Ideal Elan 2 - Boiler Won't Fire

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Hi, this is my first post, so all help will be very greatfully received.

I have an Ideal Elan 2 RS230 boiler and Honeywell ST699 control set. All installed when my house was built in the early 90's.

Problem

The boiler will not fire the main burner when the heating or water is supposed to be on.

Known Secondary Faults

The Honeywell ST699 programmer is a bit dodgy. The clock keeps jumping about all over, although it does seem to switch the heating when 'continuous' is selected.

The hot water does not heat up off the main boiler. I believe this is due to a leak I had damaging the 3 port valve, locking the flow to the central heating circuit only. Immersion heater used since that fault.

Other Points

-The house has been left empty for about 12 months, with the heating used very little in this time.

-When the heating is switched on, the water pump is working.

-The pilot light can be restarted when the boiler has been shut down.

-The temp thermostat does switch the heating(pump) on and off.

-The tank thermostat does switch the hot water(pump) on and off.



Can anyone point me in the direction on this one?

Thanking you, John
 
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I think I may have some more information...

I have had the multimeter out, and found that there is voltage across all parts in the main housing up until the solenoid. I then checked the solenoid for resistance and the multimeter registered 1, so I assume there is no continuity and the solenoid is at fault.

Can someone please sense check this for me?

It makes sense I think, as the pump and gas valve run from same circuit, one works other doesn't. And as I found voltage across the main dial that the feed pipe thermocouple is connected to, that rules out that too.

If this is correct, am I able to seperate the solenoid from the gas valve body without blowing the house up, and furthermore can the solenoid be purchased seperately?
 
I have attached a pic of the gas valve and solenoid, just in case it helps...


Am I able to remove the solenoid from the valve without interfering with the gas? Is the solenoid available to buy seperately, and any ideas where I can try?

Cheers, John
 
push the flat spring washer out of the space between the solenoid and the metal bracket. thin screwdriver or long nose pliers are perfect. the solenoid then pulls off.
 
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Sorry if this sounds a little dumb...

Do you mean the bracket that goes around the solenoid (marked with earth symbol), or the rear mounting bracket?
 
the bracket with the earth symbol holds the spring washer inside. its not that easy to see.
 
If your multimeter reads 1 ohm, then you have continuity. OL or mega ohms would indicate no continuity. Off of the top of my head, I think that this model of boiler has a pilot interrupter. Try to locate the overheat stat ( top right hand side I think) and check it for continuity. Sorry Im a bit vague, but it has been ages since I last saw one of these boilers.
 
My multimeter is a bit basic, when it reads nothing it displays 1 on the the screen (far left digit), this isn't 1ohm reading.

I also measured the voltage and I don't get the 230v across the solenoid either, all other parts of circuit preceeding the solenoid do register the 230v.

There is an overheat stat at the top right attached to the feed pipe, however this connects to the pilot end of the gas valve, if this tripped would it not kill the pilot too?. There is also a thermocouple linked to the main stat, however if this was faulty, the pump would also disengage as it is on same circuit as the solenoid.

This is all my best guess of course, I'm not a heating engineer. I actually specialise in the servicing of notebook computers, which is why I am hoping my electronics side of this diagnosis is sound...

Luckily my next door neighbour is a plumber, so we are going to have a look at sorting it this Saturday. He has the 3 port valve on his van, and thinks he has a complete gas valve in the garage (priced up at £110), all that leaves is for me to get the programmer (£60).

I really appreciate all your help, and if anyone else has any other ideas, please post. Hopefully be sorted Saturday, the new buyers are wanting to complete next week, so getting a little tight.

I'll post back at the weekend either way.
 
Must say dont try changing solenoid on these gas valves if faulty - always replace full unit....
 
Replaced solenoid, boiler now fires up ok. Cost me £12.00 from local merchants, and was a lot easier to fit than I thought. Took out the spring clip between the solenoid and metal bracket, and it fell out in my hand. Tested both solenoids side by side, old one had no continuity and the new one did.

Also replaced the programmer for £55.00, thats now ok.

And, replaced the header on the 3 port valve, so now I have hot water or heating on demand. This was also £55.00, 2 screws to remove and then just swap the wires like for like in the junction box.

Very satisfied with the job, wouldn't like to guess how much I would have paid for this to be done by a pro. Next door neighbour is a plumber and he checked my work over and gave it his seal of approval, so all good.

Thankyou for all the advice and tips...
 
Cos unfortunatley some 'cowboy' heating engineers have left gas valves like this in very unsafe states - it really shouldnt be done!!
 
Cos unfortunatley some 'cowboy' heating engineers have left gas valves like this in very unsafe states - not just our parts, but other manufacturers - it really shouldnt be done!!
Would NEVER tell anyone to do that!!

What? No as this solenoid is very cheap i suppose? Do you mean the solenoids that are butchered with incorrect gaskets etc etc?
 
So please tell me how a DIYer can tell if they have damaged anything on the gas valve, and also how they know the gas valve is up to industry standard??
Its a damn GAS part FFS - why mess with something like that that if incorrectly done could kill with gas escape?!?!?!?!?!?
 

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