Johnson & Starley J25-32 Mk3 - How to open fan chamber door

[johnnybaloney]

Hello,

I'm trying to get into J25-32 Mk3 Modairflow (click for image) to give it a bit of a clean and remove corpses of bumblebees which at some point were trying to make it their home.

The manual says:

For access to Electrical/Electronic Panel, Fuse, Time Control Air Circulating Fan and Fan Speed Regulator (MODAIRFLOW Models only), remove Air Filter and Fand Chamber Door. NB Air Filter must be removed before Fan Chamber Door.

I removed the air filter no problem but how to remove that fan chamber door? I tried to slide it up but the timer gets in the way preventing me from pulling it all the way up. I tried pushing, pulling, twisting, no joy...

Cheers

 

[chalky99]

Hi....just seen this and you may have already sorted it.

To get to the fan chamber, you need to pull the lower panel out (from the top of it), which then exposes the two screws at the bottom of the upper panel. Remove the screws and the lift the panel out (after removing the filter).

My daughter has this boiler and it's getting on. We've had problems with the fan, fan modulator and control panel (pcb?) and I've used a company in Watford (CET Ltd) to have the parts reconditioned, at a reasonable cost. Just a pain to get to from Bromley !

Cheers.

 

[johnnybaloney]

Hi Chalky,

I tried back when you posted the instructions but failed miserably. It wouldn't budge.

Today Janus water heater was suspiciously frequently turning on in this scorching weather even though no hot water was used at all. I decided to try again so that I could at least turn it off should it decide to misbehave.

With fresh mind and that extra dose of determination I set out on a mission to again try to open it, a man vs boiler door. I was reading and rereading your instructions, pulling gently here and there and... nothing. I almost gave up just as before but then before the final try I downed a can of spinach, held onto the upper vents of the grille of the lower panel, and pulled with maximum resolve. Something creaked, either my joints or the latch, and I was sent tumbling backwards with the panel in my hands. Winner!

I must say that's not the most refined locking mechanism or boiler door design. Was this state of the art in the 90's ha ha...

Thanks for your help! 👍