My boiler has been banging and overheating for about a year on and off.
It over heats and cuts out, then it ok for several days. Today nothing is working. OK the boiler fires up but overheats and cuts out within a minute. I have noticed the water pump is not working so that is probably why.
Q do water pumps often just die? Or may there be something more sinister and much more costly involved ?
Hi Pumps are usually very hardy and lasting devices . Whilst everything fails eventually a good pump can outlive the boiler. You say the problem has been going on for nearly a year? why not have it checked when it started?
Now it could be costly . Pumps can lock up if turned off for a long time (6mths on) but this can be sorted in most cases with a tap from a rubber malet or removing the went cap (big silver screw in centre of pump motor) and using a suitable peg,screwdriver etc) turning the rotor to free the pump)
In your case however from your post it is more likely that the system is full of Cr*p and the silt is blocking the pump causing it to eventually burn out.
Sorry but it sounds like you need a tradesperson to service your system.
HTH
CJ
Get in a professional as you probably realise you should have done a long time ago. Generally if a boiler bangs like that is a sign of air in the system. When the boiler is up and running sign up to the British Gas deal to pay =A313 monthly and then not have to pay for parts or labour again. That's cheap insurance when you compare against the costs involved in costly call outs and parts, or even the cost of a new boiler!
£13 /month? Time to see Specsavers
Came home tonight, switched it all on and it fired up and is working. Doooh I think it does need a good service.
The =A313 (=A312 online) a month covers both a yearly service and all subsequent repair costs. My neighbour is in the scheme and they come out at very short notice even Sundays. Your boiler may be working now but if you have neglected it then who knows how reliable it will be in the future months. I have a family and an oldish boiler, and I would rather pay monthly and have the peace of mind in knowing that in the depths of winter I can phone up
24/7 and get a free call out at short notice without having to thumb through Yellow Pages and then get ripped off, and have to wait possibly days in a cold house with no hot water.
So, for any plumbers out there, just what's involved in servicing a boiler? Last time I had one done on my 30 year old Potterton they guy just looked at the colour of the flame, checked the flue with a smoke match and hoovered off the dust from around the boiler (with my vac cleaner!). One cup of tea and 45 minutes later it was "all done and thats £75 please"! (does my cynicism show) David
I know I will regret saying this but here goes. My boiler is 7 years old. £12 a month for 7 years is £1008. A full service, drain, de-gunk might cost about £200. So I will have saved £800. If I can keep it going another 5 years that's another £720 saved, a net £1520.
My water co wants me to insure against my mains bursting and my drains cracking, and so on. If you just add together these three must do's. in the
30 years I have lived in my house I would have spent approximately £8,000 for absolutely no return. Add to that the extended warranty on computers, fridges, washing machines, lawn mowers, payment protection on my credit card, private health cover, the list goes on. Unfortunately in this throw away society, it is usually cheaper to buy new than have a repair. (excluding your health )). So as a bit of a DIYer I chose to try a "Safe" repair first. Then throw it away ))
Well I guess you takes your choice. In my case the Worcester Combi is 14 years old, a complex bit of kit which has heated hot water for at least 7 washes a week, 2 baths a day and heating 8/9 rads. It has worked hard and over the corse of time particularly in the past 7 years has needed varoius expensive repairs including a new combustor. If I had paid matey plumber each time I would have first struggled to find someone with the knowledge, and then would have probably had to pod out far more in parts and labour costs than the contract which also includes a yearly service. I agree about all the unnecessary extended warranties so I just don't bother with them. All I cover besides the house insurance is the boiler and the washing machine for the above reasons.
My last boiler services consisted simply of a gas pressure check and a flue test using smoke matches. Anything extra like draining & flushing will cost you dearly. Many years ago, the engineer would strip the boiler burner and clean it all by brushing & vacuuming. They would also do the same for my gas fire - alas no longer. Therefore several years ago I decided to stop paying the £12 monthly service contract. I calculate that if I had never had a contract, I could have saved about £3000 plus interest, easily enough to pay for a new boiler & hot water tank, which I now have had installed (due to my 30 year old boiler being condemned).
I recently called in my Corgi engineer again to service my lounge gas fire, which is hardly ever used, and is only 7 years old. He concluded that it wasn't serviceable (I don't really know why). I have now decided to have an electric fire installed - it's half the cost of a gas fire, more attractive, doesn't rely on a flue, doesn't require a Corgi registered fitter, is much safer, doesn't smell and will not require an annual service. Additionally, there's no risk of explosion or CO production.
I just don't trust gas appliances for safety reasons. It doesn't seem to me a good idea to pipe a highly flammable gas under the roads into private houses, a large proportion of whom will rarely have their appliances regularly serviced. I have an electric cooker, and the only gas appliance in my house is my brand new boiler, which I will have serviced yearly. The gas engineer I employ now will actually strip the boiler completely during the annual service.
If electricity was cheaper, I would also use it for heating. Does anybody remember the famous 1954 prediction by Lewis Strauss, the then chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, that "our children will enjoy in their homes electrical energy too cheap to meter."
Terry D.
The £13 (£12 online) a month covers both a yearly service and all subsequent repair costs. My neighbour is in the scheme and they come out at very short notice even Sundays. Your boiler may be working now but if you have neglected it then who knows how reliable it will be in the future months. I have a family and an oldish boiler, and I would rather pay monthly and have the peace of mind in knowing that in the depths of winter I can phone up
24/7 and get a free call out at short notice without having to thumb through Yellow Pages and then get ripped off, and have to wait possibly days in a cold house with no hot water.I agree whole heartedly, it's small beer for such a good service, and yes I have always had good service from British Gas. They come out within 24hrs and fix the problem then and there for no extra cost. I wouldn't bother with the cheaper option which costs £50 a repair though, do the maths and go the extra few pounds a month it's definitely worth it.
For reference I've been with them since first owning my own home some twelve years ago. It's one of the first things I arrange whenever I move house.
Al
"£13 /month? Time to see Specsavers"
Brian G
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