Comi boiler playing up

Last weekend our aging boiler went down, showing a few different codes, out with the service manual after some indepth fault finding everything pointed to the main PCB, removed the board to check for dry joints etc on removing the board, I found one of the small PCB jumpers sat in the lower section (these don't just fall off) WTF, looked at the manual to find this jumper should be removed if running on LPG gas!

To my knowledge I'm the only one who has ever had the need to even look in the area the pcb lives in, so worse case scenario it's been like this since install around 16 years ago.

Replacement PCB was £40, it's cost next to nothing over the years, the odd sensor, and heat exchanger clean out, time to look for a one of these new more efficient boilers.

Lovely story and I'm sure they'll crowd around you in the pub when you tell it.

Is your boiler faulty as I'm a BG engineer that might be able to help.

The PCB failure is no indication of the general state of the rest of the boiler.

Sort the problem and keep it running

Al

You so don't want a condensing boiler until you absolutely have to.

16yo boiler needs binning off and being replaced by one that's many, many times more efficient. And smaller, and less noisy etc

I'm having my new place done up at the minute. i assumed a combi boiler would have been sufficient but apparently, I needed this;

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/...psjeu8aege.png

Looks like I could run a leisure centre from this!

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Originally Posted by ArcofZen

16yo boiler needs binning off and being replaced by one that's many, many times more efficient. And smaller, and less noisy etc

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Agreed.

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Originally Posted by Jeremy67

You so don't want a condensing boiler until you absolutely have to.

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How come

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Originally Posted by geran

How come

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The condensing pipes regularly freeze over and you have to get a hair dryer on them…. As soon as it goes properly sub 0…. Loads of people have this issue

If you get one, get one with an hawing element going through condensing pipe

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Originally Posted by Wolfie

The condensing pipes regularly freeze over and you have to get a hair dryer on them…. As soon as it goes properly sub 0…. Loads of people have this issue

If you get one, get one with an hawing element going through condensing pipe

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I remember this being an issue years back when new boilers were being installed as part of the social housing regeneration schemes, the freezing of the discharge pipe was caused by the installers using standard size overflow pipe work, 21/22mm diameter especially over a long distance, all these properties were revisited and 1.25" pipe work was fitted instead.
The boilers at the time being used were Worcester Bosch and Baxi I can't remember which one of these models compounded the freeze problem, but one model would constantly have a small omount of water passing through the discharge pipe when the boiler was in use, the other model used a capture type tank within the boiler, once filled the water was then discharged, this method had a much better effect on preventing the external pipe freezing.

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Originally Posted by Dave O'Sullivan

I'm having my new place done up at the minute. i assumed a combi boiler would have been sufficient but apparently, I needed this;

Looks like I could run a leisure centre from this!

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The absolute best system to have - Mains pressure Hot water tank, with an accumulator to pressurise the CH system. Combi boilers are the answer to a question that has never arisen. Cheap to install, and popular for that reason - but nothing else.

Al

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Originally Posted by Wolfie

The condensing pipes regularly freeze over and you have to get a hair dryer on them…. As soon as it goes properly sub 0…. Loads of people have this issue

If you get one, get one with an hawing element going through condensing pipe

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Thawing element seems overkill. Personally never had an issue with freezing (~8 year old Vaillant).

Ours is plastic pipe (copper might be more of a problem) and boiler only discharges intermittently (presumably via a siphon). Also has a decent 'drop'.

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Originally Posted by geran

How come

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Overly complicated for minimal gains (over state of the art non condensing), higher purchase and servicing costs and corrosive condensate messing things up left right and centre.

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Originally Posted by blackal

The absolute best system to have - Mains pressure Hot water tank, with an accumulator to pressurise the CH system. Combi boilers are the answer to a question that has never arisen. Cheap to install, and popular for that reason - but nothing else.

Al

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It was the 'cheap to install' bit that appealed to me!
Haven't had the full bill yet but I'm guessing cheap won't factor into it!

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Originally Posted by Jeremy67

Overly complicated for minimal gains (over state of the art non condensing), higher purchase and servicing costs and corrosive condensate messing things up left right and centre.

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My Worcester GreenStar condensing boiler has had all sorts of problems over the last 3 years especially corrosion, stuck baffle plates etc. My local shop in fact stopped getting them as they have been forever problematic for many people and support poor from Worcester.

Ive been told its on borrowed time and advised to get a Firebird boiler. However do I get condensing or non-condensing?

