FERROLI F 24 B CONDENSING COMBI BOILER

[annie_81]

Please can someone help!! I have a Ferroli F24B boiler. It's a nightmare! My warranty has run out and at present I'm in a battle with Ferroli trying to get a new boiler and more warranty.

It was installed over 2 years ago by a registered corgi engineer. For the last 2 years I've had various problems. The consistent problem I'm getting is:

I have to re start my boiler practically every week in order to get hot water or heating. Ferroli has been out 7 times in the last 3 months but they don't know what the problem is! The clock has been changed, the pressure has been adjusted, I've even had Transco out to change the Governor on the gas mains but nothing seems to work. The red light comes on the boiler and it won't work until I restart it.

Does anyone know what the problems is???

[Rob]

If the problem was initially reported within the warranty period then they must fix it or replace it.

[annie_81]

rob884 wrote:

If the problem was initially reported within the warranty period then they must fix it or replace it.

Hi, thanks for your reply. Is this an official thing? My warranty only ran out in beginning of Oct. They don't make this boiler anymore and I'm considering contacting Trading Standards too.

[simond]

If it is the same problem that was reported inside the warranty period and you have proof that the original repair failed to fix it, then you could have a case under the Sale of Goods Act regarding a fit for purpose repair.

It is not reasonable to expect a new boiler if the warranty repairer can demonstrate that the current one is fixable, however it would seem they haven't done this to date.

There was another post here just a few days ago where it later transpired that the owner had thermostatic rad valves fitted everywhere and no room thermostat - - this could cause the boiler to gradually build up heat and then go to lockout.

Or similarly, you could have some TRV equipped radiators and some manual ones, if you were to shut the manual ones the same problem could occur.

In other words, boilers fitted outside the manufacturer instructions, or valves being adjusted to take them outside their normal operating conditions, can give what appear to be intermittent random lockouts.

Worth checking.

Finally, when someone fits an Italian boiler I assume the whole job was cheap; their budget end installer is far more likely to miss out vital components or make errors with wiring and system design. I think 50% of the budget boiler reliability problem is the position on the Darwin scale of the installer.

[annie_81]

simond wrote:

If it is the same problem that was reported inside the warranty period and you have proof that the original repair failed to fix it, then you could have a case under the Sale of Goods Act regarding a fit for purpose repair. It is not reasonable to expect a new boiler if the warranty repairer can demonstrate that the current one is fixable, however it would seem they haven't done this to date. There was another post here just a few days ago where it later transpired that the owner had thermostatic rad valves fitted everywhere and no room thermostat - - this could cause the boiler to gradually build up heat and then go to lockout. Or similarly, you could have some TRV equipped radiators and some manual ones, if you were to shut the manual ones the same problem could occur. In other words, boilers fitted outside the manufacturer instructions, or valves being adjusted to take them outside their normal operating conditions, can give what appear to be intermittent random lockouts. Worth checking. Finally, when someone fits an Italian boiler I assume the whole job was cheap; their budget end installer is far more likely to miss out vital components or make errors with wiring and system design. I think 50% of the budget boiler reliability problem is the position on the Darwin scale of the installer.

Hi Simon, thanks for the reply. yes all rads have the thermostaic valve on them. As for the boiler building up heat, this is not the case as the boiler is not in use when I'm in bed so for 8 hours during the evening and 10 hours during the day (when I'm at work) it's not being used. So when I come home to have a shower or turn the heating on it won't until I restart the boiler then it will come on!

It is the same problem, they have never actually repaired anything as they don't know what the problem is in order to repair it. They've done things like, change the clock, change a purple wire, cleaned the vent to see if that's the cause but other than that they haven't fixed or repaired anything.

As for the job being cheap, I have no idea, I called british gas out to give me a quote and that was hilarious £4000 to change a boiler and new piping to it. So I went with a local plumber and paid £2500 for the boiler, new rads everywhere and new piping (including removing old back boiler etc)

Thanks for the response, I'm waiting on Ferroli to get back to me! I won't hold my breath tho!

[simond]

I suggest you try removing just one of the Thermostatic Valve heads just as a trial.

