Boiler fires up but no hot water or heating

[jubsy007]

I am hoping someone here can help me. We have a fairly old Potterton boiler which suddenly stopped working at the weekend. When I say stopped working I mean it stopped producing hot water and heating, but you can clearly hear it firing up and it makes the normal noises, so I assume it does work but there is obviously something wrong.

We had major problems with the boiler 5 years ago and had the valve replaced. Two years ago we had the ignition valve replaced but it has worked reliably since then and engineers always tell us it is in good condition.

Any idea what the problem might be? I'd appreciate any advice greatly.

 

[wilder74]

Does it start banging or stays on for a minute then cuts off,then a few minutes later fires up again,it could be your pump,or it may be lack of water. Our the rads full,is it fully pumped or gravity circs,(2 or 4 pipes) you will have a gas pipe as well so 3 or 5

 

[jubsy007]

Thanks Wilder74. It doesn't make any unusual noises and as far as I can hear it doesn't cut off. I am not sure what your question about pipes means - can you explain, please?
Many thanks

 

[wilder74]

What make is it?. Is it a potterton profile?. I mean is it fully pumped or gravity circs for h/w. Can you see a mzv(silver box)with cable to it.Have you a roomstat on the wall. See if it fires up the heat must go somewere,how hot do the pipes at the boiler get?

 

[jubsy007]

It is a Potterton, but I am not sure about the rest. I will check it when I get home and report back.

 

[jubsy007]

Hello again. I have now checked the boiler and it is a Potterton called Ideal Classic. On the bottom of it I can see 3 pipes and on the top there are two on one side (marked GF and PR) and two on the other side, of which one goes through the pump and the other straight down. We do not have a thermostat on the wall; just a programmer with separate controls for HW and CH. I can't see any grey box with wires. All I can see is a Grundfoss pump, which was put on five years ago. At that time we also had a valve replaced and I am hoping it is not this one that is broken again as it is a nightmare to get to.

I switched the boiler on and it does fire straight away and the boiler (or pump?) kicks in making the usual noises. However, I have now noticed that once it cools down it never actually fires up again although it continues to make the noises.

The pipes both get warm, one quite a bit more than the other. In fact, before I switched it on one pipe was very hot and the other cold.

I hope this answers most of your questions and I have not made it sound too confusing. Thanks!

 

[namsag]

Go into loft and check the small header tank has got water in it

 

[baxpoti]

it is a Potterton called Ideal Classic.

 

[jubsy007]

Namsag, our water tank is in a big cupboard in the hallway. Is the header tank the one that has a ballcock in it?

 

[Agile]

I hope this answers most of your questions and I have not made it sound too confusing. Thanks!

I think that you have comfused them by saying its a Potterton boiler and the model is an Ideal Classic !

I will assume that its not a Potterton boiler at all and its an Ideal boiler and the model is a Classix xxx.

It sounds as if the boiler is working but either there is no water in the header tank as suggested or the pump has failed or the feed pipe is blocked. Most likely to be the pump in your case.

I doubt that you are likely to be able to fix it yourself if the F&E tank turns out to be still full of water so you will probably have to call a boiler engineer.

Tony

 

[jubsy007]

Thanks Tony. I think where I got confused was that the programmer is Potterton.

I will check the header tank for water tonight - so that is the one on top of the big one is it? with the ballcock in? Can you explain to me how that would be empty, please?

I am quite relieved that you don't think it is the valve, which is hard to get to. And, don't worry, I will definitely get an engineer out to sort it for me. I just like to have an idea of what might be wrong as it can be hard to get the right "diagnosis" when you are two women sharing the flat!

Really appreciate your help. Thanks!

 

[Agile]

I always give the right diagnosis regardless of who lives there!

The only difference it makes is that I come quicker another time when I know there will be a nice cup of coffee offered!

Tony

 

[jubsy007]

agile, don't get me wrong. I am just a little scarred from previous experiences where I have felt like a mug frankly. That's all.

So if you don't mind could you explain to me how the problem might be an empty header tank? I can't get my head around how it might work.

By the way I always offer a nice cup of tea or coffee.

 

[Agile]

The ball valve might be jammed closed and need operating up and down to get it going!

I always come quicker if I know there is a cup of cofee waiting for me.

Tony

 

[wilder74]

Your header tank is the smallest tank.If its empty then try moving the ball valve arm,it can empty through having a leak,venting system or over the years its been filling system without being filled up.I would get in the loft,check your h/tank,if its full,ok,did you check the rads were full,