Faulty switch + smell on boiler - help please!

[Auriol]

Hi all

My boiler is fairly old (not sure how old, but the gas man said that they can't get parts for it any more). He said it was safe (provided the cert), but then a few days later the switch stopped working, and so now we have to turn it on and off at the mains to get heating/hot water. I asked if this was okay, and they said it won't do any harm in the short term, but it's obviously not ideal. This has been going on for about a fortnight.

My landlord has now agreed to replace the boiler, and this is being done on Wednesday. However, sometimes when we turn the boiler back on, there is a strong smell of...ammonia...? I can't quite put my finger on it so I might be mistaken - but there's definitely an odour. I wouldn't say it was a gas smell - like the hob, for example. It dissipates after about 5/10 minutes.

I'm paranoid that this means that the boiler is leaking, and might blow up! I know nothing about these things, but any guidance would be gratefully received...

Thanks in advance.

Ax

 

[Steelmasons]

Turn it off until Wednesday..

 

[Auriol]

Really? Does this sound dangerous to you? It will be a massive inconvenience (not so much the heating but the hot water) - but obviously I'd rather be safe! Thanks for your help.

 

[Steelmasons]

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[Auriol]

Obviously I don't know if it's dangerous, hence I'm asking for advice - thought I might find someone who knows what they're talking about, but I'll keep looking. Turning off my access to heating and hot water for 4 days is not ideal, but if an expert told me that the circumstances I've described were symptomatic of a serious problem, I would do so. You'd do well to remember the old adage 'if you can't say anything nice...don't say anything at all'. And I'm very doubtful that anyone would bother trolling a forum about DIY. Thanks anyway!

 

[Steelmasons]

Any chance you can post the smell?
What boiler?
Take a photo of the certificate and post it on here.....me thinks that won't happen.

 

[Auriol]

What good would posting a photo of my gas certificate do? Don't you think I've got better things to do than troll people about gas boilers? Pretty sure if I was going to do any trolling I'd pick a more salacious forum. Any chance you can post your address so I can send your wife a sympathy card?

 

[Steelmasons]

So what boiler have you got?
My first wife left me years ago...as did all the others.

 

[Auriol]

No sh*t. It's a Worcester 240.

 

[Auriol]

Well, in the best case scenario, something like 'don't worry, all combi boilers have safety settings which mean they won't blow up, they'll just shut down' or 'gas doesn't smell like ammonia, so that's probably XYZ'. I've got a CO detector. Having said that, weirdly I have suddenly developed a massive headache...

 

[Steelmasons]

Ok let's put the trolling aside for a minute....
Turn the boiler off until such time it has been checked over , the headaches you are experiencing could be due to CO poisoning....
Will you take this advice and isolate the boiler?

 

[snes]

I hate to say this, Steely, but I thing Auriol won this one on points.

Classy answers with a hint of a barb. I think I'm going to double her thanks count.....

 

[polesapart]

+1

I've trebled it!

 

[Twenty Four]

I hate to say this, Steely, but I thing Auriol won this one on points.

Classy answers with a hint of a barb. I think I'm going to double her thanks count.....

Absolutely, the thick plumber who struggles with advice and advise was well and truly owned.

 

[DaveHerns]

Turn off the boiler at the electric supply. I don't know what switch you're referring to but the smell might be because it's arcing internally.