At home we've an Ideal system boiler that's about 9 years old - fitted by BG and serviced by them since. So far it's averaged about a breakdown every 2 years.
Back at Easter (ie the start of a long weekend holiday) it packed in again - on the Thursday evening. BG chap turned up and eventually diagnosed a failed main gas valve. Part was ordered, but of course not available until after holiday weekend. Different chap came and installed gas valve on Tuesday. Then on Wed morning the house was cold again, and boiler not running. Yet another chap came and found the combustion chamber flooded because the trap was ... virtually blocked by debris from when the heat exchanger corroded away a few years ago.
Apparently, according to dad, it was hard stuff to dig out.
I'm thinking the trap should be cleaned out (or at least checked) regularly - it's prescribed in the MI for the combi in my rental house. I'd have thought it was particularly important when replacing a heat exchanger that's corroded and drops loads of alli and alli-oxide inside. Makes me wonder about the quality of the servicing, and whether a complaint is warranted.
It might also explain the breakdown we had late Christmas Eve (yes, it normally breaks down at the start of holidays !) It had cleared by morning, and we put it down to a build up of ice round the flue intake (it was visible from ground level with a torch). In hindsight it could have just been a build up of condensate that was leaking out via the trap slower than it was being made - it being 'a tad parky' at the time.
Just for good measure, the boiler was tripped out again this morning. On resetting, the ignition sounded like an angry wasp in a jam jar - making a loud BZZT BZZT BZZT noise. It sounded like the flame lit just at the end of the third attempt, I could make out a distinct "woomph" just before the ignition timed out. Be interesting to see if it's been a temporary issue and sorted itself, or if the blue van will be outside yet again.
Back at Easter (ie the start of a long weekend holiday) it packed in again - on the Thursday evening. BG chap turned up and eventually diagnosed a failed main gas valve. Part was ordered, but of course not available until after holiday weekend. Different chap came and installed gas valve on Tuesday. Then on Wed morning the house was cold again, and boiler not running. Yet another chap came and found the combustion chamber flooded because the trap was ... virtually blocked by debris from when the heat exchanger corroded away a few years ago.
Apparently, according to dad, it was hard stuff to dig out.
I'm thinking the trap should be cleaned out (or at least checked) regularly - it's prescribed in the MI for the combi in my rental house. I'd have thought it was particularly important when replacing a heat exchanger that's corroded and drops loads of alli and alli-oxide inside. Makes me wonder about the quality of the servicing, and whether a complaint is warranted.
It might also explain the breakdown we had late Christmas Eve (yes, it normally breaks down at the start of holidays !) It had cleared by morning, and we put it down to a build up of ice round the flue intake (it was visible from ground level with a torch). In hindsight it could have just been a build up of condensate that was leaking out via the trap slower than it was being made - it being 'a tad parky' at the time.
Just for good measure, the boiler was tripped out again this morning. On resetting, the ignition sounded like an angry wasp in a jam jar - making a loud BZZT BZZT BZZT noise. It sounded like the flame lit just at the end of the third attempt, I could make out a distinct "woomph" just before the ignition timed out. Be interesting to see if it's been a temporary issue and sorted itself, or if the blue van will be outside yet again.
- though I'll allow one concession to modernity, a flame failure thermocouple on the gas valve.
