Noisy Combi boiler

I have a Saunier combi boiler which is approx 11 years old and as far as I know hasn't been serviced recently (moved into house 18mnths ago). Recently the boiler has started making a noise when the central heating starts up. When the thermostat starts the boiler up it makes a progressively louder cyclic drumming /slight banging noise which is amplified up the pipe to the radiator above. After a few seconds the noise drops to a constant drumming. Am I right in thinking this is a problem with the pump (possibly bearings??)as the boiler doesnt appear to make the noise when I run the hot water. I have also noticed:

1 The radiator upstairs is much colder on the bottom of the radiator than the top when heating is on, which from looking on Google sounds like the rad has sludge in it.

2. The pressure dial on the front of the boiler which is labelled "1 bar when cold" always seems to be on 1 bar, even when the boiler is hot. Shouldn't the pressure rise as the boiler heats up??

As I am having the boiler serviced would it be worth having the system flushed? I have done other DIY in the past and was considering doing this myself but I was a little reluctant as I believe it is a sealed system and more involved to drain and setup afterwards.

I have arranged for a plumber to visit but I just wanted to know others opinions here.

Thanks

Your boiler is quite old and you are lucky that its not leaked as they usually do and been replaced.

My advice is to ignore the noise and save up for a new boiler.

The pump and fan can both cause the casing to resonate. You can often stop it by banging or pushing the case.

In my view its not worth changing either the pump or the fan on such an old boiler or even to get it serviced which is usually done so badly that its not likely to improve it and could even cause another fault.

Tony

1500 should see it done

The chaps are right best shot of it

call tony he'll do it for a fiver and a big mac

Thanks for the replies, Agile's post:

The pump and fan can both cause the casing to resonate. You can often stop it by banging or pushing the case.

Click to expand...

is exactly what is happening. The boiler is in a downstairs cupboard which amplifies the noise, with a radiator directly above which adds to noise. As you say this can be cured by moving the case around temporarily but I think this is probably treating the symptoms rather than the cause i.e a worn out fan or pump. At some point the offending part will fail completely. Any recommendations for a new boiler!

I have read that some boilers can last 15 years plus but sort of expected this one to need replacing fairly soon after we moved in as it is fairly old.

Thanks again for advice.

sorry leggat but new boilers are no where near as reliable as the old ones, the price of technology

Fairly new to all this (first house!) so a steep learning curve. The replies here have prompted a few more questions.

I phoned a heating company (Corgi and iphe accredited) today and mentioned that our boiler needed servicing and was very noisy. I was quoted £45 call out and £25 per half hour after that (£50 per hour). Does this sound about right?

From the posts here it seems like the boiler will more than likely need replacing. As I don't have knowledge or experience of heating systems am I right in thinking the best course of action is to arrange a plumber for an intial visit (as I have done) to tell me whether boiler can be repaired or replaced. If it needs replacing I can then get 2-3 other quotes to get best price? Any idea of how much a descent combi boiler for a 2 bedroom terraced house should cost with fitting. It is currently a Saunier Duval 623 combination boiler.

Corgiman - I guess it's a trade off between efficency and reliability. With efficency becoming more important (gas prices, enviromental factors) the systems to produce higher efficencies are that much more complex and have increased risk of failure.

Thanks
Martin

As I said, put up with the noise and dont get it serviced and buy a new boiler when it stops working ( or leaks ).

We charge £55 to service a boiler in London ( except Saunier Duval which is the only boiler we dont touch ).

Tony

Agile,

What I forgot to mention was the boiler is soo noisy it actually wakes me me up and is annoying the neighbours (they mentioned it the other day).

Looks like I'll have to get it replaced soon!

Thanks
Martin

Any boiler over 10years old if not serviced and inhibited frequently should be done away with.

Thanks for everyone's replies. A Heating Engineer visited today and it looks like:

1. The fan in the boiler is failing and hence the noise.

2. The boiler badly needs servicing.

3. The system needs flushing.

At 13 years old I think it's time to replace it! Now onto the fun of having a condensing boiler installed!

Martin