Fixed price boiler repair

elisa123 · 3 Feb 2021

In need of some advice. We have got a Vaillant Turbomax 824 boiler which was installed 20 years ago before we bought the house. At the last service in December the engineer cleaned the heat exchanger (hot water was not working very well) and pumped up the expansion vessel. A couple of days later we noticed that the pressure was going up by about one digit a day. Phoned the engineer who told us just to drain the water off (we must have touched and moved the filling valve). Since then he doesn't take calls or answers texts.
Tried to get a Vaillant eng. which is anything but easy. Contacted 3 who asked for the Model No. and fault code (no fault code as the CH and hot water work well). No more contact after giving details about the problem. Last week another Vaillant installer turned up, pumped up the expansion vessel and assured us that the problem was solved. 3 days later water pressure is rising again and the eng. ignores texts and calls.
We have just sold the house and obviously the boiler has to be working properly for the new owners. We are now thinking of contacting Vaillant for a fixed price repair. Why is it so difficult to find a competent engineer or is the problem too complex? We have always paid the bills promptly. Sorry this is a very rambling post but we are at our wits end.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

ianmcd · 3 Feb 2021

sounds like the schraeder valve is passing

Harry Bloomfield · 3 Feb 2021

If the average pressure is rising over time, then the fill water valve(s) is passing water, or not properly turned off.

If only the when the boiler is hot, the pressure is rising, then you have an issue with the expansion vessel or its air side pressurisation. Imagine it as a tube inside a tyre, idea is as water pressure increases, as it becomes hot from your boiler, it has to expand somewhere. The expansion takes place into the expansion vessel, against the air pressure. The two halves of which are separated by a 'rubber' diaphragm.

oldbutnotdead · 3 Feb 2021

Pressure increasing by 1 bar a day or 0.1 bar a day?
As above for the diagnostics, plus a thought for you- heating and hot water are working. Your buyers won't know (unless you tell them) that this is happening. So worst case is (if its 0.1 bar) you bleed the excess pressure off every couple of days. After completion its not your problem. You've got completed job sheets from engineers saying its all good, away you go.
EDIT If the filling loop is accessible and detachable then detach one end, that'll answer one question

Mr.B · 3 Feb 2021

oldbutnotdead said:
Pressure increasing by 1 bar a day or 0.1 bar a day?
As above for the diagnostics, plus a thought for you- heating and hot water are working. Your buyers won't know (unless you tell them) that this is happening. So worst case is (if its 0.1 bar) you bleed the excess pressure off every couple of days. After completion its not your problem. You've got completed job sheets from engineers saying its all good, away you go.
EDIT If the filling loop is accessible and detachable then detach one end, that'll answer one question

I hope I never buy a house from you. What else would you cover up or bodge?

oldbutnotdead · 3 Feb 2021

No more than the average home owner.

Mr.B · 3 Feb 2021

oldbutnotdead said:
No more than the average home owner.

How have you arrived at this statistical "average home owner"? You've carried out nationwide surveys, have you?

The OP has come here offering to do the decent thing and said .... We have just sold the house and obviously the boiler has to be working properly for the new owners. We are now thinking of contacting Vaillant for a fixed price repair. What an open and honest attitude for him to take, but you've told him to bodge it and said .... Your buyers won't know (unless you tell them) that this is happening.

I hope you're happy to have given him that advice.

oldbutnotdead · 3 Feb 2021

Mind you don't get a nosebleed from the moral high ground....now are you going to add anything to help the OP or are you just going to carry on trolling

ianmcd · 3 Feb 2021

elisa123 said:
We are now thinking of contacting Vaillant for a fixed price repair

Not really sure if vaillant do a fixed price repair on a 20 year old boiler, they may do, I have tagged @ScottishGasMan for you he will know

Mr.B · 3 Feb 2021

oldbutnotdead said:
Mind you don't get a nosebleed from the moral high ground....now are you going to add anything to help the OP or are you just going to carry on trolling

Touched a nerve then, have we?

HERTS P&D · 3 Feb 2021

Mr. B, I have to agree with OBND, as I have being called out to many properties where someone has just moved to find a non flushing - broken toilet, taps that don't work, that have never being connected, (downstairs toilet) and even a toilet backing up to find the manhole completely full.

Andy

Mr.B · 3 Feb 2021

OK, Andy. I accept I'm the odd one out. Silly me for thinking it would be nice not to move in to a place that had been bodged up by the previous owner. I must be lucky that the houses I've moved into haven't been - and when I've moved out of a place I've left it as I would like to find it.

Hands up - I'm in the wrong, mate. We'll leave it there.

ScottishGasMan · 3 Feb 2021

ianmcd said:
Not really sure if vaillant do a fixed price repair on a 20 year old boiler, they may do, I have tagged @ScottishGasMan for you he will know

The official line is 10 years old I think, but plenty of older boilers still.seem to squeeze their way onto the books so may be worth a shot.

Although depending on what version of the boiler it is ie external or internal filling loop, vaillant may not fix as they would attend for the boiler but external filling loop problem is a system fault. If its a faulty vessel that will cost more as not covered on fixed price repair due to the chance of requiring the boiler taken off the wall to fix.

Would be helpful to know as above if pressure is steadily rising constantly or only when heats on

elisa123 · 3 Feb 2021

Thanks for your answers and help. The pressure goes up without the heating being on by 0.1 bar (my mistake). The filling tube is not accessiable it is build-in.
If Vaillant don't do a fixed repair price on an old boiler we will have to continue our search for a competent eng. which is anything but easy.

ScottishGasMan · 3 Feb 2021

elisa123 said:
Thanks for your answers and help. The pressure goes up without the heating being on by 0.1 bar (my mistake). The filling tube is not accessiable it is build-in.
If Vaillant don't do a fixed repair price on an old boiler we will have to continue our search for a competent eng. which is anything but easy.

When you say built in, do you mean its inside/part of the boiler?

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Fixed price boiler repair

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