Problem with Ferroli Boiler - please help

Hi there,

I would be grateful for a help with a combi-boiler related issue. I have been without hot water/heating for 5 weeks and have had three engineers look at my boiler, although no joy.

So far this is what has happended. The Ferroli Boiler is about ten years old has been serviced every 4 years. The red warning light popped on one day and would not go out. The first engineer came and cleaned/hoovered out the boiler and checked it over and suggested I needed a replacement 700 quid PCB. I did not trust this and got a second opinion, and it was discovered that one of the ignitor arms had snapped off! Anyway, I got a replacement from Ferroli a month later (!) and it was fitted. The engineer who fitted it still got a red light, but after fiddling with the position of the ignitor, it started working and the heating was working OK again. However, the release valve was dripping and after 20 minutes a trickle appeared, so back came the engineer. He replaced the release valve (the red one that springs shut when let go and reduces the water pressure) and we were back in business. After an hour test, we turned off the boiler.

That evening I went to turn the boiler on and noticed the bar pressure gauge was at zero. The boiler would not ignite or anything, and now the red warning light is back on as soon as I turn it on.

I read that the boiler may need its expansion vessel repressurised, except this boiler does not seem to have one! There is small unit with a tyre cap and thread, but the unit is tiny (like 5 x 4 inches). Air does seem to exit from it if I push a pin in it, but it seems far too small to be an expansion vessel??

Does anyone have any ideas what the problem might be?

I pressurised using the black tap under the boiler, to 1 bar (as recommended by the manual) but no luck - red light.

Regards,
Sophie

The expansion vessel is normally red and at the back, it can be accessed from the top of most boilers. It may help if you reveal the model of your Ferolli. Turning the power off for a minute or so, may reset it.

Thanks for the reply - appreciated.

The small unit I found was under the boiler, but it still had an air cap - obviously the wrong thing?

I cannot for the life of me see anything resembling an expansaion vessel. Could my boiler not have one?

The boiler is a Ferroli "Fluss" if that helps - about 10 years old.

Regards,
Sophie

ferroli said:

The boiler is a Ferroli "Fluss" if that helps - about 10 years old.

Click to expand...

Have another look. Never heard of a 'fluss'

most likely boiler is a Modena or F24 /F30 but they are similar boilers and all work the same.

when you have 1 bar pressure the 5 light will be static green when you have no pressure it will flash

on the control knob you should have off on reset set the timer to constant
then turn knob to reset let go and it will return to on.

it should now fire up for heating, if you turn on a tap it will go into water mode and turning off taps will set boiler to stand by mode 5 minute delay before it goes back to heating.

the ferroli fluss 24..??? turn the heating on and watch the dial on the pressure guage and see if the pressure rises if you've checked the expansion did any water come out with the air?? if so then it will be but it could well be the heat exchanger that has become scaled and block. or perhaps a filter. u can work out the heat exchanger if u get the case off and feel the pipes that go in and out off it it one is so hot u cant touch and the other is luke warm the its that. the red light will be a stat or thermistor problem or worst scenario pcb

Yes, the 24. Circia 1924 I think. Right, I found the expansion vessel - hooray.

Do i drain the system using the water release valve, and then pump up the vessel to 0.7 bar (10 PSI), and then put back in 1 bar of water pressure using the black tap?

I checked the expansion vessel quickly and no water is present, not a drop.

Lol my 3 engineers did not feel any pipes! i think I've been ripped off

Please can someone let me know about the above?

Thanks,
Sophie

NOOOOOOOOO! Do not touch the prv. High chance it will keep leaking.
Either find the draincock, or get some water out by opening a bleed nipple.
You will also need a pressure gauge to test before and after pumping up. Couple of quid at car spares shops

Could also be a problem with the low water pressure switch?

Something could be blocking the hole behind it which is tiny or the switch itself could be faulty. You can link it out to see if it clears the red light.

Situated bottom left hand side of the boiler (inside obviously) looks like a small black doorknob with two wires connected to it and fitted into the pipe/brass section just above the thermistor,replacement one is about £20,link the two wires and see what happens but make sure you turn the power off to the boiler first.

Tony.

I recommend PRV should be operated at each annual service. It is meant to lift at 3bar. Have been to boilers where pressure goes a lot higher before PRV suddenly lifts to release system pressure sometimes effecting other components due to excessive pressure.

So what if the PRV starts leaking. It is safety component that should be checked

Thanks for all the replies, but not keen to touch wiring

I would attempt to repressurise if I had very simple instructions. Some of the posts on here said to get the pressure down to 0 on the gauge and then up the expansion vessel, and then bring it up to 1 bar - is that incorrect?

I attached a car pump to the EV and it read 0 psi. One problem I had was that if I pumped it up to 10 psi then pulled off the device, air would quickly leak for a while and then it was back to 0 psi again It seems I am not fast enough getting the pump off the valve

Could I pump it up to say 20 psi and then release it - that way it may keep some bloody air in it??

Regards,
Sophie

Could I pump it up to say 20 psi and then release it

Click to expand...

yes
make sure you have a drain point open when pumping the vessel up.

Where would the "drain point" be ? Sorry...

quite often just below the boiler, failing that under your lowest rad, or one of them.
looks like

Mick, none of my rads have bleeders and the boiler does not have a release tap like that. The engineer, when he came, used the red valve to release water. It has a hose that goes into a bucket currently - it does not go outside.

All of my rads are on one floor btw, same level.

Can I use the red valve to release water. This valve opens and closes itself when let go. I think it is the pressure release valve.

Regards,
Sophie