boiler faults/servicing

[hammers4spanner]

wondering how you guys started out in this side of the market.
as an experienced installer for last 20 years have suddenly like most finding my work drying up used to installing heating systems and boiler upgrades for private and H/A's
Now have been dropped in the deep end by some of the contractors i work for my workload now consists of servicing and breakdowns
my question is do you guys keep lists of boilers on a pc or schematic printouts of the boilersw working components .
Also how long did it take you to become reasonbly competent??

 

[Mike Jackson]

Gas installers workmate on the Ipad. You can also get it on DVD to chuck on a PC or laptop.

i think there's a knack to fault finding as well as experience. I know some guys that have been trying for years and are still carp at it.

 

[Millsy 82]

Once you get the case off have a look round the boiler and note down what parts there are you will start to notice that all boilers work the same way its just the parts that look different and some have more/ few parts, some of the testing of components can vary but if im ever in doubt I double check with manufacturers.

It will take you a while to get in to it but if you take your time and think logically it is fairly simple.

Best advice I ever get was ask for the manual (Or if you get offered a cuppa say yes please) As this will get rid of the customer long enough to work out how to get the casing off ( Nothing worse than struggling to get the casing off and alot of the time the hardest bit.)

 

[dylski]

HA HA i like your adice millsy!

 

[diamondgas]

When i started off the guy who's apprentice i was would give me old component parts and tell me to strip them down. He'd quiz me on how I thought it all worked! I used that with apprentices I'd have with me over the years!

I still like to get into the workings of unfamiliar boilers so will spend time taking them to bits just to see how they come apart, time permitting

 

[ambrosia]

Or if you get offered a cuppa say yes please) As this will get rid of the customer long enough to work out how to get the casing off ( Nothing worse than struggling to get the casing off and alot of the time the hardest bit.

wish i had read that this morning, had an old vokera today, tugged the casing as i was getting it off and broke quite a lot of britle plastic, large shards of broken plastic all over the floor is not a good look for a professional

those volera's are badly designed, velcro holding the pcb up is a terrible idea

hammers4spanner if you have one near by the potterton boiler diagnostic course is well worth doing

 

[zeebeedee]

I was in the same position over a year ago. I now have a black book full of different faults on different boilers, write everything you come across down!

 

[southcoastboile]

I was in the same position over a year ago. I now have a black book full of different faults on different boilers, write everything you come across down!

I keep meaning to do that, I get to jobs sometimes and think Ive seen this fault before and then forget how I fixed it :banghead: