FIRBIRD COMBI 90, NO HOT WATER???

[GarryGolf4]

Hi there, can anyone please help me, we have a Firebird Combi 90 boiler, i've noticed that the hot water isn't as hot as it should be, especially when running a bath.
I have turned up the thermostat on the front panel of the boiler to max (85 degrees) the turn nob/switch makes a clicking noise when when the dial is inbetween 60 - 65 degrees, does this mean that the thermostat isn't working properly?
Where is the thermostat situated & is there anything i can do to it or test it?
I would be very grateful if someone with a bit of knowledge could help me out, i don't really want to have to phone my local boiler specialist & pay their high call out fees, many thanx.

 

[oilman]

Well it could be the blending valve, or the plate heat exchanger.

If you know about these then you can change them, if you don't, maybe you are beginning to understand why you need to pay someone who does.

Did you buy the combi, or was it sold to you? Either way it is a machine that needs looking after, ie maintaining, and this costs time, and hence money. Cheapest to maintain hot water is from an immersion heater in a tank, but then you pay more for running costs.

 

[GarryGolf4]

Well it could be the blending valve, or the plate heat exchanger.

If you know about these then you can change them, if you don't, maybe you are beginning to understand why you need to pay someone who does.

Did you buy the combi, or was it sold to you? Either way it is a machine that needs looking after, ie maintaining, and this costs time, and hence money. Cheapest to maintain hot water is from an immersion heater in a tank, but then you pay more for running costs.

Boiler was bought new in the year 2000 by myself, its been well maintained, serviced & checked every 12 months, we've had a lot of trouble with the boiler in the past on the heating & burner side.

 

[outinthestix]

Fixed one recently with the same symptoms. It was a faulty pump on h/w side.

 

[GarryGolf4]

Fixed one recently with the same symptoms. It was a faulty pump on h/w side.

Which pump would that be?
Is there more than 2 pumps on the boiler in question,1/ hotwater & 2/ central heating, these 2 pumps seem to be working fine.

 

[Agile]

Where is the thermostat situated & is there anything i can do to it or test it?
I would be very grateful if someone with a bit of knowledge could help me out, i don't really want to have to phone my local boiler specialist & pay their high call out fees, many thanx.

I am sorry that you view your local boiler expert as having high call out fees.

In the London area we charge a fixed diagnostic fee of £84 inclusive within our local service area. That has to cover the travel time and costs.

Is your local expert really so much more expensive? How long does it take him to travel to you?

What would you consider to be a reasonable fee for them to charge?

Tony

 

[GarryGolf4]

Where is the thermostat situated & is there anything i can do to it or test it?
I would be very grateful if someone with a bit of knowledge could help me out, i don't really want to have to phone my local boiler specialist & pay their high call out fees, many thanx.

I am sorry that you view your local boiler expert as having high call out fees.

In the London area we charge a fixed diagnostic fee of £84 inclusive within our local service area. That has to cover the travel time and costs.

Is your local expert really so much more expensive? How long does it take him to travel to you?

What would you consider to be a reasonable fee for them to charge?

Tony

Hi Tony, it takes the boiler man approx 55 minutes to get to ours from his, i would say that £50 is plenty for a call out, the call out fee should cover the travelling time & the first hour of labour, in my mind.
It can't be to far for him to travel because we are within the bounderies in which he works in, he charges £100 including VAT which i'm not happy in forking out until i'm really satisfied that there's nothing i can do first, hence why i've asked you folks out there to try & help me, i hope i've answered your questions Tony, thanx.

Rgds, Garry.

 

[Agile]

In that case he will be spending about £14 on petrol and taking about three hours. From his point of view it would not be a very profitable job coming to you for about £70 net of VAT and petrol.

At your suggestion of £50 that would reduce his net income to just £35 which for a half days work would hardly cover his overheads for the van, tools, test equipment, advertising, telephones and gas/oil training and registration.

I am not complaining about you asking if there is anything you can do yourself. From your point of view £100 makes any visit a noticeable cost.

Perhaps the answer is to find someone more local. Of course in rural areas thats not so easy.

Tony