R
Rich1974
Hello,
I've searched the forum and can't find anything on this so here goes...
We moved into a new build two years ago. It's a two bedroom house with one shower and seven radiators, and a Sime Format 80C boiler. The boiler has never been great, running hot and cold, making all sorts of dodgy noises. Six months ago we had the thermister replaced and filter cleaned, this solved the temperature problems but not the noise.
(Incidentally, but it may be worth mentioning at this point, we then had one of the large double radiators replaced by two small four-column ones of these:
About a month after having these two radiators fitted the pressure began to drop on the boiler. We were then topping it up with the filling loop at least every two days.
The boiler died last week, the Corgi registered plumber said it was knackered (needed pump, expansion vessel and PRV) and that he could fit a new Glow-worm Betacom 30 condensing combi for £1000 all in. Deciding to cut our losses and get rid of the clanky, inefficent (SEDBUK D) Sime, we went for it.
After a week without heating or water (and a distressed fiancee) the boiler was fitted last night... and lasted three hours. The pressure dropped overnight and needed topping up at 6am. Then it dropped again. I turned the boiler off and topped it up again to 2 bar - it dropped to 1 bar in 40 minutes flat, while off. It then shut itself off. I reset it, which made no difference. The plumber came out and cranked it up to 2.5 bar before it would come back to life.
There are no obvious leaks. I've taken the plasterboard off around where we had those two new rads fitted and it dry as a bone. The rads are all bled, can't find any air in the system. The boiler is blowing off water into a bucket at the mo (he's coming back to plumb it into the washing machine outflow) and he advised us to leave it running at about 2.5 to 3 bar until he can come back next week. Since he left two hours ago it has been running at 2.9 bar and everything is fine, not dropped at all and all the rads are hot.
To the crux: the plumber then suggested that we have too many radiators for the system, and need a secondary expansion vessel fitted alongside the new boiler. I just need to know if this is standard practice, as it seems strange to buy a new boiler and then need an add-on. We were originally going to buy the 24k version of the Glow-worm, but got the 30k at the plumber's suggestion - believing it to be adequate for our system.
It also doesn't help that he's one of the nicest blokes you could meet, so I hate questioning him! Thanks in advance for any help.
Rich
Rang Glow-worm's Tech Help line (50p a minute!), the bloke who seemed employed to just say "Yeah" said "Yeah" when asked if fitting a secondary expansion vessel was usual practice.
Our old Sime may have been largely rubbish, but it was 24k and managed to heat all our radiators on high just fine. So why does a new 30k Glow-worm need another expansion vessel to do the same job?!
I've searched the forum and can't find anything on this so here goes...
We moved into a new build two years ago. It's a two bedroom house with one shower and seven radiators, and a Sime Format 80C boiler. The boiler has never been great, running hot and cold, making all sorts of dodgy noises. Six months ago we had the thermister replaced and filter cleaned, this solved the temperature problems but not the noise.
(Incidentally, but it may be worth mentioning at this point, we then had one of the large double radiators replaced by two small four-column ones of these:
About a month after having these two radiators fitted the pressure began to drop on the boiler. We were then topping it up with the filling loop at least every two days.
The boiler died last week, the Corgi registered plumber said it was knackered (needed pump, expansion vessel and PRV) and that he could fit a new Glow-worm Betacom 30 condensing combi for £1000 all in. Deciding to cut our losses and get rid of the clanky, inefficent (SEDBUK D) Sime, we went for it.
After a week without heating or water (and a distressed fiancee) the boiler was fitted last night... and lasted three hours. The pressure dropped overnight and needed topping up at 6am. Then it dropped again. I turned the boiler off and topped it up again to 2 bar - it dropped to 1 bar in 40 minutes flat, while off. It then shut itself off. I reset it, which made no difference. The plumber came out and cranked it up to 2.5 bar before it would come back to life.
There are no obvious leaks. I've taken the plasterboard off around where we had those two new rads fitted and it dry as a bone. The rads are all bled, can't find any air in the system. The boiler is blowing off water into a bucket at the mo (he's coming back to plumb it into the washing machine outflow) and he advised us to leave it running at about 2.5 to 3 bar until he can come back next week. Since he left two hours ago it has been running at 2.9 bar and everything is fine, not dropped at all and all the rads are hot.
To the crux: the plumber then suggested that we have too many radiators for the system, and need a secondary expansion vessel fitted alongside the new boiler. I just need to know if this is standard practice, as it seems strange to buy a new boiler and then need an add-on. We were originally going to buy the 24k version of the Glow-worm, but got the 30k at the plumber's suggestion - believing it to be adequate for our system.
It also doesn't help that he's one of the nicest blokes you could meet, so I hate questioning him! Thanks in advance for any help.
Rich
Rang Glow-worm's Tech Help line (50p a minute!), the bloke who seemed employed to just say "Yeah" said "Yeah" when asked if fitting a secondary expansion vessel was usual practice.
Our old Sime may have been largely rubbish, but it was 24k and managed to heat all our radiators on high just fine. So why does a new 30k Glow-worm need another expansion vessel to do the same job?!
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