Combi boiler playing up since ensuite fitted - coincidence??

[Shazz]

Hi all,

I shall get straight to it - Had a garage converted into an ensuite/wetroom and this is when the boiler started playing up but only the hot water. It became intermittent hot then cold then warm then cold until the boiler eventually cuts out. Anyway problem disappeared and coincidently the shower in ensuite wasn't used during this time and all was fine, getting hot water in other bathroom and kitchen etc, then used shower in ensuite again and now back to intermittent hot water throughout house and boiler cutting out again, is the problem with our boiler or somehow related to the new shower? I hope I have made sense.

This is what we have:
Boiler - Biasi Garda Plus HE M110.32SM/E
New Shower - Aqualisa Visage Digital

Hope someone can help.

 

[Bunnyman]

Yes u have made sense the shower is passing ,,, check see if the non return valves have been fitted an that the hot an cold have been piped correctly,,also check that the shower is compatible high pressure

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• Bunnyman
• 26 Mar 2010
• 499

the easy way to check is open hot tap an if it's playin up ie not hot then put your hand on the hot water outlet pipe from boiler an if it's hot an ur tap water is not that proves it shower

 

[Shazz]

Hi Bunnyman,

Thanks for replying so quickly. I will check for non return valves later not sure where they are, we had it installed professionally so would like to assume all is correct but hey you never know. With regards to the hot water test - yes shower is suitable for high pressure from what I have read in manual, I assumed didn't matter which tap I turned on so tried kitchen that way could see and hear what boiler was doing. Got hot water for a bit boiler powers down water went cold boiler comes back on water gets hot etc didn't run long enough for it to lock out, hot water outlet pipe from boiler gets hot, please forgive me for being a numpty but how does this prove or disprove that it is the shower causing the problem?

We called the plumber (the one who done ensuite) out when this first happened and do you think we could get the fault to occur.. not a chance so nothing was done about it and he didn't seem to know what it could be.

From what I have read the symptoms the boiler is displaying seems to point to the boiler but I can't help thinking that it's just too much of a coincidence. I could waffle on for ages about how everything was connected etc but don't want to overload with irrelevant information so whatever is needed please ask and I will do my best to answer.

All advice is much appreciated.

 

[Axel]

we had it installed professionally so would like to assume all is correct

That means you paid someone else to do it....

 

[Shazz]

Yes the whole job was done by one firm.

After thinking about this for a while and perhaps reading into the comment wrongly??, is it a problem that tradesmen were used, can I only post on here if it was a DIY job?? I don't want to go all guns blazing at the firm if it is a fault with our boiler which is our problem not theirs and likewise I don't want to shell out cash if it is not our problem so thought I would see what responses I got on here and then go from there.

 

[Axel]

No, it's just that the word 'professional' suggests that something is done properly and correctly, when unfortunately in the building trades, the fact that someone has been paid to do something doesn't in reality mean that their work is free from problems, even if they appear to be 'professionals'.

 

[Shazz]

Yes I understand, sorry, I have watched enough 'rogue traders' etc on tv, so should have realised that's what you meant.

 

[Tibbot]

If it's a boiler fault and if the boiler wasn't touched during the work, what do the last 2 posters think the bathroom fitter could have possibly done to cause a boiler fault?

 

[Shazz]

But the boiler was 'touched', as in the whole system was drained etc to connect new pipework for the shower, sink, toilet and radiator, and then refilled etc and if we hadn't said anything to the plumber he wouldn't have even bothered putting in any inhibitor and there were other minor incidents so my faith in this company is not brilliant but also it could just be all coincidental that's why I am on here to gather as much info as possible so as not to look an idiot...hopefully.

 

[transam]

Yep the bathroom fitter may well have done nothing wrong !

 

[electronicsuk]

If your other bathroom has a cold-fed electric shower (or no shower at all) then it may be that running the shower in your ensuite is the only time when you're asking your boiler to heat DHW for long periods of time. If your boiler has a partially blocked plate heat exchanger then it could cause the problems you describe, and you might not have ever noticed before without drawing a lot of hot water.

Probably a longshot, but if the other (better) suggestions here prove to be wrong, it might be worth looking into.

 

[Shazz]

Other bathroom supplied by dhw standard bath with shower mixer taps, sink and toilet, so lots of dhw used here and we were getting the same problem here and in the kitchen, couldn't even fill a washing up bowl full, but as I said problem went away until new shower was used again hence why I am confused and thinking that somehow the new shower is triggering the fault but it is beyond me as to how.

 

[transam]

The shower you mention ? fitted several of the Aqualisa digital quartz type showers , I assume it has got a electronic box of tricks some where ?



Incidentally the name Aqualisa , came from Aqua for water & the founder of the companys daughter's name was Lisa , hence the name Aqualisa
Useful piece of information that

 

[Shazz]

It certainly has, up in the roof space above ensuite, easily accessible via hatch we had to have put in especially, so box is roughly 2/3m away from shower.

 

[Bunnyman]

Just learn from others mistakes ! It will b the shower passing cold water up the hot when u open any hot tap u proved it to urself when u got it to fail but the hot outlet from boiler was hot ffs! Ok if u don't believe me an wanna go round in circles try this,when it fails next time at the kitchen sink leave hot tap running an turn off the isolation valve to the shower the kitchen tap water should then get hot,, have u noticed higher flow rate on hot water outlets?

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• Bunnyman
• 26 Mar 2010
• 499