Boiler Flooded!

[gcn504]

Folks,

Just had a pretty heavy rain storm and water has come flooding in through the boiler and dripped down through the ceiling to the kitchen below.

My boiler is located upstairs against a back wall. I need help with identifying a part and/or any suggestions you may have.

Take a look at this picture:

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b39/gcn504/DSC_0299.jpg

I *think* the guttering situated close to the boiler ventilation may have overflowed and caused rain water to run down the ventilation and through the back of the boiler. This has happened before, twice over the course of 4 years. Recently I put a load of "drain unblocking" solution down the guttering so I wasn't expecting it to happen again. I also cant be 100% sure this was what was actually happening, when we noticed the water dripping in the kitchen (below the room the boilers in) my immediate reaction was to deal with the leak and by the time that was done the rain had stopped. The other culprit could be driving rain going directly through the ventilation not sure how likely that is though.

So questions:

1: What is the silver ventilation part called is it a cowl or something else?
2: Is there a better product I can use than the one seen? One that had more of a cover from the base or does it have to be like the one seen so that the gas escapes properly.
3: Alternatively can some sort of cover be put above the silver part to deflect any water coming in from above.

I'll obviously have to deal with the guttering but again I cant be sure it was that.

Any advice greatly received.

Thanks in advance.

 

[gas4you]

1) The silver part is the flue terminal

2) Nothing can be altered with this

3) Nothing should be fixed within 300mm any direction from the flue terminal.

I think you will have to look to cure the source of the water ingress

 

[Rob]

By the look of the flue its a SE worcester? Which should be facing downwards to prevent rain or atleast stick out a further 6'' to clean the guttering.

 

[Agile]

And I thought it was a Potty profile or similar!

But I spend more time looking at the boiler insides!

That is a pretty silly place to fit a flue terminal.

As stated it should slope down about 3° away from boiler.

Tony

 

[gcn504]

By the look of the flue its a SE worcester? Which should be facing downwards to prevent rain or atleast stick out a further 6'' to clean the guttering.

I think you're right as its a Worcester boiler.

Can you buy longer flues?

 

[ChrisR]

to clean the guttering.

Not quite sure that's what rob meant!

From the look of the botchy lead over the hopper, there's a "known problem" here.
It would probably be better to make a better job of that than alter the flue.
If you fold the edge of a sheet of lead over it becomes quite stiff, you could extend the hopper fairly easily.
If there's box guttering behind the hopper, you may find you can lay some fingers of lead from each side to make the water flow zig zag and slow down so it doesn't overshoot the hopper.

 

[gcn504]

to clean the guttering.

Not quite sure that's what rob meant!

From the look of the botchy lead over the hopper, there's a "known problem" here.
It would probably be better to make a better job of that than alter the flue.
If you fold the edge of a sheet of lead over it becomes quite stiff, you could extend the hopper fairly easily.
If there's box guttering behind the hopper, you may find you can lay some fingers of lead from each side to make the water flow zig zag and slow down so it doesn't overshoot the hopper.

Thanks I'll get a ladder up there and take a look. This is possibly the worst of the 3 occasions its happened as the boiler circuit board is wet. I've turned it all off and will leave it a few more hours to dry out and see if it fires up. It didn't a short while ago.

 

[Agile]

You should try a hair dryer a few inches away to speed up the drying out.

Tony