They usually remove from the water valve by just unscrewing a knurled ring, easy peasy.

What have you to lose?

PS: Bearing in mind your story, I think the British Gas quote would have been better value.

[annie_81]

simond wrote:

I suggest you try removing just one of the Thermostatic Valve heads just as a trial. They usually remove from the water valve by just unscrewing a knurled ring, easy peasy. What have you to lose? PS: Bearing in mind your story, I think the British Gas quote would have been better value.

Hi again Simon, I'm defo going to try this. Yep I'm thinking BG would have been a better idea. Thing was I bought this house alone am only 26, cost me 90k and needed total renovation so was on a very tight budget lol.

I'll live and learn though!! Thanks again Simon.

[navigator]

i have a 24b!! it is rubbish.
it was 12months old when it started to leak. ferrolli eventually replaced the heat exchanger.
6mths later leaking. eon fix it
6mths later leaking eon fix it new o rings..wait 2 weeks for o rings from ferrolli.
red light comes on intermittently all over the last 2years have had eon out 5 times . eventually traced to a faulty temp sensor. wait 4 weeks for ferrolli to deliver sensor.
3yrs on . water pressure keeps dropping. eventually i trace it to a leak in the boiler as water is coming out the condensate pipe. solution eon say is you need a new heat exchanger. thats 2 in 3yrs!!!! 1week and still waiting for ferrolli to deliver the spare. meantime topping up the boiler every 40 minutes!!!
Would i recommend ferrolli...err NO!!!

[romek]

Hi
Sometime in this boilers is problem with condens trap. Don't know why but sensing electrode is stupidly fixed and this can sometime cause fault. This electrode is make short circuit to flame detecting electrode and is loking like gas valve fault etc. Do not do it yourself but tell to your Gas Safe engineer to have look at this.

romek

annie_81 wrote:

Please can someone help!! I have a Ferroli F24B boiler. It's a nightmare! My warranty has run out and at present I'm in a battle with Ferroli trying to get a new boiler and more warranty. It was installed over 2 years ago by a registered corgi engineer. For the last 2 years I've had various problems. The consistent problem I'm getting is: I have to re start my boiler practically every week in order to get hot water or heating. Ferroli has been out 7 times in the last 3 months but they don't know what the problem is! The clock has been changed, the pressure has been adjusted, I've even had Transco out to change the Governor on the gas mains but nothing seems to work. The red light comes on the boiler and it won't work until I restart it. Does anyone know what the problems is???

[chill]

doh!

one British-Gas service later and our ferroli boiler is still playing up...
it starts itself and shoots up to max heating temperature -
despite the heating-temp selector-dial being on ZERO.
Engineer said this was normal (up to 85 degrees)
to protect against frost damage...

don't think so - temp outside is just below room temp.

we are thinking now we need to get a proper repair done,
with a full description of the fault, before arranging with the
repair engineer.

meanwhile: £75 down the drain to the British-Gas clowns

[Agile]

Oops,

for your first post you have managed to add to an old thread starting from 2007!

[michele5041]

Did you ask for a service or repair. If it was a service you got exactly what you paid for.

[chill]

geee thanks for the sympathy michele...

have now resorted to setting the boiler max output power to around 35%
...
to be seen if this has any effect

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

I made the mistake of fitting Ferroli boilers for my customers, and they were put in properly, never again.

[Agile]

I am not sure that you have understood the difference.

A service is just that, a routine service, checking settings and cleaning things. That pretty easy.

A "repair" needs an engineer who has significant skills and experience at identifying faults on boilers.

Some faults are caused by misadjustments which a FULL and diligent service would identify but you cannot assume that either the fault is one of those or that the newly qualified person doing the service would even identify that.

Then there is the question of the cost. For example we charge £55 for a service and £84 for a repair! The repair is usually done the same day but the service when we can fit it in and usually intentionally at least a week later !

£75 for a service with BG? Perhaps thats just because it is still within the heating season. Last year they were advertising servicing in the summer for about £39 which we cannot compete with in London. But of course they may plan to catch those with dangerous boilers, turn them off and quote for a replacement at a rather higher price.

Tony