Cold bath tap

[spawnoflard]

Ok... I live about 500 miles away from my mother, she has 3 star cover from British Gas, which I life having as my mother is a bit vulnerable so prepared to pay extra if it means whoever comes out to fix it for her will get it fixed or die trying.

Hot water comes out of all taps at a good temperature, but from the bath tap it runs hot for a minute and then comes out very lukewarm.

We called out British Gas, but he reckons it's a plumbing problem as all the other taps are fine, even slowing down the flow rate didn't seem to fix it either.

I'm a bit skeptical, so I'm thinking of getting a plumber to check it out, but if it is the boiler, get them out again for a second bite of the cherry, but if they still insist it's the tap, get another gas fitter out to fix it or confirm if it's the boiler or not, if it is the boiler I want BG to pay for it as I think giving them nearly £400 a year they should have been able to spot it.

Has anyone ever been able to get reimbursed by them in a similar situation?

I'm thinking it's something like the diaphram as I've read of people gaving similar issues.

The boiler is nearly 10 years old and looks similar to the Worcester Greenstar 24i in that it has the same manual timer and not a digital one.


P.S. I don't really want someone to die trying to fix a boiler..... just give it a serious go.

 

[footprints]

Does sound like the tap to me, if the basin tap in the same room works (and that will have a greater restriction than a bath tap) several possibilities, are they thermostatic taps? the stat could be U/S the same if you have a safety mixer valve fitted on the bath supply. The tap may have a loose component inside.
No way to say for certain without inspecting it, so a plumber with instructions to change the tap if faulty is your best bet as you are so far away.
Worth considering that you can add plumbing and drains cover to your BG contract as an upgrade, so if another tap packs up or the toilet gets blocked it is covered. BG use a drain company as a contractor if required.

 

[spawnoflard]

Thanks.... I have had it with the same flow, cold water off and getting plenty of hot before, now the flow feels the same but doesn't stay hot for long....
As far as I'm aware they're not thermostatic..... there's nothing on them to suggest it.... but I'll give a plumber a go anyway.

Thanks again

 

[Mikefromlondon]

First I would check how much water comes out of the bath tap when fully open in say 1/2 minute or for more accurate results in 1 minute. Take an empty bucket, open fully your hot water bath tap, get a stop watch ready, or use your normal wrist watch and as soon as you are ready to measure time, looking at your Seconds hand, slide the empty bucket under the tap and then as soon as the 60 seconds over, slide the bucket out, take a measuring jug and accurately measure the water collected in your bucket. A good decent flow is needed to keep some boilers continue providing hot water, if you reduce the flow in the anticipation that it may be flowing too fast and hence getting cold, that is a wrong assumption, as combi boilers need a decent flow to satisfy the flow sensor tripping which in turn fires up the boiler.

 

[Madrab]

Is the bathroom new, new house?

If recently done, last few years, and it was installed correctly, there may be a TMV (Thermo mixing valve) somewhere on the feeds to the bath, newish reg (2010) brought in to try to avoid any scalding hazards.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

or a water saving device fitted in by the previous owner, in the shower/tub outlet to save water.

 

[mcmoby69]

if you're in manchester she must live in the channel or up near the shetlands!
could be that when it was converted to a combi the 3/4 or 22mmpipe that originally fed the bath was not replaced.
bigger pipe = bigger flow = less time inside the heat exchanger= less increase in heat.

all the other taps will be fed via 1/2'' (15mm) pipe. smaller bore=less volume= more time inside the boiler= increase in heat.

never ever seen a BG guy die trying to fix a boiler or any other problem for that matter. not through over exertion anyway.