Urgent.

[Philip]

Is any forum member in London, a Corgi Plumber, who knows about Combi Boilers made by Wickes? Had no hot water or heating for 3 days. Only started with a little leak from pipe going outside. A guy we know, Corgi Registered, changed valve and then hour later boiler stopped working. Replaced PCB and flow assembly. Finally got it working after 6 hours today and two hours later stopped again. So another cold night.
If anyone knows inside of boilers and is in London, can you give me a call please. please. 0208 8969172
Thanks Philip

[Tiger]

There isn't a lot more to change, have you checked your programer and room stat?

[Tiger]

Londons a big place where exactly are you

[Sancho]

Could it be overheating and tripping?

[Philip]

Programmer and room stat OK and i am in Acton, W3. Don't want to open front as really wouldn't know what i was doing re wires etc. I believe the plumber changed the thing which stops and starts when there is a flow. He didn't bleed the system. Now the boiler does nothing, whereas yesterday it fired up and then immediately went off.
Philip

[_dg]

You may like to try the heating section on the forum at www.diynot.com

[Tiger]

Is it a sealed system, has the pressure dropped?

[fatfires]

if it runs for a bit then nothing strikes me could be a sensor in the condensate sump, I am a little concerned that a 'plumber 'changed something and didnt vent/repressurise.
In order, make sure the boiler is vented, top up pressure to 1.5 bar cold, make sure all external controls are calling for heat, turn up thermostat on boiler - then if you can list what happens, noises, clicks, burner lighting etc, some(me included ) might be able to help, it would also help if you had a model and make, I believe wicks sell ravenheat and biasi combis look for the data plate.
distance diagnostics are difficult, I would look at it for you but I think the 500 mile return call out would be a bit costly!

[Tiger]

ring me tomorrow if your in the sh!t. not sure if i can help but i can try.
Whats wrong with the corgi bloke you had, if you paid your money get him back

[fatfires]

if it runs for a bit then nothing strikes me could be a sensor in the condensate sump, or no circulation, I am a little concerned that a 'plumber 'changed something and didnt vent/repressurise.
In order, make sure the boiler is vented, top up pressure to 1.5 bar cold, make sure all external controls are calling for heat, turn up thermostat on boiler - then if you can list what happens, noises, clicks, burner lighting etc, some(me included ) might be able to help, it would also help if you had a model and make, I believe wicks sell ravenheat and biasi combis look for the data plate.
distance diagnostics are difficult, I would look at it for you but I think the 500 mile return call out would be a bit costly!

..
god knows what happened here, tried to edit but it all went pete tong, anyway read edited above

[Philip]

Update

Plumber just left and now says the air relief valve isn't working, so although boiler is running if it stops, i have to let some water out of pump etc and it will go again. He is comming back tomorrow with new one which he says is only about £15.00. I think as somebody mentioned he should have bled the system after changing the first part. So now will have new PCB board, water valve, pressure relief valve and a new bit of pipe which runs along bottom of boiler. Cost being £270.00 inc, so its not that he is overcharging for London, its that he doesn't seem to know a lot about the internal workings of boilers. He fitted a new boiler for my brother in law without any problems.
Thanks for help.
Philip

[fatfires]

Plumber just left and now says the air relief valve isn't working, so although boiler is running if it stops, i have to let some water out of pump etc and it will go again. He is comming back tomorrow with new one which he says is only about £15.00. I think as somebody mentioned he should have bled the system after changing the first part. So now will have new PCB board, water valve, pressure relief valve and a new bit of pipe which runs along bottom of boiler. Cost being £270.00 inc, so its not that he is overcharging for London, its that he doesn't seem to know a lot about the internal workings of boilers. He fitted a new boiler for my brother in law without any problems.
Thanks for help.
Philip

