Flexicom cx30 water down flue

[dubrus]

Hi all,

I have a problem with my boiler as per the title. Btw, it is a direct rear flue boiler if that makes any differenece.

Maybe once a year or so, or when weather is just right anyway, I end up getting quite a lot of water down the flue when wind and rain is battering the side of my house.

The boiler has been installed for about 4 years now and because it is intermittent I have never been able to have a gas engineer catch it in the act so to speak.

When it first happened my installer said it can happen with condensing boilers as the flue is designed to point up slightly. I.e the core hole is drilled level but the moulding of the flue itself tilts towards the boiler, which is correct accoring to the manual itself so I guess that backs my installer up. I can't prove it is 100% level though, even if it is the flue is moulded with a run so water could get down it anyway I guess to be fair to the installer.

I've had another engineer to service the boiler recently and he thinks the flue will need to point down slightly from where it is to stop it, he thinks it isnt level but with the moulding of the flue it is had to tell. He just thinks water coming in, flue needs to point down slightly.....certainly that would cure it but I assume it is designed this way for a reason!

Surely this can't be right though? I see it is quite common via Google search with condensing boilers but how can I fix this?

If need be I am happy to remove some concrete round the flue to move it slightly, if that doesn't fix it then I assume it is beyond me and it is boiler off the wall time....thoughts???

Or should the water end up out the separate condensing drain and the seal from boiler to flue isn't right?

BTW, the water is not ending up in the boiler, it very clean the service engineer said, it is running down the back of the boiler I think as he seen zero evidence inside anywhere.

Manual here -
http://library.plumbase.co.uk/flipbooks/RE/gwf30cx_22285_t/mobile/index.html#p=1

And for the flue specifically -

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&s..._4FkOVO37i9QnkFeg&sig2=zC8jZregmPBevWGB3Xrxvw

Thanks for help folks.

 

[simond]

I don't specify Glow-worm; it's a Vaillant with the cost taken out of it. Vaillants are now like Glow-Worms though, which leaves GW just to go further down market....

Saying the above because I'm not very familiar with the direct rear flue version, only done one (under duress).

The service chap is wrong wrong wrong, you must not make the flue go downwards. If the boiler is fitted directly to the wall, the flue should be level.

All flues will get a bit of rainwater into them when the wind is blowing the rain sideways.

The flue is designed to overhang inside by around an inch, so I'm surprised the rainwater doesn't end up inside the case, the air inlet duct is, after all, designed to be more or less sealed to the boiler casing.

So I'm going to guess that the issue is that it is a small amount of water, normally evaporated off inside the casing, but very possibly the air duct has been cut shorter than it should be inside and therefore the water is running behind the casing where it is visible.

You would need an RGI to check the seals, not sure how easy this is to do on this model; not very, I'd wager.

Anybody more experienced with this model?

 

[Agile]

I would also expect an installation fault if water runs behind the boiler.

However, whilst not correct, this is probably preferable to having it end up inside the boiler!

 

[dubrus]

Hi guys,

Thanks for replies.

To clarify what the service engineer said, he doesn't think it is level and it needs to point down from where it is....I.e make it level.

I am far from an expert on this so I can only take people at face value when I call a company out.

However, I can confirm the air duct is not sticking into the boiler 100% at the bottom of the seal, it is through the top though as you could see it when I had the service guy check it for me. That install fault is potentially saving the boiler but I also assume possibly ruining the wall behind it. So, rain water will run down the back of the boiler between the large boiler bracket and the boiler itself I am assuming.

I've had 3 different RGI people look at this and I am at a loss how to fix it.

BTW, the installers have an excellent rep and the service engineers said as much when I told them who fitted it. A small local company who done a cracking job....other than this perhaps.

 

[simond]

If they haven't fitted the bl**dy flue correctly, bearing in mind this is a key safety component of the installation and is part of the combustion case seal - you are deluding yourself about the quality of what you have paid for.

Saved the boiler, never mind they risk CO poisoning my family.

Truth is stranger than fiction, as they say.

 

[dubrus]

Little update.

The flue is going uphill confirmed. It is 3.5 degrees which is obvioulsy not level, close but no cigar. I have a small digital pitch gauge I could put on the end if the flue outside the house.

The installers are coming tomorrow to level the flue, which should stop water running down the air vent ( outer flue) and thus solving my problem I would think.

 

[Agile]

Digital level Gauge seems a good thing.

Do you have any link to where they are sold or specified?

Tony

 

[dubrus]

Tony, I use it for my model helicopters for setting them up.

The gauge unclips from the bracket and roughly the size of a matchbox.

http://www.fast-lad.co.uk/store/align_ap800_digital_pitch_gauge_het80001-p-17933.html

You can find cheaper ones/copies on eBay for less than £10, they are not as accurate but that probably doesn't matter for a boiler flue, it matters to my helis though! The cheap ones are accurate to less than 0.5 degrees typically so fine for you I guess.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LCD-displ...gle-for-align-450-700-RC-heli-F-/351043225290

All I done was put it on top of the boiler, hit zero on gauge and then measured flue. So I know fact the flue is 3.5 degrees up from the boiler itself.

 

[simond]

Levelling the flue is not going to make much difference, if you have a longer through the wall flue (rear entry) Glowworm encourage you to a have a small slope on it.

The reason your installers are coming over is because they now know, that you know, there is a gap on the air duct connection to the boiler - and therefore the boiler is classed 'immediately dangerous' and they could be prosecuted for leaving a new installation in that condition.

I hope you gave them 5 stars on the trusted tradesman site last year. Wonder how many of their other jobs in the area were completed to the same standard?

 

[Agile]

Thanks for that link!

I have ordered one of the cheap ones.

Would have been very useful when I was doing warranty repairs to determine whose boiler was not installed to the manufacturer's strict requirements and therefore not deserving of any warranty repairs!

Tony

 

[dubrus]

Simon,

I have spoken to the glowworm technical department a few days ago and there should not be any slope on my particular setup as it is probably 500mm or so as it is a new build house, so it should be level. The air inlet has a little bit of plastic moulded into it about 2" from the outside to stop water going down it. The idea being it builds up a very small amount of water then drip outward, mines is going inwards....just.....hence the problem.

Even if the air inlet is connected 100%, unless it is level water will still get into the boiler It may even still get into the boiler level!

I have a carbon monoxide meter less than 2ft from the boiler and in the 4-5 years it has been installed no one has died nor the alarm went off thankfully

 

[Agile]

Simon,

I have a carbon monoxide meter less than 2ft from the boiler and in the 4-5 years it has been installed no one has died nor the alarm went off thankfully

There is always the first time, and that could be the last time too!