Worst boiler to work on competition

[stevetheplumber]

there were some realy rough combis made by english companies in the late eighties nineties the reason was the established english companies didnt forsee how fast the combis took over the market
in there rush to compete they made some awfull boilers then once the parts to make a combi became standised we had a spell where a new company would pop up each week it seemed, gems, euro combis, savios etc most fell by the wayside i think savio became biasi

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

there were some realy rough combis made by english companies in the late eighties nineties the reason was the established english companies didnt forsee how fast the combis took over the market
in there rush to compete they made some awfull boilers then once the parts to make a combi became standised we had a spell where a new company would pop up each week it seemed, gems, euro combis, savios etc most fell by the wayside i think savio became biasi

i went on a baxi course years ago with the old man,bermudas were the daddy,combis were a weird new fangled idea,i was just a kid and fancied the bird at reception,LOL we were told they would never take off:24::smilielol5:but as we know combis did baxi was losing market share,the genesis basically a chaff in disguise came first ,then they rushed out the Bahama disaster

 

[CJ87]

Changed a Worcester cdi BF diverter over yesterday!! I've done a few but yesterday's was a nightmare! Remember the first one I ever done I isolated flow and return valves turned them back on and they leaked everywhere learnt that the hard way.

Yesterday changed all the o rings over reassembled and the pig still decided to leak from the cold water inlet! Had to strip the whole thing back out again, soul destroying! eventually got it done, bit of fernox lsx gives you peace of mind

I'm only in my early twenties so won't have come across much of the older stuff as the experienced guys!
During my apprenticeship when on the servicing the lads used to hate hitting a black ash or an opus fire/bbu, always remember they were a big lump that hogged the dog hair haha.

 

[Gary71]

My first is the Alpha Ocean Style FF, if you went at one O-ring you would have to replace all the O-rings, changing the O-rings could take 30 minutes or 4+ hours depending how lucky you were, it would get so that your tears matched the drips from the O-rings, my second would be the servowarm boiler with the rad on the front because swinging the rad out always felt wrong.

 

[diamondgas]

I think I serviced one of those yesterday. Is that the boiler with the silly little copper tube connected to the fan and you have to remove it along with the fan to clean the condense?

Can't believe there's one still running

Yep it had a tube attached to the fan and the burners kept rotting, fan seal kept leaking, condensate was a mess and the ignitors too ... they slung the burner under the base of the hex... !!

 

[radswilldo]

For overall bad design, faults, fault diagnosis and being installer unfriendly, I think the Gledhill Gulfstream desrves a mention. Have only worked on the one; four years running, new fault/faults each year.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

For overall bad design, faults, fault diagnosis and being installer unfriendly, I think the Gledhill Gulfstream desrves a mention. Have only worked on the one; four years running, new fault/faults each year.

and the gledhill boilermate should win some sort of award for being useless aS WELL

 

[stevetheplumber]

and the gledhill boilermate should win some sort of award for being useless aS WELL

unless you do what ive done and rip out all the electrics and run your own

 

[stevetheplumber]

I'm trying to remember that boiler I'm pretty sure they had a diaphragm APS? The y had a rubber boot on the back for connecting the flue I remember and the changeover sliding black lever on the front to change from hot water only to water and heating!!!

620 had the paddle type air switch and the later 623 had a normal diaphram type actually the paddle one was pretty near bullet proof

 

[mountainman]

Pretty much anything by Saunier Duval was a pain to repair IMO.

 

[doitmyself]

Remeha for installing.

Why? What problems have you had?

 

[Doodlebug]

As above, whats the worse part/boiler you've had to work on and why? (no detail into gas safety as it's in the wrong forum!)

personally for me, after today i'm voting Worcester CDI expansion vessel. Wasn't much left in it once I got the old one out, fan, heat ex, plate hex, pump, APS etc all removed.... nightmare! Normally fit an external in, but couldn't on this one.

I hate changing the plate heat exchanger or water storage tank on a Worcester Highflow, now that is a nightmare job. Did you know with the Worcester CDI expansion vessel, if you have enough clearance you can pop the side of the case off and re-revit back on? This is what Worcester engineers do. Another nightmare job has to be the condensing unit at the back of a Worcester CDI Extra.
have you noticed, all of the above are Worcester boilers, I fooking hate them pmsl

 

[Nostrum]

Pretty sure you have to angle grind a hole in the chassis to get it out the right hand side, couldn't imagine the customer being to pleased about the mess and noise!

