A question about our boiler..

[CmdrVimes]

First I should make this clear:

1. I DO NOT plan to try and fix the problem myself;

2. I am not trying to avoid the cost of calling out a plumber, (well, I KIND OF am, but you'll see what I mean soon enough) we private rent so any problems and the landlord sends a plumber out at his cost.

*Get on with it!* ... Here goes...

Due to the fact that our lovely landlord pays for any remedial (sp?) works to the property and I don't want to have him pay the plumber to come out only to find it's a known problem with our kind of boiler and nothing can actually be done about it, I ask the following....

Our set up is that we have a combi-boiler and no hot water storage, so the boiler heats the water as and when it's required.

This winter we have developed a problem where the boiler seems to just not be up to the task of adequately heating the water.

Why?

When running the hot tap for a significant amount of time, like to fill the bath or washing hair in the sink, (using the running tap like a shower head) the water goes freezing cold, (like drawing cold water from the mains on a winter's day "freezing cold"!) for a few seconds, then it warms up again.

Strangely enough it seems to get worse when the boiler is also dealing with the central heating. I vaguely recall that the heating being on just affected the temperature of the water in that it was scalding hot, regardless of the temperature dial to adjust the hot water temperature, not that the boiler seemingly cannot cope.

So after all that waffle, my question is thus:

Could we have developed a fault, (the boiler, not me ) or is this kind of thing to be expected from a combi-boiler with no hot water storage?

Now you will see why I wanted to ask here and not have our fabulous landlord calling Kevin out to only have him tell us there's nothing wrong with it.

I look forward to your valuable input.

 

[kay-jay]

First I should make this clear:

1. I DO NOT plan to try and fix the problem myself;

2. I am not trying to avoid the cost of calling out a plumber, (well, I KIND OF am, but you'll see what I mean soon enough) we private rent so any problems and the landlord sends a plumber out at his cost.

*Get on with it!* ... Here goes...

Due to the fact that our lovely landlord pays for any remedial (sp?) works to the property and I don't want to have him pay the plumber to come out only to find it's a known problem with our kind of boiler and nothing can actually be done about it, I ask the following....

Our set up is that we have a combi-boiler and no hot water storage, so the boiler heats the water as and when it's required.

This winter we have developed a problem where the boiler seems to just not be up to the task of adequately heating the water.

Why?

When running the hot tap for a significant amount of time, like to fill the bath or washing hair in the sink, (using the running tap like a shower head) the water goes freezing cold, (like drawing cold water from the mains on a winter's day "freezing cold"!) for a few seconds, then it warms up again.

Strangely enough it seems to get worse when the boiler is also dealing with the central heating. I vaguely recall that the heating being on just affected the temperature of the water in that it was scalding hot, regardless of the temperature dial to adjust the hot water temperature, not that the boiler seemingly cannot cope.

So after all that waffle, my question is thus:

Could we have developed a fault, (the boiler, not me ) or is this kind of thing to be expected from a combi-boiler with no hot water storage?

Now you will see why I wanted to ask here and not have our fabulous landlord calling Kevin out to only have him tell us there's nothing wrong with it.

I look forward to your valuable input.

Sounds like a fault. Call the guy out.

 

[woodsy]

Would agree that it sounds like a known fault that happens to modern boilers. You need your landlord to call a gas engineer.

 

[IDCHAPPY]

I agreed with the 2 top blokes above, combi boilers should be able to supply a constant supply of hot water, the flow rate won't be stellar but should not go hot/cold/hot/cold.
Cheers Ian

 

[Dotty]

Fourthed. Hope you understand why we can't go into details but you do have an issue there Sir Samuel.............

 

[mountainman]

It could be a faulty dragon.

 

[Dotty]

Just don't let nobby near it, not if you still want a boiler!

 

[CmdrVimes]

Just don't let nobby near it, not if you still want a boiler!

*hugs the fellow "discworldian"* I just made that word up I think hahah

 

[Mike Jackson]

I'd get Dick Simnel to have a look at it. He's good with boilers.

 

[jtsplumbing]

Note that depending on size of boiler (Kw) will dictate the flow rate through the taps, high water pressure can affect it, and also the temperature of the cold water going into the boiler, this is just a basic things to look at B4 you start looking inside the boiler.

 

[GasmanxxxR1]

Could it just be a pre-heat function, Does it go hot, cool for a bit and then back to hot. If so it could be the pre-heat function

 

[jtsplumbing]

Be more helpful if he told us make/model/and size (Kw) of boiler,

 

[Mrs Tara Plumbi]

Yes its a fault!

First let me tell you I am NOT a gas heating engineer I am an office person.
Second I have a combi in my house and I have a good idea of how they work.

Just a couple of points that you should be aware of in general:

1) When the boiler is making hot water it stops warming the radiators.
Most of the time - if you are washing hands or washing up - you won't notice.
But if the shower is running for ages, for example, your rads will go cold - that is not a fault that is normal. Combi boilers prioritise hot water.

2) The boiler is warming the water by a certain number of degrees. So in the summer when your water is coming in warm the hot water out of your taps is hotter than in the winter when it is coming in cold. The boiler is still working the same - raising the water temperature by the same number of degrees.
In fact that difference in temperature will be really small but our sensitive bodies feel a big difference in water temperature even at a half a centigrade difference!

 

[Ermintrude]

Yes its a fault!

First let me tell you I am NOT a gas heating engineer I am an office person.
Second I have a combi in my house and I have a good idea of how they work.

Just a couple of points that you should be aware of in general:

1) When the boiler is making hot water it stops warming the radiators.
Most of the time - if you are washing hands or washing up - you won't notice.
But if the shower is running for ages, for example, your rads will go cold - that is not a fault that is normal. Combi boilers prioritise hot water.

2) The boiler is warming the water by a certain number of degrees. So in the summer when your water is coming in warm the hot water out of your taps is hotter than in the winter when it is coming in cold. The boiler is still working the same - raising the water temperature by the same number of degrees.
In fact that difference in temperature will be really small but our sensitive bodies feel a big difference in water temperature even at a half a centigrade difference!

Well said that..... Lady.