Boiler issues. Am I being taken for a ride?

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Excuse the length of this post. I haven't posted here before and will put a lot of detail as I'm not sure what is and isn't relevant.

I bought a flat last month. Moved in properly about two weeks ago. The 10 year old boiler was fairly noisy, like an aeroplane taking off. It's been serviced every year and was serviced just before I moved in. The boiler is a Worcester Bosch greenstar.

After a few days the heating stopped working. The boiler was firing up, making loud noises, then a big bang and the pilot light went out and it stopped working. The hot water was still working.

Called the company who had serviced it and they sent an engineer out who bled the heaters but said it was the pump causing the issue. Asked if I would like to replace the pump as the issue was likely to reoccur. I agreed. The next day a different engineer from the same company came to fit a new pump. He couldn't turn the valves near the pump off (not sure of correct term) so had to drain the whole system. He said the type of valves near the pump are good ones and that you basically last forever.
He drained the system and put the new pump in, refilled the system, turned the boiler on and after a short while boiler cut out and also flipped the RCD, turning off all electrics in the flat.

RCD is permanently stuck in down. Engineer spends ages trying to work out what is causing this. Changes spur on boiler control panel. Unplugs all appliances. Lifts floorboards up. Cannot work it out. I ask if if there was any water damage when changing the pump and he says definitely not. He has to call an electrician. Electrician not able to come until the eve. Engineer leaves and says once the electrician fixes the circuit board issue, the boiler will be fine. Left without heating, hot water or electricity. Electrician arrives at night, has a look and says RCD is completely broken and the circuit board needs to be replaced but he can't do it until the new year. He does a temporary fix (unsure what that is) and gets the electrics working. Says everything should be up and running.

(note - there were no problems at all with the electrics before the engineer replaced the pump)

After the electrician leaves I see that the boiler is still switched off. I turn it on, it fires up and goes out within seconds. The same problem I've had from the start. Another engineer from the same company (more senior) comes out the next morning. Spends a while looking at the boiler and works out that it was banging and cutting out because there is a valve (didn't catch the name of it) the wrong way round. He couldn't fix it then and there because it was Christmas eve, so he did a temporary fix that gave me heating and hot water (I have to have the thermostat on 30 but can control the heating from the radiators or turn it off). I asked if the pump shouldn't have been replaced at all as the problem was the valve. I didn't really understand his reply and then he left.

I'm now left very confused and wondering if the pump wasn't the problem at all and the original engineer made a mistake which was not picked up by the second engineer. I'm also worried that I'm being taken for a ride, and that the problem with my electrics is caused by the fault in the boiler and I don't need a whole new circuit board. They haven't invoiced me yet, but I'm worried it will be for a massive amount, as will the replacing of the circuit board.

Thanks for your help in advance
 
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If it's a Worcester-Bosch Greenstar, it won't have a pilot light, and if it is there are several different versions. Do you have a model number available, or can you post a photo of it? If your electrics stay on when your boiler is isolated, but go off once the electrical supply to the boiler is restored, it does sound like you have a boiler issue. The fans on some models can be noisy if they're failing, and a failing fan could overload the electrics enough to trip the power (although you'd normally have a 3 amp fuse in the boiler supply which would blow). Bit more info on the boiler and a couple of photos would be useful.
 
Thanks for the reply. Maybe pilot light was the wrong term. It's the green light in the bottom left hand corner of the boiler where the on/off switch is. I've put a photo of the boiler here. It says greenstar ri
 

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Have you paid them anything?

Have you kept the old pump?
 
They all sound like total incompetents, who don't have much of a clue. Don't pay them any more, but have them get get someone in who knows what they are doing.
 
I haven't paid them anything yet as they haven't invoiced me. When I mentioned the circuit board, I think I've used the wrong term - I'm talking about the fuse box that controls the electricity for the whole flat.
 
I haven't paid them anything yet as they haven't invoiced me. When I mentioned the circuit board, I think I've used the wrong term - I'm talking about the fuse box that controls the electricity for the whole flat.

I don't think you are being deliberately taken for a ride, as such - more it's a case of total incompetence at your eventual expense. To take just one point - the electrician should have been able to easily trace the reason (the circuit) why your RCD cannot be reset. It's a permanent fault, easy to find. Much more difficult is an intermittent fault. It reads as if the electrician doesn't understand how an RCD works.

Your heating guys are just chucking parts at the problem, in the hope that if they fit enough parts it will cure the problem and in the process causing more problems. Where did you find these people?
 
Harry, we don't know the full picture here... Don't be so quick to judge!

3x different engineers round each with a different diagnosis, couples with a completely new fault introduced (which may be coincidence)

Sounds like there a bunch of Muppets and haven't a clue.

After 3 attempts I would have thought they be a bit closer to the fault instead of just chucking parts at it
 
3x different engineers round each with a different diagnosis, couples with a completely new fault introduced (which may be coincidence)

Sounds like there a bunch of Muppets and haven't a clue.

After 3 attempts I would have thought they be a bit closer to the fault instead of just chucking parts at it

And all we have... Is the OP's side of things!
 
I haven't paid them anything yet as they haven't invoiced me. When I mentioned the circuit board, I think I've used the wrong term - I'm talking about the fuse box that controls the electricity for the whole flat.
Yes that is what I thought, not the same thing at all that is the consumer unit, your boiler is a WB Ri, with your description of the fault , I would suspect resonation, you cant do anything yourself, I doubt if the pump or whatever valve you mentioned would have anything to do with it, but I wasnt there so just have to go on what you described
 
Your heating guys are just chucking parts at the problem, in the hope that if they fit enough parts it will cure the problem and in the process causing more problems.

A new pump was fitted along with a "boiler spur" (whatever that is). Hardly chucking parts at it.
 
I don't want to try and fix anything myself - far from it. I just came on this forum to see if this sounded like normal procedure or if anyone knew about the valve that might be causing the issue.
With regards to the electrician - he was here late in the evening and in a rush, trying to give me a quick fix so I could have electricity.

I'm more concerned that the pump was not the problem at all and has been replaced for no reason - seeing as the problem still persists.

Was also trying to find if someone has knowledge that a valve the wrong way around could cause the heating to shut off (but the hot water to still work).
 

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