Boiler whistling like a .. well like a whistly thing

[Z]

Boiler is making whistling type noises. I have cleaned out the burner, scrubbed combustion chamber, checked for tow temp leaks vacuumed out the entire system. Also have Fernox flushed the system through and currently re-treating. No avail. Swapping the thermocouple tonight anyway. I am currently suspecting the burners flames at end near fuel intake burns yellow sometimes though blue at other times for no apparent reason and gas burns blue elsewhere along the burner block. Flame height/intensity does not seem to vary with set power (scale 0 to 6) though I haven't had temperature probe on it.

I'm presuming the noise attenuation additives are a waste of time and just smake oil. What causes a boiler to whistle?

It is an Ideal Stelrad W2000 R45.

Also want to re-seal high temperature seals, gaskets and concrete rope. One of our plumbers named the stuff to seal it with but I've forgotten the name.

[John]

It won't - the scale 1 to 6 are the temperature setting of simple electrical switch type thermostat which is either on or off and has no modulation ability

Well not really. The Fernox boiler noise silencer gel works remarkably well with rumbling boilers

Describing sounds from a boiler is very subjective but waterside sourced noises often resemble a kettle on a hot stove i.e. a rumbling or bumping. The velocity of the gas air mix in a burner is usually too low to create a whistle but I have occasionally come across a whistle from the gas valve, strangely this is often louder just after a service when the burner/gas valve have been removed for access and the air inside the valve is being cleared but usually quietens down once purged.

Its an old one then!

Considering your extreme response re asbestos in another thread be aware that the "concrete rope" has a very high chance of being asbestos if the boiler is one of the early versions of the model. Best get the council in to clear it for you :-)

Regin make a high temperature adhesive for asbestos/fibreglass rope joint material. Available from heating spares stockists

[Z]

In article , John writes

After just changing the thermocouple I had a slightly better look at the 'plumbing' of the H/E and concluded the internal corrosion could be the problem though given the volume of the H/E I would have expected lower tones. I have no idea the arrangement of the heat exchanger galleries but perhaps that could account for the pitch being higher than I would expect.

I don't want to burn my sonoscope (or myself given my highly flmmable face :-)}} ) listening for the source.

Eighties. It looks good as new now and waiting for it to pack up to get a more efficient one. Would I get much mileage insulation-wise out of re-lining the boiler cover with H/T fibreboard, I'd figure not.

Extreme response? The gentleman needs his loft looked at depending on the disturbance on possible asbestos lagging. It is not very pleasant being in a lung cancer ward.

That'll be me then! :-(

The rope is fibreglass which is impregnated with a compound which when wetted turns to concrete this is the name of the stuff I was looking for. There was asbestos in a seal between the electrical section and burning section until about an hour ago and there will be something different in tomorrow evening.

The C/H guy at Willie Wilsons was away by the time I got in though I'll have time to swan past Northern Heating Friday.

[Z]

In article , John writes

Ideal kindly sent me a service manual F.O.C which arrived today.