Boiler dilemma - any advice appreciated!

[fanglette]

Hi all,

Having bought our house in July, the boiler (an Ocean Style FF combi fitted about 12 years ago) has decided to:

a) leak from 'somewhere' inside on an intermittent basis

and

b) refuse to call for gas unless you slap the water flow switch a few times

So now we're left with the issue of what to do with the damn thing... I reckon it's probably beyond reasonable repair, financially speaking - I'm not in the habit of throwing good money after bad, although we did fit a new pump, thinking that the old one was sticking and that was why we had no heating/hot water - fat load of good that did!

I guess we should just give up and buy a new one?????

It would appear that the govenment is forcing us to install a condensing boiler. We want a combi, as we don't want a tank installing, so we have a vague idea of what we need. However, we have no idea what make or model of boiler would be best!

Unfortunately, my other half and I do have jobs, and don't quite qualify for a Warmfront grant. Neither of us is entirely thrilled at the prospect of being done over for vast amounts of money just because the government want to look good in the environmental stakes.

So... if anyone has some advice on where to go to get a good deal on fitting and aftercare, as well as advice on buying a reliable condensing combi that won't leave us too poor to pay to use it, I'd be much obliged!

Cheers,

fanglette

 

[Slugbabydotcom]

a) leak from 'somewhere' inside on an intermittent basis

Would this intermittent thing coincide with heavy rainfall by any chance?
Non condensing boiler flues should point down toward the outside to avoid rain ingress.
Auto air vents are another common cause of intermittent leaks
Often it is just a nut that needs tightening or a seal needs renewing

I would only opt for replacement if the leak was from a more serious source such as the heat exchanger. But thats just my opinion

 

[Paul Barker]

I agree, and get a new flow switch.

You have now learned how long life expectancy of a combi is so why buy another? Put a small fast recovery dhw cyclinder in loft or something like that, and get a condensing regular boiler or condensing system boiler with full controls. Cost a little more to buy and install, save a lot of mon ey is wages lost waiting in for repair man added to parts and labour. You can still have hot water when boiler breaks down (which it's much less likely to do).

Don't tell me combi is more fuel efficient, never been proven.

Or get a multipoint and a regular boiler. Britony II is still available and relatively cheap.

 

[fanglette]

Er..... that's a really good question! I don't ~think~ that it's when it's raining, but I'll keep an eye on that. It stops when the system heats up, but I guess that could be the heat evaporating any water that's got in...

The more worrying problem is the water flow switch issue - I had to stand there for about 5 minutes last night trying to make it fire properly (percussive maintenance seems to be the only way of making it work at the moment) when the heating kicked in...

The pump runs fine, and it clicks to switch on the water, but the little plastic mushroom-type thing that pops up to operate the microswitch in the water flow switch simply refuses to pop up unless you beat the living daylights out of it. Then it runs for ages, sometimes even re-firing a few times when the stat call for gas. Then it goes back to refusing to work until you smack it repeatedly.

Apparently it would cost about £150 for a new water flow switch. We've had this one to bits and can't figure out what's up with it - especially as it does often re-fire a few times after the initial bashing!

It wouldn't bother us so much, but the house is starting to be chilly in the mornings, as the central heating doesn't work without the aforementioned GBH being inflicted on it!

However, I'm not sure if it's worth shelling out the dosh to fix the problem - since the boiler is already 12 years old...

 

[fanglette]

I do see the sense in having a conventional condenser, with a tank in the loft, but it would be financially prohibitive for us to convert the system that much, I fear. We are on a tight budget, being first time homeowners. We were really hoping the boiler would last the winter, but it looks like it's about to breathe it's last!

Would I be right in thinking that installing a condensing combi would involve minimal change to the existing setup?

 

[ChrisR]

b) refuse to call for gas unless you slap the water flow switch a few times

Last one I came across was doing exactly that. Though I don't recognise your description of the part(flow switch), how many Style FF's can there have been? Don't answer, I don't care. I dismantled all the horrid plastic bits once the boiler was out (for scrap) and found a plastic pin, part of a large moulding, was used as a pivot for a microswitch - flow sensing department. It had broken at its base so it was down to luck whether the piece of plastic acted as a pivot or not.
Practically unmendable, and having seen it I wouldn't take it on.

WHether a new combi can go in the same place depends on the flue, mainly. It (the condenser's plume) mustn't be a nuisance, not within 2.4m of a facing boundary, and other constraints, see boiler lit. If you think you can't fit a condenser there's a flow chart to go through and collect points, must be on ODPM site, to see if you're exempt.

 

[meldrew's_mate]

....just because the government want to look good in the environmental stakes.

Well they'll certainly do much better if you leave the boiler as it is, and you'll have a much lower gas bill. So that must mean you both win, doesn't it

Never known an Ocean (aptly named) not to leak in two more places for each one you cure, so take the advice, replace the boiler using the money you will have saved on the gas bill this winter, and get a BG service contract after the g'tee has run out.

Some may have other ideas, I prefer the Ideal Isar 28 or 35kW, just make sure the system is properly cleaned, and you put a scale reducer on the mains cold water inlet.