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
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