I think he is spinning you a line, firstly if it is a sealed system or not where is the air coming from? a properly designed system should not generate or entrain air and if vented out properly once the water is de-airated there should be no more air produced. If he is saying that air is the problem and it is not being scavenged by the auto vent the cause of that needs to be identified or there is a potencial for system corrosion (and inhibitor will only mask the effects of that!)
Also given that air is the problem then why has he managed to spend £270.00 of your money on a possibly unneeded PCB, water valve, pressure relief valve and a new bit of pipe which runs along bottom of boiler and the labour to do all that.
It is so called engineers/plumbers like him that made me leave London and a good business because the reputation of plumbers hit an all time low and the public perception was that all were rip off merchants. For my money he has not acted professionally and failed to identify your problem...at your cost! I think he should be fixing it now at his expence and if not you would be more than justified to complain to CORGI. It is quite simple ask for the parts that he removed, once your system is working you can assertain that the parts were not needed by substitution , if they were needed, fine you have the good new ones, if they wernt you have the evidence to back up a claim against him.
Are you sure he actually changed the parts he has charged you for? (there are no exchange units by the way!) it would not be the first time.
I do hope for your sake the fault is now correctly identified and your problems are at an end.
Just one more thing, ask him for his corgi registration I/D and watch his face it is a bit like a drivers licence with a photo, if he has one take his reg number, if he doesnt you are dealing with a cowboy, get all the info you can and report him to trading standards/corgi, they should help get your money refunded. Of course he fitted a new boiler without problems, it didnt have faults on it and just because it works dosnt mean it complies with regulations!!

[Tiger]

I think he is spinning you a line, firstly if it is a sealed system or not where is the air coming from? a properly designed system should not generate or entrain air and if vented out properly once the water is de-airated there should be no more air produced. If he is saying that air is the problem and it is not being scavenged by the auto vent the cause of that needs to be identified or there is a potencial for system corrosion (and inhibitor will only mask the effects of that!)
Also given that air is the problem then why has he managed to spend £270.00 of your money on a possibly unneeded PCB, water valve, pressure relief valve and a new bit of pipe which runs along bottom of boiler and the labour to do all that.
It is so called engineers/plumbers like him that made me leave London and a good business because the reputation of plumbers hit an all time low and the public perception was that all were rip off merchants. For my money he has not acted professionally and failed to identify your problem...at your cost! I think he should be fixing it now at his expence and if not you would be more than justified to complain to CORGI. It is quite simple ask for the parts that he removed, once your system is working you can assertain that the parts were not needed by substitution , if they were needed, fine you have the good new ones, if they wernt you have the evidence to back up a claim against him.
Are you sure he actually changed the parts he has charged you for? (there are no exchange units by the way!) it would not be the first time.
I do hope for your sake the fault is now correctly identified and your problems are at an end.
Just one more thing, ask him for his corgi registration I/D and watch his face it is a bit like a drivers licence with a photo, if he has one take his reg number, if he doesnt you are dealing with a cowboy, get all the info you can and report him to trading standards/corgi, they should help get your money refunded. Of course he fitted a new boiler without problems, it didnt have faults on it and just because it works dosnt mean it complies with regulations!!

There are companies that recondition pcb's and exchange them

[fatfires]

There are companies that recondition pcb's and exchange them

True, but you need to have one to part ex, I am not aware of any manufacturer that does , also as the gas safety regs say that parts fitted must be original manufacturers and should be tested, there has always and still is the question of legallity of use. I dont have a problem with 'patten parts' but one would wonder if someone with such rudimentry product knowledge as this 'engineer ' would use them. bearing in mind the huge variety of PCB's out there, recons are generally used by engineers who only maintain 1 or 2 makes because of the cost implications of stocking parts for all makes. It is also worth remembering that the original part is the property of the owner, therefore they would have to be aware if they were 'part ex-ing' or the removal of the part without knowledge is tantermount to theft, also use of non genuine parts probably invalidates the unit warentee.
I listed things to try to identify rouge traders/cowboys in an atempt to help our poor coleague who looks as though he has been taken for a ride.

[Philip]

Update

Last night after he left, boiler was working great. Heat at last, except once again had water dripping from pipe outside back wall, which was the problem in the first place. I looked at boiler and it was reading 2.5 pressure, when its never been above 1.00 (pressure never that great where we live. Next doors boiler just under 1.00) He had left the water which comes from mains to top up sysyem, ON. I turned it off and OK till midnight.This morning boiler boiler won't fire up. He is supposed to come back in an hour or so, so will leave it till then.
Thanks for info again

Regards Philip