Boiler Leak - Any Worcester-Bosch Experts Out There Please?

[TheScullster]

Hi all

Sorting breakfast this morning, I noticed water dripping from the front RH corner of my W-B 24Ri condensing (not combi so no cold water feed) boiler. The boiler is 6 years old and has been reliable so far.

This is clear water, almost sure it's not the heating circuit content (due to no Fernox evident). So my first thought is condensed water. Removed the lower (underneath) cover and there was no sign of water around the condensate outlet elbow, or the canister above it. The water seemed to be coming from quite high up. I don't mess with boilers, so have called the installers/servicers to have a look, but would like to know the possible sources and therefore an idea of repair cost.

Is it possible that driving rain has got into the flue and drained back to the boiler? The weather has been wild here in East Yorkshire overnight and this morning.

As the boiler warmed up, the leak stopped so I'm guessing a dodgy joint on condensate somewhere (but where?) or rain ingress if that's even possible.

Comments/suggestions appreciated.

Phil

[Dave Liquorice]

A possibilty, it was pretty wild up here last night. Did you have any powder snow last night? That is terrible stuff for getting through tiny holes and getting carried deep into and building up in places that rain won't reach. It then melts... The wind last night was also NNE'ly which isn't all that common a direction.

[TheScullster]

"Dave Liquorice" wrote

Thanks Dave

No powder snow, more like sleat and driving rain from what I saw this morning.

The guy who called blamed rain ingress and also a dodgy seal - my wife's update sent to me just now reads:

"combination of wind direction driving rain inside & the large seal at bottom of ?condenser? was leaking. This has been turned round and is watertight again."

What I don't understand is, if the rain drives into the "condensing" part of the flue, I would expect it to simply mix with the condensed vapour and exit the boiler via the condensate trap/drain. If it enters the vapour outlet part of the flue, how does it drain through the boiler past the burners etc.?

Phil

[John Stumbles]

You can pour water down the flue outlet and it'll go out into the condensate drain!

If water (or snow etc) were getting into the air intake (the outer part of the concentric flue assembly) I think it would end up in the boiler casing - a thin steel box surrounding the heat exchanger, gas valve, fan etc, with a soft tubular rubber seal against which the white outer case presses. That seal might let water dribble out.