ravenheat boilers really are crap arent they

[Gazz]

some of you may remember a post by me on the uk.diy group in October last year, (cant get uk.diy on the cheesy server)

i was warned I'd be seeing more of the plumbers.... came true last Thursday didn't it, 14 months on from a boiler with a 12 month warranty.

the house is rented, so i had absolutely no control over what boiler was fitted, it was replacing a Hallstead finest gold that had been dead for 8 months, so i was just glad of a boiler that worked.....

Have been getting intermittent RCD trips for the past few weeks, until Thursday when they were happening every 3 or 4 minutes.

finally tracked it down to when the boiler is trying to fire up.

It begins it's start sequence, pump and fan start, but as soon as it tries the igniter, click, off goes the electric.

Had a heating engineer out, landlord couldn't get the ones out who fitted it, they are too busy... prolly fixing all the other ravenheat boilers they fitted last year to his other properties,

Bloke went thru the fault flow chart, everything points to the main board, tried it with the igniter lead unplugged from the igniter transformer/coil on the board, still trips the RCD.

I'm now waiting for the new main board to arrive and the bloke to get the go-ahead from the landlord to fit it, tho i am half expecting the problem to still exist after a new main board, read that they are about 200 quid, the whole boiler was only £380 (as i got a copy of the invoice to the landlord when it was fitted)

Don't suppose anyone has experienced this problem before? just in-case the new main board doesn't fix the fault, as it's down to 6 degrees in the house, and I'm basically stuck in the bedroom as the only place i have a fan heater,

i read about the return from the igniter goes through the condensate full switch, which apparently just allows the signal to go to earth if the trap is full, could cause the problem if the RCD is over sensitive i guess, but it shouldn't do it with the main igniter lead disconnected should it?

[ARWadsworth]

It looks like you are using eternal september. uk.d-i-y is on there mate.

Well you were warned......

[Another Dave]

Try uk.d-i-y (hyphenated)

Another Dave

[Sue]

damp in the pump windings, new pump will sort it. insulation resistance test on the pump would be handy

[MuddyMike]

It matters not that the boiler came with a 12 month warranty. Under consumer law the item should last for a reasonable life, 14 months is not reasonable for a boiler and therefore the supplier is liable to fix it.

My boiler failed after the warranty had expired and I was advised by the local trading standards I had a claim against the supplier. Sadly in my case the supplier had ceased trading so I was stuffed with the bill :-(

"Most major retailers will have a stated returns policy that complies with UK consumer law. Those interested can see the exact wording of the Sale of Goods act here, but put simply the law says that retailers must sell goods that are 'as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality'.

If a defect is detected when, or in a reasonable period of time after, the sale is made, then buyers can demand a full refund.

However, the rules get fuzzier when faults develop over time and a buyer has to return goods after possessing them for a longer period.

Under UK law, buyers in England and Wales can get a partial refund or full repair up to six years after the purchase was made (five years from discovery in Scotland). The refund should take into account how much use the customer has already had of a product. Ultimately, a county court would decide this."

[Gazz]

if it was my boiler, well, i wouldent have bought it in the first place, but i'd be playing hell with the makers,

but the landlord authorised the new main board a few hours after the bloke had gone, that bloke then decided to quit the company, so a day after he was supposed to be here, another bloke turned up, fitted the new main board, and she works,

he left the old un, i've had a quick look, nothing obvious, but i'll do a few tests on it when i get time, if i can fix it, i'd keep it as a spare, if not, i'll prolly bung it on fleabay along with the halstead finest gold parts from the old boiler i still have,

i'm in a sell all i can mood atm, as i want to buy a mini lathe for turning a few bits of alli and delrin, then any other projects i can think of.