This will be my 3rd boiler in 8 years as my house came with the dodgy Trianco brand which was junk

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Originally Posted by kultschar

My Worcester GreenStar condensing boiler has had all sorts of problems over the last 3 years especially corrosion, stuck baffle plates etc. My local shop in fact stopped getting them as they have been forever problematic for many people and support poor from Worcester.

Ive been told its on borrowed time and advised to get a Firebird boiler. However do I get condensing or non-condensing?

This will be my 3rd boiler in 8 years as my house came with the dodgy Trianco brand which was junk

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Are you in a hard water area?

Serves you right - should never buy anything Russian.

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Originally Posted by Dave O'Sullivan

It was the 'cheap to install' bit that appealed to me!
Haven't had the full bill yet but I'm guessing cheap won't factor into it!

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It was in reference to Combi boilers - "cheap to install"

Al

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Originally Posted by kultschar

My Worcester GreenStar condensing boiler has had all sorts of problems over the last 3 years especially corrosion, stuck baffle plates etc. My local shop in fact stopped getting them as they have been forever problematic for many people and support poor from Worcester.

Ive been told its on borrowed time and advised to get a Firebird boiler. However do I get condensing or non-condensing?

This will be my 3rd boiler in 8 years as my house came with the dodgy Trianco brand which was junk

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Have you tried Worcester directly yourself ? Mine had a 5 or 7 year warranty on it as was installed by a WB accredited plumber so it really should'nt need imminent replacement.

I think you have to get a condensing boiler now anyway unless the building prevent it as so much more efficient have been mandated by govt.

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Originally Posted by MB2

Have you tried Worcester directly yourself ? Mine had a 5 or 7 year warranty on it as was installed by a WB accredited plumber so it really should'nt need imminent replacement.

I think you have to get a condensing boiler now anyway unless the building prevent it as so much more efficient have been mandated by govt.

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I live out in the Falklands hence warranty not much use I'm afraid. Many people here have had similar problems with this model. No regulations against non - condensing out here.

To answer another Q above - no we don't have hard water.

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Originally Posted by kultschar

I live out in the Falklands hence warranty not much use I'm afraid. Many people here have had similar problems with this model. No regulations against non - condensing out here.

To answer another Q above - no we don't have hard water.

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Could you give me a bit of info about the boiler.
What model, where you bought it etc.
I know the rep from Worcester who does Leeds and the surrounding areas and because you live where you do they might be interested in it.

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Originally Posted by ArcofZen

16yo boiler needs binning off and being replaced by one that's many, many times more efficient. And smaller, and less noisy etc

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If it's generally still running without regular breakdown costs then surely any savings on efficiency will take years to recover the capital outlay of getting a new boiler installed. Our traditional oil boiler is older than that and the engineer who services it says it's great, easy to fix if it ever goes wrong and not that far behind in efficiency terms.

It came with the house and in 4 years of ownership we've paid for an annual service with a new burner nozzle. I've not looked into a new boiler but guessing at 3-4k ?

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by blackal

It was in reference to Combi boilers - "cheap to install"

Al

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In addition to this set up, there is also a boiler on the wall as well. Don't really know how it all works if I'm honest!

After replacing the faulty PCB and DHW flow switch last week, all appears good see how it goes.

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Originally Posted by Dave O'Sullivan

In addition to this set up, there is also a boiler on the wall as well. Don't really know how it all works if I'm honest!

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The boiler on the wall heats the water in the big tank. This water is stored and saved for when you have a bath. The boiler on the wall also heats the water that circulates around the radiators the little "football" on the top of the system maintains pressure in your CH system. A pump (cant see it there so is probably in/near the boiler) circulates the hot water around the radiators. The silver boxes divert the heated water either to heat the the water in the tank or around the radiator system.

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Originally Posted by MB2

The boiler on the wall heats the water in the big tank. This water is stored and saved for when you have a bath. The boiler on the wall also heats the water that circulates around the radiators the little "football" on the top of the system maintains pressure in your CH system. A pump (cant see it there so is probably in/near the boiler) circulates the hot water around the radiators. The silver boxes divert the heated water either to heat the the water in the tank or around the radiator system.

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Every day's a school day, thanks!

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Originally Posted by Dave O'Sullivan

Every day's a school day, thanks!

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Your welcome - I should have clarified the tank holds clean water and the CH water that flows around your radiators is also circulated through a coiled pipe in the cylinder to heat the bath water.

I had my combi replaced by similar but even more complex as it has a pressurised cold store & water softener too so had the plumber explain it all to me and also label everything up for me.

I assume that is "work in progress" photo as doesn't look like the immersion is wired in there ?