Hello,
I hope someone might be able to assist me with this problem.
I have an old central heating system, a Servowarm Elite 30 which has served me very well until this summer, when the boiler stopped working and the problem was diagnosed as a failed pump. After having been told by the company that I needed a specific pump which was not available and the only recourse was to replace the boiler, I had a plumber look at it who said a standard pump would work just as well, although it would not fit inside the boiler as it also necessitated replacing the valves either side. This was subsequently fitted about a month later.
Since then, the water has been nice and hot, the radiators almost too hot to touch and some of the radiators and pipes 'tick' while the system is working. I don’t know how long the pump had been working at a reduced rate but the system is certainly much better now.
However, the boiler now makes a terrible racket when it is running (both water and heating), groaning and moaning with all sorts of howls and knocks and vibration. It keeps us awake at night if it starts up, so I have had to reduce the [programmable] thermostat overnight with the overall temperature lower than ideal. I think that if this carries on, something is going to break and be very messy and expensive, so cannot be allowed to continue. It stops making a noise when the flames go out. I have the pump on the lowest setting.
I know that replacement parts are not available so I have done some research to try and find out what is wrong, with limited success. I can’t see anything this specific on your site.
I thought that it might be due to dirt and scale etc in the system - specifically the heat exchange as this is where I believe the noise to be coming from - and thought that the Fernox products introduced into the system would hopefully cure this. As the system would need a power flush before a replacement boiler is fitted anyway, this would not be a waste of money.
I am worried though that it may cause leaks in the system.
A neighbour has suggested that it could be air in the system, and I can get air out of the vent in the airing cupboard by the water tank almost on a daily basis although I don’t think that there is air in the radiators.
But it has occurred to me that it might simply be that the system is running far too hot now.
Is it possible to open the compartment where the flames are (boiler off of course) to have a look and see what is in there with the idea of maybe taking the exchange out and cleaning it? Could it be the thermocouple, which I know has been replaced in the past and which I think is a standard replacement? How do I tell it is in the correct position? How do I tell it is working?
Could it be due to the new pipework joining the in and out pipes where the pump used to be, in which case I will have to get the plumber to come back and have a look at his work?
Thank you in advance.
I hope someone might be able to assist me with this problem.
I have an old central heating system, a Servowarm Elite 30 which has served me very well until this summer, when the boiler stopped working and the problem was diagnosed as a failed pump. After having been told by the company that I needed a specific pump which was not available and the only recourse was to replace the boiler, I had a plumber look at it who said a standard pump would work just as well, although it would not fit inside the boiler as it also necessitated replacing the valves either side. This was subsequently fitted about a month later.
Since then, the water has been nice and hot, the radiators almost too hot to touch and some of the radiators and pipes 'tick' while the system is working. I don’t know how long the pump had been working at a reduced rate but the system is certainly much better now.
However, the boiler now makes a terrible racket when it is running (both water and heating), groaning and moaning with all sorts of howls and knocks and vibration. It keeps us awake at night if it starts up, so I have had to reduce the [programmable] thermostat overnight with the overall temperature lower than ideal. I think that if this carries on, something is going to break and be very messy and expensive, so cannot be allowed to continue. It stops making a noise when the flames go out. I have the pump on the lowest setting.
I know that replacement parts are not available so I have done some research to try and find out what is wrong, with limited success. I can’t see anything this specific on your site.
I thought that it might be due to dirt and scale etc in the system - specifically the heat exchange as this is where I believe the noise to be coming from - and thought that the Fernox products introduced into the system would hopefully cure this. As the system would need a power flush before a replacement boiler is fitted anyway, this would not be a waste of money.
I am worried though that it may cause leaks in the system.
A neighbour has suggested that it could be air in the system, and I can get air out of the vent in the airing cupboard by the water tank almost on a daily basis although I don’t think that there is air in the radiators.
But it has occurred to me that it might simply be that the system is running far too hot now.
Is it possible to open the compartment where the flames are (boiler off of course) to have a look and see what is in there with the idea of maybe taking the exchange out and cleaning it? Could it be the thermocouple, which I know has been replaced in the past and which I think is a standard replacement? How do I tell it is in the correct position? How do I tell it is working?
Could it be due to the new pipework joining the in and out pipes where the pump used to be, in which case I will have to get the plumber to come back and have a look at his work?
Thank you in advance.