Baxi Solo 2 30 PF - No Central Heating

[Digi]

The saga continues...

The heating went on the blink a couple of years back, but was fixed by the Landlord so I have no idea what was wrong with it then. I've since bought the property from the Landlord and its playing up again... In the last 2 weeks i've had 3 visits from the engineer, have spent a small third world country's debt.. Have had a new PCB, new fan, and today a new resistor(?) fitted in the airing cupboard!

Whats happened is...

... the heating worked sporadically a couple of weeks ago and then it stopped completely... The HW has always worked fine. No lights at all on the boiler... Called out the engineer who said I need a new PBC and duly fitted one... which ended up half melted before he'd even put the cover back on the boiler. He then decided the fan was faulty too, so I needed a new one of those to match the shiny new PCB he was going to have to refit.... Came back the next day, fitted the fan.. worked for an hour, then all the lights went off. Came back... checked the voltage from the airing cupboard and tracked it down to the boiler.... said the voltage was tailing off, twiddled with some wiring.. worked for an hour.... (are you sensing a theme here?)

Last weekend I ended up with 2 engineers here scratching their heads... It was then decided I needed a new resistor in the airing cupboard. Something to do with the CH only working when the hot water was refilling? (which looking back coincides with the times the CH sporadically works). Today he's came and fitted said part, only for it to work for..... TWO hours this time, and its gone off again.

The thermostat for the HW in the airing cupboard is set at around 60... the 'boiler on' light is orange... the thermostat in the living room is set at 20... If I turn the thermostat in the living room off, the 'boiler on' light goes out. If I turn the thermostat in the living room off, and turn the boiler off at the control panel and then turn them both on, the boiler will kick in, but only for a couple of minutes at most, then it just reverts back to the only the 'boiler on' light.

I'm tempted to go and run a bath of hot water just to see if the CH then kicks in

Any ideas would be greatly appretiated, because I fear im about to lose the plot pretty soon... I have the flu and I'm absolutely freezing!!!

PS, sorry for the long post... but its been a bit of a saga!!!

 

[Digi]

Just checked the 'job sheet'... Today he's replaced the 3 port valve and motorised lead

Now please excuse me whilst I go and have a Friday night pity party!

 

[Digi]

Sorry to reply to myself (again)... Just didnt want anyone to go to the trouble of answering...

... Engineer left the thermostat for the water at 90 degrees (which is just TOO hot with kids in the house), so I turned it down to 60 (which it has always been set at)... Just been back upstairs and turned it back up to 90 to see what happens, and voila, boiler working fine!!

Surely this can't be right?? I really don't want my water to be set this hot on a permanent basis. I'm a burns nurse and spend lots of time trying to educate parents to lower their water temperatures to avoid some of the horrendous scalds I treat!

 

[Digi]

I take it back.... its gone off again

*cries*

 

[gas4you]

Wish I could get away with charging endlessly for bits If I fit something that doesn't cure the fault I don't charge. If i'm stupid enough to wrongly diagnose the fault why should the customer pay?

power on light only comes on when there is a demand for heat from either CH or HW. Initially I don't think you had a boiler problem.Probably the motorised valve.

Re your last post, you haven't left the immersion on by any chance?

 

[Digi]

Thank you so much for your reply before I ended up banging my head against the wall!! I feel like i'm going a bit mad right now!

I'm sorry to sound even blonder than I actually am, but what exactly do you mean by the immersion? I take it you mean the immersion heater upstairs right? I have my hot water on continuous, and the CH on a timer and just boost it if necessary. Right now the boiler has kicked in again, after i'd turned the thermostat on the control panel up maximum rather than the half way it was (the thermostat for the water is still at 90 though)

Christ on a bike... I sound really dense!!

 

[gas4you]

When your boiler was not working did you have to turn an electrical switch on next to the h/w cylinder upstairs to get hot water? Thats the immersion. if it's still on then that will explain why you have to turn up your cyl stat to make boiler come on. often immersion stat is left on full(about 80C) if fitter doesn't check it when it is fitted.

 

[Digi]

Yes, it IS on (just like a normal appliance switch in the kitchen right?).. I haven't switched it on... its been on since I guess the repair guy was here and there has never ever been a problem with the hot water, so i'm assuming its always been on, even when the boiler hasn't been working

... and taaaaaaa daaaaaa.... boiler has gone off again!! LOL. This would be quite amusing if I didn't feel like screaming so much!!

Do I need to turn it off.. and if I do, what happens with me wanting to keep the water hot?

... I'm turning blonder by the second!!!

 

[gas4you]

Turn it off. When water cools or you use hot taps boiler will cut in as stat on h/w cyl will tell boiler to fire to heat hot water. (the thing you keep turning up to 90 . This should be set on 60C as a general standard.

Nothing wrong with blondes I live with one

 

[Digi]

I could kiss you just for replying!!!

So.... I flick the switch off, turn the thermostat back down to 60, and CH should stay on, and the HW will just recoup itself when necessary... right?? LOL

I'm actually a brunette.. the blonde comes out of a bottle... I felt a bit of a fraud being dark haired!!

 

[gas4you]

Yes at last! Are you sure its out of a bottle?

Unfortunatle mines natural

 

[Digi]

For certain its out of a bottle... It covers the early grey bits very nicely (which i'm sure have quadrupled in the last fortnight)

Just turned everything off, reset the timer (HOW clever am I?? LOL), and back on again.... and so far so good

I owe you a virtual drink or 10!!!!

 

[Digi]

Ah bugger!!!! All gone off again except the 'boiler on' light... fan light etc all off

 

[gas4you]

Although I don't know them, I would suggest that you don't call these engineers out again. Who do they work for , Chad Valley? What a lot of money you have spent because of a switch left on Why didn't they check this. Always should check stupid and obvious first. Thinking about it they probably assumed that you didn't know what you were talking about and ignored you. I always find that no matter how stupid a comment from any customer it usually does help if you sift through the desciption

 

[gas4you]

Ah b*****r!!!! All gone off again except the 'boiler on' light... fan light etc all off

Could be the boiler is up to temperature on the the boiler thermostat. Don't panic yet. if power light is on then something is calling for heat. Is your heating on and the room stat turned up?