Glowworm FF60 Lockout Problem

[needinelp]

Hi - Can you help? I have a Glowworm Micron FF60 Boiler and it has gone into "Non Volatile Lockout" - Reset light is solid green, boiler and everything restarts after turning off the temp dial and back on again. The fans work, it produces heated water, the pump is spinning (albeit its pretty quiet). After a couple of minutes the boiler switches off again. Its a conventional boiler not a combi. Just before it switches off you can hear the boiler sounds like a kettle warming up, as if the water is being heated but not going anywhere - not especially noisily but I don't recall hearing those noises before (its in an outside cupboard so I'm not completely familiar with its noises, but this is predictable its getting too hot). For the brief few minutes it is on, the rads start to get warm (I have not checked upstairs rads only downstairs thinking about it).

So, in essence, everything works when its working - what could cause lack of flow and should boiler make kettle type noises - I assume the temp thermostat is tripping out the system, but is it because it is too hot or because its faulty? The boiler will turn back on immediately if you reset immediately

 

[cjg]

port valve upstairs stuck. = no flow

 

[Gasmk1]

Check pump is actually spinning

 

[needinelp]

port valve upstairs stuck. = no flow

Thanks - I have a 3 way valve near the pump - I've moved it manually and watched it move electronically (without removing the motorised bit) Is this the valve you refer to or the header tank valve suppying top water?

 

[needinelp]

Check pump is actually spinning

I took off the big screw and spun the inners - it moved freely. When powered up it spins fast. The pipe into it and out of it gets hot and the rads downstairs and upstairs get heat - as does the upstairs hot water tank. Would this exclude the pump or still a possibility?

 

[cjg]

so valve ok= ruled out.

 

[needinelp]

so valve ok= ruled out.

ok good - or is it haha

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Can you stop the pump eg stick an old screwdriver in through the vent port (an old screwdriver) and if you use light pressure can you stop it ?

 

[needinelp]

Just tried that and whilst it can be stopped it takes some force to do it

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Sounds ok then but as it’s kettling it’s a circulation problem so something isn’t opening / getting the heat away

 

[needinelp]

Thanks - Could the 3 way valve do it even though the motor is operating - would taking off the motor and twisting the divert bit help exclude it?

 

[needinelp]

although the water and rads are warming up thinking about it

 

[needinelp]

just been in the loft and header tank is full

 

[needinelp]

so what are the options - if it was scaling, would that not be a gradual process or take a long time to overheat if at the beginning - this cuts off after just a few minutes. Kettling I've described may be too strong a description perhaps, but It does sound like when a kettle is perhaps just started - No rumbling of boiling water or anything like that

 

[needinelp]

I've made a video on youtube that might throw some light on this

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Do the pipes feel hot eg around 50dc ?

 

[needinelp]

Yes the pipes feel hot, too hot to hold for long - The pipes to the far left of the vid felt hotter than the ones in and out of the pump I think.

 

[needinelp]

just discovered that the pumped flow pipe is cooler than the return flow pipe, by quite a bit? Does that indicate something - Blockage or Air Lock?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Or it’s not pumping away enough

 

[needinelp]

Or it’s not pumping away enough

Thanks Shaun,

Would that indicate a conking out pump (even though its rotating it isnt very noisy, I didnt think it was working until I removed vent screw and tried stopping it)