Boiler Repairs and Spare Parts

[TheScullster]

Hi all

Hope you had a good Christmas and didn't work too hard!

My F-I-L installed his own heating system about 17 years ago and fitted an Ideal Standard Classic NF40 wall mounted boiler with CI heat exchanger. He has followed the work I have been doing and perhaps has been enticed by the idea of a modern condensing-type boiler to replace the ageing Ideal Standard kit.

Knowing something of the complexity of the modern boilers, I have been advising him strongly against the change (the current model is 79% efficient so he is unlikely to recoup costs in gas savings).

The driving force at the moment is the availability of spares for the existing unit - we all know the con used by BG to deny their existence!

So - two questions if I may - where is the best source for spares for these older examples and is there anywhere that does exchange boards or repairs existing ones? I have heard a couple of posters discussing board repairs but don't know if this is done on a commercial basis.

TIA

Phil

[All references appreciated, but this post will not be revisited until work resumes Tuesday]

[Andy]

[Graham.]

Ideal Standard Classic NF40 wall mounted boiler with CI

been enticed by the idea of a modern condensing-type

advising him strongly against the change (the current model

unit - we all know the con used by BG to deny their

older examples and is there anywhere that does

discussing board repairs but don't know if this is

resumes Tuesday]

That'll be Geoff

[<Chris4RoDT]

Hi

I had a 1979 Oil Boiler that failed totaly in a bang. Rang a Local heating engineer offered him cash and he replaced it within a week with a new metric verssion with imperial to metric conections. Cost £500 but worth it in the cold.

Hope this helps

Chris

[<Chris4RoDT]

Hi

I had a 1979 Oil Boiler that failed totaly in a bang. Rang a Local heating engineer offered him cash and he replaced it within a week with a new metric verssion with imperial to metric conections. Cost £500 but worth it in the cold.

Hope this helps

Chris

[cynic]

There really isnt much to go wrong with FILs boiler. PCB or Fan available from Geoff at CET and the other common bits and pieces such as pilot injector, silicone rubber sensing tubes, or fan detector pressure switch from any halfway decent suppliers. Andy or John at Advanced Heating Spares in Hull can source most things and do go the extra mile when asked. Your advice about payback is very sound!

[geoff]

In message , Graham. writes

[Terry Fields]

You don't refurb Gledhill heat-store circuit boards by any chance...?

TF

[geoff]

In message , Terry Fields writes

Popped one of the (now obsolete) semiconductor relays has it?

We have a reasonable success rate with them

[Skipweasel]

Talking of which, my repair of the control board for our Bosch diswasher seems to have worked. The relay that feeds the heater had died and taken a few bits of track to heaven with it.

I thought a quid for a relay compared to over a hundred for a board was quite a bargain - though patching up the damaged tracks took twenty minutes or so.

[Terry Fields]

That sounds like the one.

Pass...

Symptoms were inititially the boiler pump would cut out for about a quarter of a second at random times, then it started ignoring the room thermostat (depending on how it felt, the heating would either stay on or not come on at all), then Switch 2 wouldn't cycle the temperature readings (but bizarrely would turn on the heating pump if the themostat was having an 'off'day), and the DHW pump would run all the time.

Shall I send it in? Any clue as to cost? I wouldn't mind having a refurb board for backup...four days with random heating in the coldest spell so far was no fun...

TF

[geoff]

In message , Terry Fields writes

£50 or £60 ++ I can't remember offhand

[Doctor Drivel]

You can eliminate the whole board and use basic electric and mechanical controls. What Gledhill model do you have?

You need to fit:

1. A blending valve on the DHW outlet

1. A flow switch on the cold water inlet

2. A stat that goes in the store senor pocket. Nos 20295 or 9779 A programmer, if one not there. You can use the existing cheapish integral time clock, but a nice programmer is recommeded. A stat programmer may also do.

1. Cheap relays and bases from Maplin to switch in the pumps. There is space in the unit for relays, Secure using self tappers.

Just figure out the wiring, which is basic and easy, depending on Geldhill model.

To get the heat in the hols. you could wire the boiler temporarily directly. And the same with the pumps. Only have on when in the house and off at night.

[Doctor Drivel]

A boiler change for £500?

[Doctor Drivel]

There really isnt much to go wrong with FILs boiler. PCB or Fan available from Geoff at CET and the other common bits and pieces such as pilot injector, silicone rubber sensing tubes, or fan detector pressure switch from any halfway decent suppliers. Andy or John at Advanced Heating Spares in Hull can source most things and do go the extra mile when asked. Your advice about payback is very sound!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Please explain the math for this.

I know of several including myself who have changed from a cast iron heat exchanger boiler to a condensing one and had nothing like that sort of saving.

[Terry Fields]

It's a Boilermate 2000.

It crossed my mind at the time that a simpler control system could be fabricated.

Timer and stat controlling a relay driving the CH pump; something to detect demand for DHW, plus relay to control its pump; and let the boiler stat control the store temp. Not sure what would control the pump over-run, though.

Although I suspect this will be a tuit task, it's an exercise to think of these things.

TF

[Huge]

Ideal application for an Arduino...? :o)

[Terry Fields]

Had to look that up....nice idea, and good-looking board.

TF

[Andy Dingley]

eBay NOS PLC is usually cheaper, so long as you can get hold of the dev / programming kit for a free download.

Arduinos are great for teaching and driving LEDs, but they do nothing to solve the problem of interfacing to mains.