Boiler Alpha 240p no hot water

[matt777]

Hi,

I've just moved into a house with an (apparently working - according to the vendor) alpha 240p boiler and am getting very little hot water.

I only get hot water if i set the tap to a drizzle - any more and it goes cold. The rads heat up instead though.

From previous posts I'm assuming that its the diverter valve. The boiler fires up fine even when the tap is on only slightly - so it seems that the diaphragm is ok.

I had an engineer round who quoted £250 to fix, but suggested its not worth it and would be better to replace the boiler. I can't afford to replace it now though.

I think I'm going to either buy a reconditioned diverter for £50, or buy a repair kit for £30 and do the work myself (I'm pretty competent at most diy, although I've never worked on a boiler itself before)

My questions are:

1) Is it possible/likely that it isn't the diverter - for example if the dhw heat exchanger was blocked would that also give the same symptons?
2) Is there any way to check that the rest of the boiler is ok (I don't want to spend money/time replacing the diverter if there is loads else wrong with it anyway).


Any advice gratefully received!

Matt

 

[ChrisR]

Keep the boiler, change the Engineer.
You can refurb the diverter valve, amd clean the dhw heat ex while you're at it, with a bit of care, nouse and a kit of bits. Plenty of threads on it here.
ABout

 

[gas4you]

£250 + VAT is usually the price I would charge for a new replacement DV on an alpha, so I don't think he's unreasonable.

If you think you can refurbish it your self for £30 then who's stopping you.

Don't go down the unknown reconditioned route. New or diy refurb.

I personally would never refurb them. Always new.

 

[Agile]

What worries me more is that this "engineer" apparently came out free to diagnose the problem. If he does that all the time its not surprising that he has to charge a bit more.

We never do that as its not cost effective for the customer. We give a budgetary price over the telephone but always charge a fixed price diagnostic charge after which the customer can pay us to complete the repair, DIY or get another engineer to do it.

In our local area we would be charging around £200.

Tony

 

[matt777]

The £250 (which didn't include VAT btw) was on top of £75 + VAT I already had to pay to get him to come and look at it.

I realise that the time it takes an engineer to come and fix it will mean it will be expensive - thats why I want to do it myself as to me, my time is free.

 

[gas4you]

Ah! I wuldn't have charged the first visit for doing FA

 

[nickso]

if you are handy enough just get a copy of the instructions and do it yourself.....its not that hard.

just dont be a moaner if it takes you a week to do it.

 

[Paul Barker]

I'll do it for £250 and I live in Scarborough!

but you needn't pay that much, get primary water section for £100 something like, half hour to have it fitted by a professional, maybe in your area £70 labour.

Boiler is an absolute diamond. I know an alpha service agent took one happily out of a skip did a small job on it like yours fitted it for a relative, worked great since.

I have to fix them under service contract, not had any dificult jobs to do, they are one of the best boiler designs ever.

A job well worth doing on your boiler.

 

[namsag]

Divertor cost about £75inc and takes no more than an hour.to fit. So what do you think.. Half decent budget boiler that is more reliable than more expenive worceters an vaillants

 

[gas4you]

Where do you get a genuine alpha DV for that price

I price mine at £220 retail for DV plus 1hr minimum attendance at £60 + VAT

 

[Gasguru]

Trade price was around £150 for new lump.

Refurb kit +aav +drain off +bypass O rings about £50.00 and allow 1/2 day lab.

 

[namsag]

Exact same part as used on the baxi 105/ 80e seeing as baxi bought the boiler design off alpha. List price fom gas appliance spares £71.77 minus 20% trade price add 17.5% vat plus carriage total approx £75 next day delivery

 

[gas4you]

See what you mean. Just looked it up on parts centre, only £93 + VAT retail, £59 trade with no postage.

I know what I'll buy next time

Cheers

 

[namsag]

Dave most 105e/80e parts are far cheaper than the same alpha part. REFUSE to use parts centre promise you the world and always fail.....Its about time them and plumbcentre got there act together, Example today customer has a NT1000 shower has gone caput PC want £144 plus vat £169 non discountable item ... Go to focus and they have it for for £100. or higher spec nt1500 for £129 .. What a joke

 

[gas4you]

I must admit I only use them as a last resort if my mates parts shop is out of stock. He is only 1/4 mile down the road from me anyway.

I use parts center web site to price the job then buy from him