boiler problems

[leedebs]

First time poster long time reader!

System is a Ideal Elan boiler
11 rads 3 bed house
Grundfoss pump
3 way diverter
Room stat is Honeywell set at 23 degrees
Cylinder stat is set to 60 degrees C

Don't really know much about CH so the above is the limit of what I have picked up from this site that I may need to assist with the problem

If I set the boiler thermostat to low (summer setting) the rads get very hot & the system seems to heat the house very well BUT the boiler is very noisy after a time (pump set at 2 or 3) and I am worried because it sounds like I have started up an aircraft in my kitchen
I have heard of Fernox boiler noise reducer, would this work?

If I set the boiler thermostat to high (winter setting) the rads take ages to get hot & although after a time the house does get warm it never gets warm enough for the wife! Pump set at 2 or 3 but boiler becomes very noisy on 2 so I have left it on 3 although the pump is noisy
The boiler constantly fires up for a few minutes then goes off for a few minutes then fires up again, this goes on all night

Do you think the second option is correct & if it is how can I get the system to warm the house quicker & more importantly get it warmer
Any ideas
Thanks in advance

 

[Agile]

For a start it sounds as if someone ( you? ) has crossed over the Low/high wires!

The pump setting should be at "2" so if the boiler is noisy on "2" it may have lime scale in teh heat exchanger.

Tony

 

[batco]

You need to do power flushing

 

[WDIK]

You need to do power flushing

you need a proffesional, not a web opinion

 

[leedebs]

I haven't touched anything on the boiler, only to switch between high & low, tbh I wouldn't touch anything cos I don't understand it!
So do you think the thermostat may have gone on the boiler because it seems as though the boiler works the opposite way round to how we think it should work?

 

[leedebs]

For a start it sounds as if someone ( you? ) has crossed over the Low/high wires!

The pump setting should be at "2" so if the boiler is noisy on "2" it may have lime scale in teh heat exchanger.

Tony

Been testing now & the boiler defintely seems to work better on the low setting, must have been like this for the last 18 years because I have never changed or rewired anything on the boiler, maybe the person before me replaced the switch?
When you say the pump should be set at 2, is this what it would have been set to on the install?
I tend to find that the boiler makes more noise on 3 but doesn't "kettle" as much as it does on 2.
I have bought some Fernox boiler silencer so I am going to try that over the weekend.
Also is the CH pump meant to go off after a while of not heating, it seems to work when the boiler is working but switches off when not needed?

 

[leedebs]

How long does the Fernox Boiler Silencer take to work?
Also noticed my hot water from the taps is scalding hot, is this something to do with the 3 way valve sticking as the hot water cylinder stat is set at 60 deg.

Just sitting here now & the boiler is cycling again every minute & is making a hell of a racket with the pump set on 2.
As I have 11 rads to heat maybe the boiler can't cope and the pump should be on 3?

 

[hect]

Kettling is down to poor circulation - especially with the fact that you are saying rads take ages to heat up - boiler will cut out on satisfied boiler stat due to lack of heat loss from HEX - and keep firing up - it does sound like short cycling - what external controls do you have by the way, and is your system trvd at all?

 

[leedebs]

Excuse my ignorance but what is HEX?
I have no TRV's & by external controls do you mean room stat?
I don't know much about this but I also now have a problem in that the hot water is scalding hot from the tap, is this related to the boiler problem?

 

[jackthom]

If the mid-position valve isn't moving right across to the 'Central Heating ONLY' position properly, the hot water cylinder could be heating up every time the boiler is ON, hence the scalding DHW.

Can you force the valve manually to the CH ONLY position for a while to see if this improves the CH performance?

 

[leedebs]

Thanks, Will try that tonight, the valve has a lever underneath that I can move, I will tape it into position & see

 

[Agile]

The heating coil on the cylinder should have a gate valve ( used as a lockshield ) to balance the flow against the heating circuit.

Few installers understand the need for this though!

Tony

 

[leedebs]

okay just went to try this & realise that the CH & HW are on all the time on the boiler (ie both come on twice a day) is this why the hot water gets so hot?
The CH set on low seems to work as I would expect the high setting to but is this correct?
Asked a few people down our road & the consesus seems to be they use the low setting, but these are two bed houses whereas my is a 3 bed with an extension, maybe that's how its been set up to work??
Incidentally what does the central position (Inlet) do on the 3 position valve?