Hello, I’m a first time poster so forgive me if this is repeated ground, or if I ask a stupid question.
About a month ago my boiler (Glowworm Fuelsaver 35F) started ‘locking out’ after anywhere between 10mins and a few hours of turning on. The lock-out requires me to push a reset switch, so I’m assuming it’s a safety lock out. When it does, the casing of the boiler is hot, so I assumed over-heating was the cause.
I got British Gas out, but all they said was that my system was full of sludge and that I should think about getting a new boiler installed. (good for them, bad for me). I have since tried putting a sludge remover into my system after draining it, in a hope that it will allow the system to have a sufficient flow rate to keep the boiler cool. It has been a week or so (the chemical can remain in my system for up to 4 weeks apparently), but I have seen no real improvement for it. The radiators got hotter within a couple of hours, so the chemical is doing something.
I got to thinking that the lock-outs started quite suddenly, and if reduced flow rate, due to sludge was the culprit, then surely they would have started more gradually? Say, locking out occasionally to start with.
What other reasons are there for a boiler like this to lock out? Could the pump be broken? The fan in the boiler also sounds a little dodgy at times, like it’s seizing. The pump also makes a reasonable noise. Could these be a problem?
Any pointers or opinions would be very gratefully received.
(I have a standard open, indirect system from what I can see. I have 8 radiators, all fed by micro-bore pipe work. I assume the heating is original with the house i.e. ~1986. I have been in my house for 6 months now )
Thanks
About a month ago my boiler (Glowworm Fuelsaver 35F) started ‘locking out’ after anywhere between 10mins and a few hours of turning on. The lock-out requires me to push a reset switch, so I’m assuming it’s a safety lock out. When it does, the casing of the boiler is hot, so I assumed over-heating was the cause.
I got British Gas out, but all they said was that my system was full of sludge and that I should think about getting a new boiler installed. (good for them, bad for me). I have since tried putting a sludge remover into my system after draining it, in a hope that it will allow the system to have a sufficient flow rate to keep the boiler cool. It has been a week or so (the chemical can remain in my system for up to 4 weeks apparently), but I have seen no real improvement for it. The radiators got hotter within a couple of hours, so the chemical is doing something.
I got to thinking that the lock-outs started quite suddenly, and if reduced flow rate, due to sludge was the culprit, then surely they would have started more gradually? Say, locking out occasionally to start with.
What other reasons are there for a boiler like this to lock out? Could the pump be broken? The fan in the boiler also sounds a little dodgy at times, like it’s seizing. The pump also makes a reasonable noise. Could these be a problem?
Any pointers or opinions would be very gratefully received.
(I have a standard open, indirect system from what I can see. I have 8 radiators, all fed by micro-bore pipe work. I assume the heating is original with the house i.e. ~1986. I have been in my house for 6 months now )
Thanks
These type of boiler are LOW water content (about 1 or 2 pints) so they a prone to sludge or scale build up. 
