Combi boiler problems

[cheshireblue12]

Hi my daughter,
has phoned me with an issue with her hot water system. The water shower running from the boiler gets hot then after a few minutes run cold the boiler then fires up and the cycle continues.
From investigation this happens with all the taps.
Any thoughts on what the problem could be.
The boiler is a Worcestor non condensing combi

Cheers

 

[TicTac]

Most likely the heat exchanger need removing and descaling. Get her to try running it at half flow rate as a temporary fix.

 

[cheshireblue12]

Thanks for the reply Tic Tac how difficult is the removal / descaling job?

 

[TicTac]

It's an easy job for someone who knows what they are doing, but as you have to remove the casing to work inside the boiler, we're not allowed to give you any advice on it.

 

[cheshireblue12]

Ok the symptons do appear to be heat exchanger blockages. I can purchase a Baxi 80e DHW heat exchanger for approx £56 from the internet (probably not Baxi genuine part) how much would anyone say it would cost to fitted , I've already spent £85 on the boiler and don't want to keep throwing good money on an ageing appliance

 

[boilerdoktor]

You can’t fit a Baxi part to a Worcester.....which model Worcester is it ?

 

[cheshireblue12]

My original mistake the boiler is Baxi 80e not Worcestor

 

[terryplumb]

Unfortunately ageing appliances do need money spent on them ,especially when they have not been serviced regularly , and even when they have !! Options ? Spend a few grand on a new boiler , carry on paying out as needed ,take out breakdown / repair insurance cover with a reputable company. Either way you end up spending out. Regards Terry.

 

[cheshireblue12]

Thanks for the common sense advice, anyone got a thought on the cost to replace the heat exchanger if I buy the exchanger myself?

 

[terryplumb]

Prices vary quite a bit around the country , and some engineers will not entertain fitting parts to boilers supplied by customer. Best bet is to ring a few and get quotes. Its not a big job to change a Plate Hex .

 

[muggles]

I'd probably charge around £75.00+vat to replace it, but you'd be much better off getting someone in to properly diagnose the problem rather than throwing random parts at the boiler. If you call someone in to replace the heat exchanger with the one you've bought, and that doesn't fix the problem, you'll still need to pay them for their time doing the work but you'll be no better off...in fact you'll be worse off as you've wasted money doing something that wasn't necessary.