baxi Bermuda boiler problems and leaks

[Bawser]

Hi My Baxi Bermuda boiler fires up ok but then begins to make ping and rattling noises before shutting off after about 30seconds.

On investigation it would appear that the CH pump has small drip leaks from what appear to be bleed screws either side of the pump (see pic)

the motorised valve on the right on this picture is leaking also

think but am not sure that the leaking motorised valve is on the HW system as the HW system still heats up although it is the same on/off scenario every 30 sec. Both leaks appear to have reduced since I shut off the feed to the tank

which just out of shot to the right in the pic below.

I am also unsure whether draining the tank using the small tap located

bottom right of photo will drain the HW and CH or just HW . can someone

help me to identify what pipes are CH and which HW and if this drain c*ck will drain the central heating for me to replace the CH pump?

Cheers bert

[Roger Mills]

The leaks obviously need fixing but are not - in themselves - the reason why the boiler is cutting out. The reason is almost certainly that the pump isn't working. I'm not familiar with Myson pumps, but there appears to be a cap on the end which you can unscrew to see whether the shaft is rotating. The pump appears to be plugged into a 13A socket - which is hardly standard practice(!). Have you checked whether its fuse is intact?

If the pump *does* need to be changed, you *may* be able to do this without draining the system. The screws either side of the pump which you thought were bleed screws are actually service valves. Turning them a quarter of a turn isolates the pump, allowing the large union nuts to be undone with very little spillage. I said "may" because the whole lot appears to be pretty furred up - and may not come apart that easily.

How old is the Baxi Bermuda? Judging by the look of the pipework, I think I would be saving up for a complete new system!

[marcusb3495]

hi

heating engineer for 20 years here

liked your pics

anyway the the valves on the end of pump are for isolation--however the ones you have are the crapyest on the market--one turn of screw should isloate but 9 out of 10 they leak--looking at your pump pictures the top valve is turned off!!!

water leaking ontop of pump will blow it.i would think your pump has packed up.you can test this bye unscrewing cap and pull out--it should spin so be carefull

i have never seen that model of danfos motorized valve but usually therese a lever on it ,,,it should be loose if energised--its unlikely that both have packed up..

new pump and valves and think about unpgrading your upgrading your motorized valves---honeywell 2 port valves and grunfoss pump

Bawser wrote:

[Bawser]

Hi Roger

Thanks for your reply.

Presume if I want to stay dry I remove cap to check the shaft in the pump is rotating with isolation vales closed?

Had a look inside both the plug and socket and no fuse fitted. This is a council installation :( carried out sometime in the early eighties when the community boiler that supplied piped hot water to the whole housing estate was closed.

Of course service valves what was I thinking DOH!

Had a corgi plumber look at the system this time last year and he reckoned the boiler would last another 15 years! So hopefully system is OK and its just the councils crappy plumbing you don't like the look of?

Thanks again I'll let you know the outcome of checking the pump shaft is rotating

marcusb3495 wrote:

Cheers for your input marcus

The council fitted this system so crap probabIy sums it up. I closed both isolation valves in an attempt to stem the constant drips from them. This was after I had tried the CH and discovered it kept switching off. Haven't tried it again since.

These isolation valves appear to have been leaking for some time causing the furring and rust that is visible.

What do you mean it should spin be careful? Do i have to have the pump operational to remove the shaft?

Its just the right hand one that is leaking. Think this is the one that runs into the tank to heat the HW

I'm in UK if you are too can you recommend a source?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

either side of the pump as well as the pump (if faulty) as there will inevitably be severe corrosion between the pump and nuts - indeed you may not be able to undo them at all, but have to cut them off.

[Roger Mills]

No, you shouldn't run the pump with the valves closed. The shaft is usually fairly well isolated from the water system, so you'll only get a small amount of water coming out when you remove the cap.

I thought it looked like a 13A square-pin plug in the photo, in which case it *will* have a fuse in it (unless someone has replaced it with a solid bit of brass rod!). But maybe it's a round-pin plug - which doesn't have a fuse?

Either way it would be a good idea to check whether you're actually getting power to the pump by removing the terminal cover and measuring the voltage between live and neutral with a mains voltmeter (or multimeter set to 250v AC).

[marcusb3495]

grunfoss pumps and honeywell trvs you can get from any plumbing heating murchants ie plumb center

both of which are proberly the best selling

its difficult to explain about myson pumps but it can be occasionally like holding the end of a drill with a hexagon cap on it!!! myson pumps are generaly =A310 less than grunfoss pumps and from my experience are not as powerfull..

Bawser wrote: