Convert condenser boiler from open vent to sealed?

[donkeykongdazza]

I have an Ideal ICOS HE18 condenser boiler (7 years old) and it's currently an open vent system.

It consistently has problems with the heating (not hot water) and the E.ON engineer who has attended previously says the issue is the pressure in the pipework periodically builds and prevents the system from switching to activate the heating.

He says the F&E pipework has been done incorrectly so that it feeds the water through twice and this is one of the reasons for the issue that prevents the heating activating.

He has recommended that I get someone to correct the F&E pipework and also have it converted to a sealed/pressurized system. He says this can be done by any engineer as there is a "kit" you buy for about £300 that allows you to do this.

Does any of this sound familiar or correct? I know some (very) basic info about plumbing and heating, but this is way beyond my expertise.

If anyone can give some advice on whether this sounds reasonable and whether the £300 is also a reasonable estimate, I'd be very grateful.

 

[Dan Robinson]

£300 should about cover labour and materials. But I really hope that isn't a verbatim account of what the engineer told you because it's a load of booloks.

 

[donkeykongdazza]

£300 should about cover labour and materials. But I really hope that isn't a verbatim account of what the engineer told you because it's a load of booloks.

He indicated the pipework by the pump by the storage tank and said the "switch" that activates the heating was in that area. He said the pcb is sending the signal to the switch but it is being prevented from activating the heating due to this build up of pressure.

Sound dodgy?

 

[Dan Robinson]

Sounds like a complete muppet.

 

[donkeykongdazza]

Thanks for your replies, Dan.

Is there anyone else who would be kind enough to offer some additional views?

Thanks.

 

[RickMoore]

If you could tell us in your own words what the problems are, and perhaps post some pictures of the pipework people might be able to help more.

All that can be said at the moment is that the bloke that looked at it is a muppet.

 

[twgas]

I think rick and dan are being unfair calling the e-on guy a muppet, muppets surely arent that stupid

 

[Dan Robinson]

It truly is worrying is it not?

 

[donkeykongdazza]

The problem (as I see it) is that the heating only works sporadically, whereas the hot water works all the time. Both are operated from the same pcb and come from the same storage tank.

The heating will work fine for a few days, or a couple of weeks at best, but then just stop working for anything up to a week. Then it will work okay again. This cycle keeps repeating.

The boiler was here when we moved in 4 years ago, but we know it's 7 years since it was installed under a grant scheme for the old couple who lived here before us. 2 years ago we got the E.ON boiler maintenance cover as they are the energy supplier for our house.

This problem started last winter and the E.ON call out guy (same one each time for our area) came out a few times and gave me the explanations listed above.

I'll post some photos now........

 

[Agile]

I agree that he is a muppet.

But you pay for him to repair it.

Simple logic?

If it works for a few days all OK then the pipework is fine!

That's unless someone comes in at night and changes the pipes round!

Tony

 

[donkeykongdazza]

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[donkeykongdazza]

I agree that he is a muppet.

But you pay for him to repair it.

Simple logic?

If it works for a few days all OK then the pipework is fine!

That's unless someone comes in at night and changes the pipes round!

Tony

Thanks for the reply, Tony.

I'm obviously not very knowledgeable about heating/plumbing, but that was my instinct - it's worked most of the time for the 4 years we've been here, so why is the way the pipework is fitted an issue? Surely that would be a permanent problem if that was the case?

He seemed convinced that it was contributing to the build up of pressure that means the heating periodically cannot respond to the "switch on" signal from the pcb.

He also recommended that I should switch to a sealed system too. I'm wary of this as the research I've done suggests that this can "blow" some joints - especially if the pipework is old.

The E.ON cover has been useful to us financially, as we only pay the £13 per month and the pcb's on these Ideal boilers need replacing every 5 minutes! Plus, we needed a new pump fitting last November. It's saved us a lot of cash in that sense, but this is the first "proper" maintenance that's been needed and I'm not convinced they know how to fix it.

All replies and info gratefully received!!

 

[petit_pablo]

With all this talk of PCBs i was expecting a thermal store to be involved somewhere.

The e.on guy hasnt a scooby what he is on about. He's made up a load of carp to try and baffle you.

The fault could lie with the timer, the room stat or the mid position valve from your description but ecrtainly not the pipework or the "pressure"

 

[petit_pablo]

With all this talk of PCBs i was expecting a thermal store to be involved somewhere.

The e.on guy hasnt a scooby what he is on about. He's made up a load of carp to try and baffle you.

The fault could lie with the timer, the room stat or the mid position valve from your description but ecrtainly not the pipework or the "pressure"



Edit: The cold feed and vent isnt the best but again wouldnt cause your fault.

 

[donkeykongdazza]

With all this talk of PCBs i was expecting a thermal store to be involved somewhere.

The e.on guy hasnt a scooby what he is on about. He's made up a load of carp to try and baffle you.

The fault could lie with the timer, the room stat or the mid position valve from your description but ecrtainly not the pipework or the "pressure"



Edit: The cold feed and vent isnt the best but again wouldnt cause your fault.

Thanks for the reply.

When you say timer, do you mean the programmed on/offs? (sorry if that sounds like a stupid question) The pcb has an option to just switch the heating on and off immediately regardless of the programmed on/offs. Both that facility and the timer work/don't work at the same times.

I've also tried the room stat at lower and higher settings to see if that makes any difference, but it doesn't.