Broken boiler - Glow Worm 24ci

[mcwillo]

Hi all,

I've had a look in the manual and it doesn't seem to list this particular scenario so hopefully someone could shed some light on it...

It's getting on a bit (Glow Worm 24ci combi) and I've had to replace/clean out the heat exchanger a couple of times in the last 7 years, another part also had to be replaced which I can't remember what it was unfortunately. I haven't had it serviced in about 3 years.

A few days ago the pressure was lost I had to re-pressurise the system - all came back without any problem and had hot water/heating again. Yesterday the hot water stopped working mid-wash but the pressure is fine at 1.1bar.

The boiler is getting power to it (all lights are on, pressure reading correctly, no fault codes. The pilot light is not igniting though. I can hear what is presumably the fan whirring away but it's not sparking up and neither hot water nor heating kicks it into life. I've turned the power off at the wall for various periods of time, it seems normal when it turns back on and I can hear a couple of very quiet clicks (not as loud as a normal hob ignition so I can't say if it's definitely trying to ignite.

Any ideas?

Hopefully this is a quick fix and I can source the part myself! Cheers.

 

[TeaTime]

Get the boiler serviced and get the gas safe boiler engineer to take a look at the ignition problem. He may be able to sort the issue as part of the service, if you explain your issue prior to him arriving.

 

[mcwillo]

Had plumber round and he diagnosed as faulty PCB. Managed to source one from eBay at a 3rd of the cost and fitted it myself. Total bill including initial diagnosis reduced from £400 to £175.

Only thing I'll say about these Glowworm PCBs are the model in mine was superseded and there's a few differences in the wiring.

New part number: 2000802038

Differences:

1. H8 on old PCB (Red/White wire) to H8 on new PCB (but connection has changed position)
2. H6 on old PCB (Brown/ Blue wire) to H7 on new PCB (but ensure wires are underneath plug!)
3. Remove 24v Link on new PCB (sticker on bottom left of new PCB).

Rest of wiring is the same as old type PCB.

It was very straight forward once I labelled the connectors with masking tape. Hopefully this info helps someone else.

 

[Agile]

Yes, this is one of the hazards a boiler engineer has to cover.

Different part numbers, modified PCBs and some that need a significant reprogramming for a particular boiler model.

I never have any problem diagnosing boiler faults and leaving the owner to fix them as long as they are not gas/combustion related. But I always charge to diagnose faults!

Tony

 

[muggles]

Did you check the combustion on your boiler with a flue gas analyser after replacing your PCB to make sure that the new PCB hasn't caused the boiler to burn incorrectly, or have you just taken the "it'll be OK" attitude?

 

[mcwillo]

Did you check the combustion on your boiler with a flue gas analyser after replacing your PCB to make sure that the new PCB hasn't caused the boiler to burn incorrectly, or have you just taken the "it'll be OK" attitude?

The latter, to be honest. :-/

I've got a Kidde 7DCO carbon monoxide alarm (with digital display) in the boiler cupboard which hasn't picked up anything untoward, is it essential that I get these things checked even though it's running fine?

Thanks

 

[Agile]

There is a fine dividing line between essential / should do / could do !

A conscientious boiler engineer would always check the combustion after fitting a new PCB and many would when visiting any boiler anyway.

Your CO alarm is just a safety device to alarm if there are dangerous levels of CO in the room. It does nothing to show if the boiler is running correctly!

Just as seat belts don't show if your brakes are working safely!

Tony

 

[mcwillo]

Rather than calling out the plumber again I've just signed up for boiler cover, they'll be doing the initial inspection a week on Wed. In the interim we'll just have the boiler switched on for showers, thanks for the advice all.

 

[muggles]

Did you check the combustion on your boiler with a flue gas analyser after replacing your PCB to make sure that the new PCB hasn't caused the boiler to burn incorrectly, or have you just taken the "it'll be OK" attitude?

The latter, to be honest. :-/

I've got a Kidde 7DCO carbon monoxide alarm (with digital display) in the boiler cupboard which hasn't picked up anything untoward, is it essential that I get these things checked even though it's running fine?

Thanks

It's a room-sealed appliance, the chances of it emitting CO into the room are extremely low.

The PCB controls both the fan speed and the gas valve (amongst other things) and as such I would say that it is very important that the combustion is checked with an analyser after a PCB change. There is no other way of knowing whether the new PCB has affected the combustion characteristics of the appliance. It's unlikely to be unsafe to use but it might be using more gas than required, which will result in higher bills and could cause long-term reliability issues

As for boiler cover, you'd be better off just putting the money aside in a bank ready to pay your local engineer as and when required - boiler cover will cost you much more in the long run.

 

[Tibbot]

No, I think the OP is better off with cover. For all the moaning the public do about the profits/tax avoidance of big corporations they always seem smugly satisfied giving them money for nothing every month. Enter an independent who dares to make a crust and they'll demand his balls for spaghetti sauce.

 

[AMATEUR5]

Had plumber round and he diagnosed as faulty PCB. Managed to source one from eBay at a 3rd of the cost and fitted it myself. Total bill including initial diagnosis reduced from £400 to £175.

Only thing I'll say about these Glowworm PCBs are the model in mine was superseded and there's a few differences in the wiring.

New part number: 2000802038

Differences:

1. H8 on old PCB (Red/White wire) to H8 on new PCB (but connection has changed position)
2. H6 on old PCB (Brown/ Blue wire) to H7 on new PCB (but ensure wires are underneath plug!)
3. Remove 24v Link on new PCB (sticker on bottom left of new PCB).

Rest of wiring is the same as old type PCB.

It was very straight forward once I labelled the connectors with masking tape. Hopefully this info helps someone else.

 

[AMATEUR5]

This was very helpful to me

H6 to H7 on the new board

Thanks alot

Such an easy job otherwise