Plumber advice

[Onelife]

Just wondering if we have any plumbers on duty tonight?

I've got a BG boiler engineer coming out tomorrow morning using their £99 fixed price diagnosis and repair plan. My knowledge of boilers is zilch other than to say I know how to turn it on and how to increase the water pressure. It won't be a problem if the engineer can fix it for £99 but I would be a little in the dark if he/she turns round and says it can't be fixed.

PROBLEM

Working fine yesterday but turned hot water tap on this morning which produced no hot water. Went to boiler and turned it on but would not fire up even though it was running. Now I have no water coming out of any of the hot water taps..no leaks that I can see and have gas at other appliances...and have cold water at cold taps. The lower pressure dial shows it has pressure but the dial that sits just above this dial has a reading of zero?

The boiler is a Halstead trio combi

Any info would be appreciated

Thanks in anticipation.

OL

[david63]

How old is the boiler?

Do you have CH working?

[Onelife]

Hi David... the boiler is 13 years old, and no we have no central heating working....its not firing up.

l know its old and probably needs replacing but as we are on the move next year l don't want to go to the expence of a new boiler if l can avoid it.

Regards


keith

[emjay45]

I have no idea but my husband says you have to let water in. There should be a valve with a tap on it that you can open to let water into the system to top it up. The zero indicator on the dial should move and there should be a line or marker that you can top it up to. You then need to turn the electrics off to the boiler wait a minute before turning back on and that should do it. There's a light on the boiler that was probably showing red and should now be green. Hopefully that should now be working.

[david63]

It could be any one of a number of parts but if BG have the spares they will fix it

[Onelife]

I have no idea but my husband says you have to let water in. There should be a valve with a tap on it that you can open to let water into the system to top it up. The zero indicator on the dial should move and there should be a line or marker that you can top it up to. You then need to turn the electrics off to the boiler wait a minute before turning back on and that should do it. There's a light on the boiler that was probably showing red and should now be green. Hopefully that should now be working.

Thanks emjay....l think your husband is referring to the water pressure inlet valve which seems to be at the right pressure but have done what your husband said but with no success...but thank you.


l have just been looking at a fault finding chart and yhe nearest thing l can come up with is a sticking clogged up diverter valve?.....l think its going to be a as case of waitingt and see what tomorrow brings....l'll let you know

please thank your husband for me


Regards

keith

[emjay45]

Sorry it didn't help. I hope you get it fixed. My worst nightmare no hot water.

[Onelife]

Sorry it didn't help. I hope you get it fixed. My worst nightmare no hot water.

Not all bad news emjay.......at least tne shower is working......which must be because it has its own heating system?

[Meg 50]

what about the header tank in the loft? Does that have any water in it?

[Stephen]

13yrs old my ar*e. Doesn't look good Keith. Time to dip into the piggy bank me thinks

1b70f87a658963eada4c7e406dbcb6ed.jpg

[david63]

what about the header tank in the loft? Does that have any water in it?

It's a combi boiler and they do not have/need a header tank.

[Onelife]

13yrs old my ar*e. Doesn't look good Keith. Time to dip into the piggy bank me thinks

1b70f87a658963eada4c7e406dbcb6ed.jpg

They are similar Stephen but ours has a door where you put the coal in

[Dancing Queen]

We had what sounds like a similar problem a couple of years ago ( our combi was only about 4 years old at the time ) after much investigation it turned out to be the main circuit board .. ouch !!! it hurt the pocket but was much cheaper than a new boiler which at one point we were beginning to think we might have to have.

I think your biggest problem Keefy will be the 'spares' being available, I seem to think that any manufacturer now only has to guarantee them to be available for ten years although that doesn't mean they won't be

[david63]

I think your biggest problem Keefy will be the 'spares' being available, I seem to think that any manufacturer now only has to guarantee them to be available for ten years although that doesn't mean they won't be

That may be so, but BG have vast stocks of spares, quite often long after anyone else.

[Onelife]

Hi Jo,

With regard to the boiler being old and getting replacment part l have just been on a site that seems to stock most parts for this model and we did have a expansion tank fitted a couple of years ago without having to go to Tawain to get it. But my guess is that you will be right and if it turns out to be anything that task a bit of effort they will say it can't be fixed. Anyhow l will soon be finding out as he has just phoned to say hes on his way....fingers x

Regards

Keith

[barney]

I pay £16.99 per month insurance which covers all plumbing, rads, boiler (Inc annual service), central heating and electrics.

Even a replacement boiler if they can't fix it (alledgedly)

I've used it twice in the last two years with no issues so, I think it's been good value.

The only minor downside is that they dictate who is used but, so far so good.

Fingers crossed it's a cheap fix Keith

[towny44]

Hi Jo,

With regard to the boiler being old and getting replacment part l have just been on a site that seems to stock most parts for this model and we did have a expansion tank fitted a couple of years ago without having to go to Tawain to get it. But my guess is that you will be right and if it turns out to be anything that task a bit of effort they will say it can't be fixed. Anyhow l will soon be finding out as he has just phoned to say hes on his way....fingers x

Regards

Keith

!3yrs is not old Keefie, we are just getting quotes for a new heat only boiler to replace our 33yr old Glow Worm, all the engineers we have had to service ours have said these types last forever.

[Onelife]

Who's the plonker then ...so whatever you do don'tell my wife l'm telling you this.....

As for the water not coming out of the hot water taps this was due to me accidentally turning off the hot water feed, presumably when l was pressurising the boiler using the other tap. Funny thing is my wife asked if l had turned any other taps off and l said no!.... do you think I'm bloody stupid or what? I said

As for it not firing up this was due to it cutting itself off due to an overheat which was caused by low pressure. Unbeknown to me when this happens there is a cut out button located under the boiler which needed resetting. The BG engineer turned on the tap reset the button and away it went.

All's well that ends well......oh and if you should ever bump into my wife it was a blockage in the inlet valve...Ok

Regards

Keith

[barney]

Nice one Keith

You're not the first and you won't be the last.

Your secret is safe on here

[Onelife]

Hi towny,

Well £99 for ten minutes work aint cheap but as it was a major blockage in the inlet valve it was worth every penny

Regards

keith

[Onelife]

Nice one Keith

You're not the first and you won't be the last.

Your secret is safe on here

Hi Barney.....don't you believe it......there are a couple on this furom who will be penning a letter to my wife as we speak

[Meg 50]

it was a blockage - twas a turned switch blockage!!!!!!!

[Silver_Shiney]

If it's that old, it'll most likely be mentioned on the sales blurb when you come to sell the house and will be a weighty argument from the potential buyer to drop your selling price. Might be worth biting the bullet.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Hi towny,

Well £99 for ten minutes work aint cheap but as it was a major blockage in the inlet valve it was worth every penny

Regards

keith

Very good value for such a serious and potentially life threatening fault. You did absolutely right in calling in the experts and I think your forethought in isolating the hot water system was a wise precaution essential to not making matters worse. Without your supreme efforts the BG man would have a much more difficult task. I'm sure he was grateful for the preparatory work you had done and if she knew about it your wife would be indebted that you put her safety first in your heroic efforts to avert further disaster. Well done hero.

[Manoverboard]

As an aside, if the table lamp in the lounge goes out on its own tonight make sure that the first thing you check ....

.... is the inlet valve