RIP Glow Worm 38cxi

[Jake]

Hi all,

We woke yesterday morning in a cold house with no hot water to wash with --- the boiler had died in the night.

It's a Glow Worm 38cxi that's a year and a half old. Until now it's been fine. Now though it has no sign of life. No lights on at all, which indicates a PCB problem to me.

I've called Glow Worm who've been very little help and had no sympathy at all. Despite the fact we have a one month old son wrapped in blankets all day trying to keep warm.

Anyway they're sending an engineer out next Tuesday but I want to fix it before then if I can. What's the best bet? Call an independent plumber and pay for the parts even though it's under warranty? What about a DIY job where I get a new circuit board and see if that fixes it?

For future protection what are people's thoughts on insurance for the boiler?

Jake

[Jim Alexander]

so you haven't gone out to get an electric heater yet? Do so now, its cheaper than meddling with the boiler.

in that case DEFINATELY don't meddle

Not clear whether you are saying you have a contract with GlowWorm and the're coming Tues (which isn't good) or you don't have a contract with GlowWorm and the're coming Tues (which isn't bad) because some people will have a contract with GlowWorm which defines the response time which GlowWorm needs to achieve.

If you are not confident with the risk of losing heating and especially hot water then then get a maintenance contract.

For example, and I'm not advocating or recommending a BG maintenance contract, but the baby would probably make you a priority case.

Jim A

[Ed Sirett]

I'm not trying to egg you on beyond you level of competence also you don't want to upset GW as it's still under warranty?

I presume that you have the service manual to hand? Was does the fault finding chart say in section 13 starting on page 39? Do you have external power?

[Jake]

It turned out to be "the fan", which the plumber (who installed it) replaced this morning and it's working again fine.

He charged =A3160, which included 120 for the new fan. Glow Worm were going to send an engineer out on Tuesday for =A3105 just for labour - parts free, under warranty. So I've spent an extra 55quid but I've got three days with heating and just had a lovely hot shower.

Must remember to cancel the Glow Worm engineer...

I asked the plumber whether it was worth him servicing it while he was there. It's "a load of bullshit" according to him, so I didn't bother. Hopefully I'll get another 18 months hassle-free hot water from it now.

Thanks for the feedback by the way.

Jake

[JoeJoe]

I had a similar fault with a 3 month old Saunier Duval combi. Engineer that came to fix under warranty did not have a spare fan, as "they all but never fail". That got me thinking, and I asked him to investigate further. It turned out that: 1. The flue was fitted pointing downwards towards the boiler, and 2. the plasterer that roughcasted the external wall did not cover it before doing so (all was part of a big building work by the same contractor). The engineer then recovered two handfuls of gravel from the fan's casing that caused it to fail... It failed after a few days of torrential rain.

PS: we are all having a "reunion" meeting at the Small Claims Court next month....

He charged £160, which included 120 for the new fan. Glow Worm were going to send an engineer out on Tuesday for £105 just for labour - parts free, under warranty. So I've spent an extra 55quid but I've got three days with heating and just had a lovely hot shower.

Must remember to cancel the Glow Worm engineer...

I asked the plumber whether it was worth him servicing it while he was there. It's "a load of bullshit" according to him, so I didn't bother. Hopefully I'll get another 18 months hassle-free hot water from it now.

Thanks for the feedback by the way.

Jake

[Jim Alexander]

Well if that's his opinion I'm not going to disagree however the manufacturer's recommendation is annually. In fact the second year parts warranty requires the boiler to have been serviced after 12 months. Well done for your persistence but I think you got off lightly as you nearly also bought a PCB.

Jim A

[Doctor Drivel]

Are you actualy getting power to it?

Glow Worm are replacing a component to do with the DHW side of CXi. It has been failing too frequently. They don't like the material used, and will be replacing it with a part made from copper. Not sure what the part is.

[Phil L]

If I were you, I'd say bollocks to the cover too...it's cost you £160 in the past 2 years, this equates to £80 per year....BG charge about £150 per year, so you are quids in already...I've never had a problem with mine in 6 years, apart from it going off occasionally, which requires a simple reset....also as your boiler gets older, they want more and more to cover it - you'd be as well putting the £150 PA in a high interest account and having a new one fitted every 6 years.

an old lady I know paid into this 'scheme' for 5 years and when the boiler eventually required attention, BG just turned up and pointblank refused to do anything with it and said that she needed a new boiler as hers was 'past it'...she rang a local plumber who charged her

[Tony Bryer]

Though IIRC the manual on my CXi is somewhat muddled when it comes to servicing - it gives you instructions on removing the burner, then goes on to say that normally you wouldn't do this. I'll confess that mine hasn't been touched since installed.

[Jake]

Having thought about this some more I think the problem with mine was very similar. I think rain water has entered the flue and broken the fan. On the morning I found it broken there was a puddle beneath the boiler. I'd seen it dripping in the past - albeit very slowly - from "inside" the boiler. There must have been a massive storm the night it broke and it flooded the fan.

Is this one of them things or should it be covered as it's somebody else's fault?

Jake

[JoeJoe]

My boiler (and I suspect others) have a small hole at the bottom of the flue just before the boiler itself to allow for rain water which manages to enter the flue to drain into the overflow of the system. However, this is only meant for very minimal amount of water (a few rain drops), and is why the flue needs to be fitted pointing downwards in the first place. Also, you may want to have a look inside from the outside to make sure that nothing managed to enter and block it (leaves, etc).

[Tony Bryer]

On a condensing boiler it should.

[Mary Hinge]

The Glow-worm CXI is a condensing boiler and as such is designed so that condensate produced by combustion will drain down the flue, back into the heat exchanger and out of the condensate drain, and therefore any outside water ingress into the flue should not cause a problem.

If you found water obviously leaking from inside the boiler this would indicate a leak which if not rectified could result in another failure (more likely a failed PCB than fan though I would have thought?).

MH