Boilermate II Blockage

chillyinGrays · 16 Dec 2006

Hello people, please be gentle with me, I'm an IT expert and I don't speak Central Heating.

I have a boilermate II which at 3.30am on Wednesday decided to start screaming. I shut it down, did some basic investigation including talking to Gledhill and found that the F+E tank wasn't filling. Got a man in this morning who found that the diaphram was stuck, fixed it and it filled up nicely, sorted the pump so it stopped making the noises, however, he couldn't after 3 hours get any water back into the system. Backfilling he said would mask the problem, that he thought there was a blockage in the coldfeed.

My questions are:

1. Is this fixable? I will ask Gledhill on Monday but I'm a bit desperate.

2. Could it be something else?

3. Can anyone recommend someone who can help me in the Grays/West Essex area?

I should add that the radiators when bled show nothing, no water, no air.

I'm afraid I'm being a complete girls blouse about it all, you don't realise how much you depend on this stuff until it's not there.

Slugbabydotcom · 16 Dec 2006

It does certainly sound like a blocked feed pipe.
Heres a way of cheating that may come under your term of backfilling. I find it works often but it does depend on how bad the blockage is.
Using fittings connect a hosepipe to the vent and the other end to an outside tap or washing machine valve or make a connection to the cold pipe feeding the ballvalve . Basically use mains pressure to blast the blockage through to the F&E tank. If this doesnt work there is no choice but to cut into the feed where it goes into the system and clear the blockage.

chillyinGrays · 16 Dec 2006

Thanks but he (the engineer) tried that, no joy, and I don't think he knew the internal pipe workings of the Boilermate so didn't know how to clear it. He tried shoving wire in it, but that didn't work. I've seen on here that you can get descailing kit, not sure if that's going to be the solution (and I know I can't do it myself), but thanks very much for taking the time to reply.

Slugbabydotcom · 16 Dec 2006

Descaling kit wont do it if the pipe is blocked solid enough to hold back mains pressure. Time to get cutting some pipes I reckon.

This may be of some help. If not the full selection is Here

I know it looks complicated with all the pipes flying about; but its not that bad if you just focus on the relevant parts.

chillyinGrays · 16 Dec 2006

Thanks and i'm really not trying to be a pain but mine is a II, I've got the manual but it doesn't show the pipes configuration - I made sure the engineer bloke had it.

HarrogateGas · 17 Dec 2006

Common problem on these, i have tried to no avail unblocking...it does not work.

What ive done in the past is cut a hole in the side of the f&e tank and put in a tank connector and run a 22mm pipe down the side of the store tank and tee'd it into where the drain off cock connection is on the tank. This gives a new cold feed to system in a diamater that wont get blocked and if it does get blocked can easyly be cleared. Works a treat. Just remember to put a new remote drain off on. Also a minimum of 4 litres of inhibitor when you fill back up.

chillyinGrays · 17 Dec 2006

How on earth can they justify having a design that does that? I've had to concede defeat and British Gas are coming in tomorrow

HarrogateGas · 17 Dec 2006

good luck with BG.

Suggest the above to the engineer.

ChrisR · 17 Dec 2006

One has to say that if the system had had sufficient inhibitor it wouldn't have done what it appears to.
The reality is that people expect to be able to ignore their heating system for years and pay very little when it goes wrong. I think most boilers I see have had little or no attention this century!

DO let us know what BG say - are you on a maintenance contract?

chillyinGrays · 17 Dec 2006

I am now, I'll confess to being a woman on my own, I can do fuses, plugs, the basics, but plumbing is just beyond me so I've signed up and they can do the yearly maintenance for me.

ChrisR · 17 Dec 2006

I've signed up and they can do the yearly maintenance for me.

Unless something has changed:

They don't check inhibitor levels
They don't put inhibitor in
They don't cover blockages or other problems due to sludge
They do tell you your boiler needs replacing

chillyinGrays · 17 Dec 2006

Could someone clarify which part is the boiler and what you call the cylinder? As in what's it's proper name?

breezer · 17 Dec 2006

i can vouch for that, we have a bg contract, but we only got it after having too many cowboys trying to fix a boiler they (we now know) knew nothing about.

it is all very well saying get a good heating engineer, but try finding one, oh all this started in the summer (few years ago)

My mother has also been through several plumbers, all they seem to do is say the last one didnt know what he was doing, and when she comes to call them for a minor problem they never turn up, so she finds another and so it goes on.

The current one has done a tofo on the gas fire (not the boiler) she is still waiting for him to come back with the right part

so yes bg ae expensive, but they do turn up when they say (so far), no they dont alwyas have the right part, but they do come back next day with the right part.

one we saw most has left and got his own company ( so the last bg eng told us) since we are on first name terms

and the bloke who installed it all is doing plumbing etc for God, poor bloke he kicked the bucket

chillyinGrays · 17 Dec 2006

ChrisR said:
Unless something has changed:

They don't check inhibitor levels
They don't put inhibitor in
They don't cover blockages or other problems due to sludge
They do tell you your boiler needs replacing

Chris, perhaps instead of just sniggering you could suggest something helpful? Like if they don't do it how I could get it done (either DIY or asking them to)?

bripl · 17 Dec 2006

you can check it with a test kit around a tenner from plumbs or you can take a sample and have it analysed by a lab,chris has only told the truth about bg some employees are good some are salesmen the majority are swiss bankers but you may be fortunate to get a good one.

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Boilermate II Blockage

breezer

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