It's that 3/4" union on the plate heat exchanger that winds me up, it always feels like it wants to cross thread, normally flapping around with it for 5 minutes, especially if you've only got 150mm clearances below from the worktop, one hand through the front trying to get it to line up, and the front facia panel swings down in the way..

I'm not a fan of worcesters at all, sometimes I think they do it deliberately so they get more work, couldn't imagine a more stressful job than working for worcester

 

[Dotty]

The 3 Buderus GB162's in a galvanising factory over here. They're only 3 years old but look 103, each one has been completely rebuilt at least once, 2 heat exchangers, all the connection boards, two wiring harnesses, the combustion fans fail about every other month, one flue has been replaced and so on. My heart sinks every time I'm asked to go to silverwood.

And why are they so much hard work? Because they supply hot water for the acid vats and are in a highly corrosive atmosphere. Tools develop a fine layer of corrosion within an hour. I hate the place because it actually makes you doubt yourself.

And I normally love the GB162! Just a case of the wrong boiler for the environment.

Had a phone call yesterday......

"Silverwood's just rung, they've a 3L 214 error message on boiler 1, its not working."

"Sigh...... I'll order a fan up for next week......"

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

I hate changing the plate heat exchanger or water storage tank on a Worcester Highflow, now that is a nightmare job. Did you know with the Worcester CDI expansion vessel, if you have enough clearance you can pop the side of the case off and re-revit back on? This is what Worcester engineers do. Another nightmare job has to be the condensing unit at the back of a Worcester CDI Extra.
have you noticed, all of the above are Worcester boilers, I fooking hate them pmsl

yep riveted many back together,though did once slip with a full of water EV and kill the gasvalve electrical connections

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

Pretty sure you have to angle grind a hole in the chassis to get it out the right hand side, couldn't imagine the customer being to pleased about the mess and noise!

It's that 3/4" union on the plate heat exchanger that winds me up, it always feels like it wants to cross thread, normally flapping around with it for 5 minutes, especially if you've only got 150mm clearances below from the worktop, one hand through the front trying to get it to line up, and the front facia panel swings down in the way..

I'm not a fan of worcesters at all, sometimes I think they do it deliberately so they get more work, couldn't imagine a more stressful job than working for worcester

if your talking cdi then nope just drill the rivets out

 

[Nostrum]

Cheers, I'll remember that for next time, I was told you needed a grinder, so the chassis is just pop riveted together?

Sounds a lot easier than the other day, does it work both sides or only the right?

 

[e/bourneplumber]

ideal elan with the brown slide up glass front, a classic. pressure relief valve on a wb junior, find it easier once to undo the flue and unions and lift the boiler off to get at it. why do remeha have an off centre flue so fitting a replacement in a row of cupboards is a nightmare? also condense and pr, why dont they come out at the back in line with all the rest of the pipes instead they come out some where in the middle? still working on ideal minimisers another classic ideal design, along with the newer

 

[e/bourneplumber]

icos and isar

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

Cheers, I'll remember that for next time, I was told you needed a grinder, so the chassis is just pop riveted together?

Sounds a lot easier than the other day, does it work both sides or only the right?

both sides just get a drill and big enough hss bit,drill the heads off

 

[arran197]

Before reading the first comment I was going to say Worcester CDI. I had to change the diaphragm on one, absolute nightmare. Took ages. Did one on a Baxi 80e the other day, done in 10 minutes. Worcesters are an absolute pain to change any part. The Greenstar JNRs are just as bad, ever changed a prv on one? Joke, an engineer I was talking to cuts the chassis out the way to get it out that way.

 

[broggo]

Buderus 500 28c water block.
Takes worcester engineers 4hrs apparently.
Took me three and a bit. Right bar steward tho.

 

[Nostrum]

Before reading the first comment I was going to say Worcester CDI. I had to change the diaphragm on one, absolute nightmare. Took ages. Did one on a Baxi 80e the other day, done in 10 minutes. Worcesters are an absolute pain to change any part. The Greenstar JNRs are just as bad, ever changed a prv on one? Joke, an engineer I was talking to cuts the chassis out the way to get it out that way.

I change the complete diverter now rather than remove the diverter anyway, replace diaphragm and re fit diverter. They are not even that expensive as they must sell so many every time the diaphragm splits!

Never changed a PRV on a junior but thinking about the way it fits into the plastic piece I can see what a stupid design it is

 

[Plumbcrazy56]

Did a Baxi 80 he instant divertor valve the other day, of course no washers or o rings supplied. Took me 3 hrs what a pig boiler this is, worst Baxi have ever made IMO.

 

[julesverne]

worcesters plastic bit awful