Potterton Profile 80e boiler cutting off no heating or water

Hi

The Potterton Profile 80e boiler is 9 years old. It was serviced 1 month ago but last week boiler was cutting off after coming on for 2 to 5 minutes. Call to Home Emergency and engineer came and replaced the Circulation pump on the first floor landing. When he changed the pump, he showed me sludge on the pump and suggested that I need a Power flush. So I authorised the flush . Two days later powe flush guy came from same company and looked at the hot water cylinder in the airing cupboard which had a red jacket on it and said that as it is very old cylinder he cannot take risk to do power flush as cylinder may leak! Two guys from same company. The power flush guy was ****ed off as he came all the way from Luton 20 miles journey. I said to him you guys do not talk to each other! I have now got a quote of over £1000 to change the Cylinder? Is it a rip off? I checked the pip work to Pump and when the boiler is on for 3 to 4 minutes, the pipe up to Hot Water Cylinder in/out is hot and also near the pump but the pipe after the Mid Position 3 port valve is not hot. Is it the case that the Valve is faulty and closed off thus not circulating the water? Room thermostat is on to full.

Please advise. This is fully pump system with F&E tank in the loft.

Another problem I have is that when the boiler was working, when you put the programmer on Hot water only, all the radiators comes on and we have to close the RADs in the summer. This may say something about the current problem?

Reply ASAP as we have been without the CH /HW for a week, although the immersion heater on the HW works so we still get hot water through electric but not through CH System.

Cylinder price is a massive rip off try halfing it

the total value of the estimate is £1176
Here are the items on the estimate:
Vented Copper Cylinder 48 x 18, programmer, Room Thermostat, Cylinder thermostat, Pipe and
Fittings, DanFos DV, Supply and Install

sounds like 3 port valve is letting by causing rads to get hot, also worth checking if cold feed is blocked, this could explain boiler not staying on very long as there is no water at top of system usually near pump. Although first engineer should have checked this when he changed pump. Does the pump sound like its struggling? Check f/e tank is full as well, if you have a blocked feed it only needs cutting out and replacing you don't always need a powerflush, i would get a second opinion. You can check for blockage around cold feed and vent by using a magnet, place on pipework and see if it attracts to pipework, this indicates sludge in pipe, not 100% foolproof but gives you an idea.

why do they want to change the programmer and stats (still too expensive - and I'm a BG engineer )

Sounds to me as though the 3 port valve has seized, probably caused by dirty system water.

RADs or Hot water not coming on. Whole CH system do not work Boiler fire for few minutes only.

Mike

why did powerflush enginner did not want to do flush ( I was paying £400) and asked to change the cylinder at a cost of £900+Vat!

R U around in Greenford then you can look at it and quote?

As has already been suggested, check the header tank has water init, and bleed any air vents around the cylinder.

Also put the valve in the manual position and try it.

The Engineer had vented the pipe connected to Cylinder and showed me black wtaer coming out of it on the rag. I have vented all the rads and there was no air and water is clean

And have they checked the MV or fixed it in the manual position.

doitall & twgas

Header tank was also checked by Engineer and he said that someone had closed off the valve to water pipe coming down to feed the CH system. Few days before the problem started, I had checked the F&E tank by pressing the ball down and mains water was coming in the tank and there was enough water in the F&E Tank. . So it may be that the water going from F&E into CH was shut off with a circular valve. However this was opened by the engineer on his visit. he told me, because of that I will a have corrosion and air blocks in RADS.

I also put the valve in manual position I mean lifted up! But did not solve the problem.
My question is why did they recommend changing the cylinder?
Why cannot I just put the Fernox cleaner in the F&E tank and wait for few days for it to work. Do I need to drain the system first and refill with fresh water before putting the Fernox Cleaner?
However, I am not sure that it will work if the Boiler is not circulating the water around the system

turn off pump valves, remove pump, hold strong rubble bag or deep bowl under pump valve turn pump valve on, none or very little water blocked cold feed = no heating no hot water and boiler not on for very long.

Did he turn the valve by the tank on or off, it may be an idea to turn it anticlockwise and check.

At the same time, it won't be the first time an cowboy has left the pump valves turned off, in the hope of generating more work, so check those as well.

palerider45 said:

turn off pump valves, remove pump, hold strong rubble bag or deep bowl under pump valve turn pump valve on, none or very little water blocked cold feed = no heating no hot water and boiler not on for very long.

Click to expand...

I thought that when Engineer replaced the old pump with new pump, he would have checked this? I am not capable of removing the pump as I have a problem with my shoulder. If the cold feed is blocked, would draining the syem will solve the problem? I mean how do you remove the cold feed blockage?

I don't think you should be doing anything other than the basic checking.

Taking the pump out will prove nothing.