Boiler Heat Exchanger busted

[KingDoey]

Hmm KingDoey it's kinda funny because I did think it was an airlock but that PP was convinced it's sludge. I find it interesting how if it is an airlock, bleeding rads doesn't solve the issue...

Because as said before bleeding rads won’t always clear an airlock. It all depends how the system is piped

You need to set do a combination of things like cycle the pump vent the heat exchanger etc. Gradually force the heat round the system one radiator at a time. It’s not always a ten minute job

 

[Suzan]

No... and I guess shifting it through the pipes is only possible with a full drain... Even near the hot water cylinder there's a tiny valve to release air and barely any came out...

 

[Suzan]

I was shifting from one rad to another until the PP guy came round and deemed the boiler ID and shut it down. Couldn't continue the rad shifting from that point... How would you vent from the heat exchanger?

 

[KingDoey]

I was shifting from one rad to another until the PP guy came round and deemed the boiler ID and shut it down. Couldn't continue the rad shifting from that point... How would you vent from the heat exchanger?

Only a gassafe registered plumber could do that for you. Not you the user

 

[Suzan]

That PP was also saying in order to check for air near the hot water cylinder, he would have to cut through the pipe. I said to him "i'm guessing you'll solder the pipe back then..." he said "yeah definitely"...

 

[Suzan]

Hmm ok. Shame he just looked at the boiler and refused to do anything but decommission it.... trying to remove the airlock would have been nice but hey hum...

 

[Suzan]

But he didn't even think it was an airlock, he thought it was sludge because he saw the F&E tank and deemed it to be that..

 

[KingDoey]

Hmm ok. Shame he just looked at the boiler and refused to do anything but decommission it.. trying to remove the airlock would have been nice but hey hum...

Unfortunately it seems your original problem has unearthed a more serious problem. IE the registered engineer removed the case of your boiler and determined it was unsafe. That’s just par for the course I’m afraid

 

[Suzan]

Yeah. I can't exactly say if the seal/hex were looking any different from a few months ago anyway as i just go by the sound... didn't exactly go taking the cover off to look so maybe it was just gradually getting worse. Why it overheated though is another story...

 

[Riley]

It likely overheated because of an airlock

 

[Millsy 82]

Millsy 82 I guess you haven't got an actual say on the situation (i.e. what one would do) rather than the initial installation that I had no control over

You were told on page 2 what the likely problem and cause and remedy was I would just be repeating what everyone else is saying.

Why did your OH say get a proper plumber from a company in? Surely the one who changed your rads was a proper plumber as well.

 

[Ben-gee]

Millay don’t underestimate the power of logos on vans and uniforms and a national tv/billboard etc advertising campaign on the perception of joe public.
You and I know they only work for bg/pp ‘cos they can’t do it on their own!

 

[king of pipes]

Dont mess around the install is very poor and will give you more trouble In the future even if you throw money at the damaged boiler and get it repaired , address the problem once and for all when you come to sell the potential buyers and their surveyor will pick up on the work thats been done and you can recoup the costs on the sale price, you in the mean time have the luxury of and hassle free modern efficienct system which is registered with gas safe and has a long manufacturers warranty, failing to do this the buyers will definitely knock you down on your asking price and their conveyancing solicitor will definitely want to see the gas safe registration certificate for the boiler something you dont have?. Regards kop

 

[Harvest Fields]

Millay don’t underestimate the power of logos on vans and uniforms and a national tv/billboard etc advertising campaign on the perception of joe public.
You and I know they only work for bg/pp ‘cos they can’t do it on their own!

What a load of rubbish. These companies have some quality engineer. They do also have some rubbish. But not all engineers are bad.

 

[Millsy 82]

What a load of rubbish. These companies have some quality engineer. They do also have some rubbish. But not all engineers are bad.

I cant comment on pp but you have got to admit bg doesnt carry the status it once used to they have a lot more useless engineers than good. It does seem that they are now trained in sales more than breakdowns.

When I started 20 years ago the bg or ex bg engineers were the cream and every company I worked for the best blokes were usually ex bg.

 

[Millsy 82]

Millay don’t underestimate the power of logos on vans and uniforms and a national tv/billboard etc advertising campaign on the perception of joe public.
You and I know they only work for bg/pp ‘cos they can’t do it on their own!

More what I was getting at was I bet this un proper plumber was doing it cash like the install and has vanished without a trace with no comeback.

To be fair to him though that hasn't happened since the rads were changed and had they of paid for a service then they may not of need in this situation.

 

[Suzan]

Ok. I've only lived in it for a year and a half and it's a complicated situation. The place was inherited and we weren't in the right frame of mind for a lot of things so that is indeed our failing. I've only taken control of the place a gear or so ago and I've almost been constantly working on it along with working/caring for my dad so the pipework has been something I've been meaning to see to... Unfortunately it happened to go wrong after fitting new rads so I probably should have sorted pipework out first but if an airlock overheated my boiler this would have happened either way, and my mum paid a fair bit to the BG guy all those years ago so... We were naive if it wasn't done properly though we had tenants in there and every year got a gas certificate from legitimate companies as one should.

But anyway, besides the point.

Is it more cost effective to get a combi boiler / cylinder and tank removed. Or. Fix boiler and end of. Riley said they are the same price essentially. What do others think? I'm no expert but I didn't think the boiler was in a bad condition minus the seal+hex. Again. Proper clean of pipes is obviously a must.

 

[Suzan]

And kop thinks new install too.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

I would fix

 

[Darren Jackson]

I would clean with X800, power flush and fit a magna-clean filter along with X100 then get Worcester out to fit new hex on their fix it once price. Job done and should give many more years of use out of it. Can't see the point of spending good money on a new boiler install when you are thinking of selling up soon.

 

[Suzan]

Darren these are my thoughts exactly.

 

[Riley]

I’m still not convinced there’s sludge. Nothing has proved it other than a dirty loft tank

 

[Rob Foster]

That is cheap for them. So let me get this straight they came out replaced the radiators for you? Stirred up a load of muck in the system and then cut you off saying the boiler is unsafe. I would be more inclined to think it’s an airlock if some of the radiators are getting some warmth

Pimlico doing an hour for £90
wow..Charlie and Scott Mullins are losing their touch. Normally .inside m25 £125.00 plus vat must have been a quiet day
maybe they were at the racing again ...respect they built a brand and in london it works for some. I understand Pimlico works on demand and price , they need so much work per day to satisfy the vans, if its hot...full price but quiet times there is a deal to be made..they are all
gsr and paying central london charges and traffic time so why not
centralheatking

 

[Suzan]

Neither am I Riley. Only thing I realised, when I went onto the second rad it took a while to heat up even tho one side was hot and the top was hot and the bottom was tepid, but after an hour or so it got there eventually so... Idk...

 

[Mastermixlee]

And everyone will continue to not know until a water quality test is done so recommend this to determine next course of action and only then can you make an informed decision on what path is best to take. Both financially and logically.