another blanket on the kid's beds.
It'll need parts which they won't have today anyway.
I reckon wed-thu before it's going again

[munroman]

Is it the kids complaining of the cold, or maybe someone else, of the female type persuasion?

[Ricky_M]

If its anything like the Baxi 105 combi, it will most definitely need replacing, quite a common fault on the 105 and a pig of a job to replace as most of the time, the boiler has to come off the wall.

Do you have space around the boiler? Will be a lot easier to have an external expansion vessel fitted next to the boiler, rather than replace the original one.

[Rocksteadyeddie]

munroman said:

Is it the kids complaining of the cold, or maybe someone else, of the female type persuasion?

[eldar]

Ricky_M said:

If its anything like the Baxi 105 combi, it will most definitely need replacing, quite a common fault on the 105 and a pig of a job to replace as most of the time, the boiler has to come off the wall.

Do you have space around the boiler? Will be a lot easier to have an external expansion vessel fitted next to the boiler, rather than replace the original one.

I've one of those, sounds like a Ford Anglia. Only broken down once in 8 years, and that was a split diaphragm and a quick fix. Doesn't sound like the OP has that problem, though.

[Rocksteadyeddie]

Ricky_M said:

If its anything like the Baxi 105 combi, it will most definitely need replacing, quite a common fault on the 105 and a pig of a job to replace as most of the time, the boiler has to come off the wall.

Do you have space around the boiler? Will be a lot easier to have an external expansion vessel fitted next to the boiler, rather than replace the original one.

Plenty of space around it and easy to get to the expansion vessel if necessary. We shall see when the man turns up in the morning....

[Hereward]

Expansion vessel - when you pressed the valve did it hiss air or leak water?

If it hissed air then that is encouraging - turn the boiler off and use a bike pump to replenish the air. You should really do this with the system drained down and open to atmospheric pressure, but I never bothered (I had an early Baxi Barcelona ). Pumping in air if the system is not drained down will raise the pressure so keep an eye on the gauge and drain off some water at a radiator to keep pressure between 1 and 1.5 bar. If you've pumped enough air into the EV then this should sort you out or at least buy you some time.

If it leaked water when you pressed the valve then the EV is bust and you need a new one.

If the gauge reads less than 1 bar when cold use the filling loop to introduce a little more water, thus pressure, into the system. Good idea to add some inhibitor too.

Edited by Hereward on Sunday 28th March 21:24

[Rocksteadyeddie]

Hereward said:

Expansion vessel - when you pressed the valve did it hiss air or leak water?

If it hissed air then that is encouraging - turn the boiler off and use a bike pump to replenish the air. You should really do this with the system drained down and open to atmospheric pressure, but I never bothered (I had an early Baxi Barcelona ). Pumping in air if the system is not drained down will raise the pressure so keep an eye on the gauge and drain off some water at a radiator to keep pressure between 1 and 1.5 bar. If you've pumped enough air into the EV then this should sort you out or at least buy you some time.

If it leaked water when you pressed the valve then it is bust and you need a new EV.

Edited by Hereward on Sunday 28th March 21:21

Air. And air at a decent pressure. Thanks for the tips.

[Ricky_M]

eldar said:

Ricky_M said:

If its anything like the Baxi 105 combi, it will most definitely need replacing, quite a common fault on the 105 and a pig of a job to replace as most of the time, the boiler has to come off the wall.

Do you have space around the boiler? Will be a lot easier to have an external expansion vessel fitted next to the boiler, rather than replace the original one.

I've one of those, sounds like a Ford Anglia. Only broken down once in 8 years, and that was a split diaphragm and a quick fix. Doesn't sound like the OP has that problem, though.

Also a common fault, diaphragm on the diverter valve. Couldn't be easier to change. Did one for the first time, was in and out of the house in 20 minutes, that included a cup of tea!

OP as someone else said, if there was no water coming from the schrader valve that is promising. Get the pressure down to half a bar and pump away until the pressure rises to 1.5 bar.

[Rocksteadyeddie]

I have been away all week and the insurance company are refusing to cover the boiler as I do not have a certificate of servicing in the last 12 months. Tried the pressure in the expansion vessel this morning and it is about 1.5 bar and air coming out.

Ricky, the talked about the diaphragm on the diverter valve. Any way I can check this?

Thanks