Central Heating Installation Queries

[cda1]

Hello to anyone who may give me info on my boiler installation,

A couple of months ago a Corgi registered plumbing company fitted central heating in our home which consists of a heatline condensing combi boiler which I believe is the 24W model, 5 radiators and all pipework and there are TRV's on all rads. We have had many problems with banging pipes, the pump being replaced and having to ask them to fit a room stat (and they wanted to fit it in the kitchen next to the boiler above the rad!"). The pump is on setting 2 to make it bearable because of a loud humming that the pump emits, and it sounds in our bedroom (above the kitchen where boiler is) like a tap has been left running in the next room all the time and the rads in the front and bedrooms click and the pipes clank, if you turn the hot taps on too much the boiler makes a horrible whining noise. There seems to be a bypass on some pipework under the boiler and it has a screw to adjust it, should this be an auto bypass and would it reduce the noise from the boiler and the pump?

 

[numpty1]

would it not be better to contact the installer and voice your queries direct to him/her/it,rather than posting on a forum?

 

[JPC]

its probably struggling with only 24 watts to supply your heating needs

I agree...you have to get them back...i take it you've paid for the install ?

is it a boiler problem ?...consider ringing the boiler manufacturer to check the boiler over (they might give you some feed bacl on any other issues)

unfortunetly corgi registration is no indication of quality workmanship

 

[cda1]

The installer has been back loads of times and don't seem to know what they are doing, have lost faith in them now cause they just seem to turn the screw in the bypass or adjust the stop cock when they come and say that there is nothing wrong with the system. I really want to find someone else who is reliable to come and look at it, but where to start? the yellow pages?

 

[Agile]

Are you sure they are CORGI registered?

Did they complete the Benchmark Certificate and notify CORGI who then posted you a blue Certificate?

If not then either they are not registered or operating as cowboys in which case you could make a formal complain to CORGI who would come and inspect the installation for safety.

Tony

 

[kevplumb]

some old song
change the record

get a life

 

[cda1]

They did fill in a benchmark book and I have had the Corgi registration through the post, have used them in the past with no problems and they have said that they have installed loads of these boilers without any problems, they just seem to have put it all in and switched it on and then left. When I asked them to balance the radiators they did not go around and adjust them they just turned the lockshield valves on the hottest ones. When I said it was noisy they turned the pump down to 2 to make it quieter but then we had noisy hot water. They have been back when I called loads of times and they turn a screw here or there and say see how you go. When the heatline engineer came and replaced the pump he said it all looked ok except for the manual bypass but he said it would still work ok, should I get them back to put an auto bypass on? The rads are hot and the water is hot (as long as you don't put the taps on too full) so I can't help thinking that maybe the system just needs to be balanced, but they just say that they leave the boiler as set at the manufacturers and have never had problems before. We only have 5 radiators and 1 bathroom could it be an undersized boiler?

 

[Saltire]

24kw = 80,000btus . This should be way more than enough for a 5 rad system... If you list the size of rads you have i can tell you what output they require...

Combi boilers tend to always be bigger than required, they modulate down to whatever heat requirement you need.. The high output is really only for the hot water side...

 

[cda1]

3 singles and 2 doubles only in small terrace so only small rads, only have 1 bathroom and the kitchen for hot water. Does it matter that we have TRV's on all rads and a manual bypass by boiler, would this make the system noisy. They did not install a room stat and only put one in after I asked for one, should they have put an auto bypass on to comply with regs? Can the boiler be adjusted to suit the size of the system?

 

[Corgigrouch]

Is it not mandatory to fit a room stat? and in the room where the room stat is there should be no TRV on the radiator that serves that room.

 

[namsag]

oN this boiler yes but no it is not mandatory to fit room stat

 

[gas4you]

oN this boiler yes but no it is not mandatory to fit room stat

It is, to comply with part L and chess basic.

The pump on a combi should always be set on max (3)

 

[JPC]

saltire, you mist the joke. op quoted a 24w boiler...not a 24kw

 

[namsag]

Gas4you no it certainly is not mandatory to fit a room stat what it says is an interlock is mandatory ,There are otherways of doing this without fitting a room stat that are acceptable under part L .

 

[Agile]

Are you sure that its actually mandatory to fit a room stat to an existing system when a new boiler is fitted?

I thought it was the same as TRVs, advised but not essential?

If it was then what can I do when over half new boilers are fitted without a room stat?

Tony