help with boiler decision

If it's mains fed. But until I went combi it was loft tank fed.

Reply to
Tony Bryer
Loading thread data ...

It's a 303 - the valve ones stopped production a few years earlier. It drives the subs on my setup.

I really don't understand why there is so much trouble with boiler electronics. If the PCB is mounted in a suitable position it shouldn't get any hotter than in many other things. And is such a small proportion of the cost of the device there's no real need to penny pinch.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

It depends on the initial quality and the quality makes will go much more than 10 years. I took out a 1985 vaillant combi today which was still functional (but the modulator servo having gone meant that the heating was full tilt or nothing so with the high gas prices it was time to replace it).

Reply to
Ed Sirett

Or even in some cases negative!

Reply to
Ed Sirett

Then I wouldn't wash in it either - as most will get some water in eyes and mouth.

I'm not too worried about the odd lead joint - the water main is lead. ;-)

Plus - why would lead be a problem on a storage system but not on the mains? You're just as likely to have it there too.

You can think of any number of possibilities to support an argument - no matter how unlikely. A water main could have a leak somewhere and get contaminated too.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

So what? It's still just water.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

I thought I had seen that - but didn't want to overclaim my case. Thanks.

Reply to
Rod

In message , snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net writes

C'mon - we're talking boiler pcbs here ...

Reply to
geoff

I have always understood that the prolonged contact time between the (warm/hot) water and lead caused the concentration to rise. But, in a hard water area, probably little actual impact either way.

Our mains - for probably at least several hundred metres - is not made of lead. :-)

I do agree that we can all come up with arguments - but I would be much happier to take the risks of combi-heated 'potable' water than what comes out of our HW cylinder. Despite all the pipework, CW tank and HW cylinder in the house being new-ish and without leaded solder. But that would be even more so in a house with older pipework, etc. (Of course, I am assuming a relatively short pipe from the combi to the kitchen sink - as it would be in our situation.)

Reply to
Rod

I'd say combis are the majority of new installations, so quantity makes for lower unit prices.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Tempting fate here but our Glowworm is 20 years old and still running. Had to replace the fan twice, (c/o Mr CET!) but that's all.

Andy

Reply to
Andy Champ

I think it's an "attitude" problem.

As an erstwhile fellow "oily rag" (That's what production types call us isn't it?) you must have encountered the same antagonism towards spending money on electronic engineering if there's an alternative which will work (when it's brand new that is), so what you get is heavy components supported on their own wires simply soldered onto cheap paper printed panels, and connectors spec'd to be seperated and re-mated a number of times in the single digits etc.

As long as it works when it's new ...

Derek

Reply to
Derek

In 5 more years time you'll want better performance, economy and reliability than you'll be getting from a 30 y.o. system.

Derek

Reply to
Derek

I bet I get better performance and economy than >95% of modern systems already.

Reply to
dennis

Update:

The worcester bosch (WB) chappie came yesterday and changed the pcb and the air pressure sensor and left before everything had time to warm up properly,half an hour later:----- you've guessed it! same behaviour: tries to light flame, lights it for 10 secs or so then cuts out after three or four attempts lockout switch. Doesn't matter whether I have ch only hw only or both on..

we did manage to get some hot water round the radiators and in the hot water system but the tank never filled with hot water.

Interestingly I have a couple of rads on the hot water to tank supply in the bathroom and one bedroom upstairs, and I had to bleed the bathroom radiator quite a lot. Though I had tried drawing some hot water through the tap before I did this (it wasn't all that hot!)

anyway I rang the WB service bods and had a go at them, not best pleased as you might imagine, and they spoke(they said) to the guy who had done the work who said it was a circulation problem and not the boiler.

My plumber guy of course says it's the boiler....

So I'll get the 3 port valve and the pump changed and see if this makes a difference.

If not I did establish with WB that no further charges would be made for a repeat visit to sort the boiler.

Are they pulling a fast one? I mean if the circulation was fine a week ago and the boiler suddenly starts to go to lockout, I'd say the circulation was actually fine if perhaps a bit sluggish.

Should I get them back in anyway

And of course when I tried to switch the immersion heater in the tank on it blew the house earth leakage switch...

So I'll need a new immersion heater too.

Any help/advice gratefully appreciated (some hot water and heating would be good too)

dedics

Reply to
Ian & Hilda Dedic

Sounds like he didn't do any work on the 'wet' side so I'd be concerned about why there was air in a rad.

And he didn't tell you this when he was there? Weird.

Those are expensive items to change on spec. Nor can I see how either could cause the symptoms you describe. You should be able to tell if the pump is running by feeling it even if you can't hear it. Similarly you should be able to make the 3 port valve operate by altering the thermostat on the cylinder - turning it right down to below ambient should make it change to heating and up above it to hot water.

If you're getting air in the system it is very likely corroded and partially sludged up.

Specify an anti corrosive type. They are more expensive but irrelevant as a percentage of the overall cost.

formatting link
Any help/advice gratefully appreciated (some hot water and heating

I would investigate just why there's air in the system - and after sorting the leak give it a good clean out and add inhibitor.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

I think it was because I drew off some hot water from the tank to see if there was any! then I turned on the rad in the bedroom and it did get hot.

That's why I'm suspicious

I had had some problems with the 3 port valve sticking so I freed it up and replaced the actuator about 6 months ago and all seemed fine until last week. But I still have the 3 port valve which came with the actuator. The pump seemed abit sluggish but was not all that old and was definitely pumping water to the hot and ch stytems yesterday.

But draining the system to fit the 3 port valve should wash some of that away yes?

formatting link

Thanks for that.

Is there likely to be a problem with rads not filling from the header tank ? I'll run up and check.

I can't envisage any "circulation" scenario which would give rise to this particular boiler fault.

Am I missing something? (apart from a working heating system that is!)

dedics

>
Reply to
Ian & Hilda Dedic

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.