Engineer can't find problem. Can't keep taking time off work

[CookEe01]

Hi all, my Ideal combi boiler has been playing up for 3 weeks. The boiler is 18 months old. Boiler is in my garage. Radiators are bled, pressure is ok, not dropping.

The burner doesn't fire in in 'run' mode. I think there's a problem with the signal from the remote thermostat too. It takes ages to get the burner to fire, the restart button doesn't work and I have to re-start it at the wall. Boiler then comes up to temperature, switches off and refuses to restart. I had error code L1 - overheat. It can then take hours for the boiler to re-start.

I've got no heating or HW. I only have HW when the boiler is on 'continuous on'. And I can rarely get the boiler on.

I've had 4 engineers in the last 2 weeks. 2 from the insurance company left without doing anything, one carried out a service and the 4th was from Ideal who has inspected the boiler under warranty.

The Ideal engineer replaced the pump and remote signaller. He carried out a thorough check and the boiler & HW were on when he left.

I then came home from work, house freezing, no heating or HW again. The boiler hasn't come on this morning and it's taken me 2 hours tonight to re-light the burner. When the burner comes on it makes a loud whoosh and switches off. It has eventually lit and stayed on.

Water & CH are on maximum -the rads are scolding hot. If I turn the setting down the boiler goes off.

I'm going to call Ideal again tomorrow but I can't keep taking time off work to wait in for engineers - does anyone know what the problem(s) could be?

 

[dcawkwell]

You have have the pleasure of owning an Ideal boiler
and an insurance policy.

It could well take weeks until the insurance company get bored
and then tell you that you need a new boiler and want nothing
more to do with it. So much for your premiums.

Disconnecting the thermostat would be the first step to remove any issue
here. As what is wrong with it is anyones guess but sounds like
a circulation problem.

Was it installed on an old system and not properly flushed out.

 

[Agile]

I am a bit confused here!

You have a boiler under the warranty and yet you also have some kind of insurance but they are inclined to send peope who "do nothing".

So how about a few facts?

Why insurance cover?

What did the Ideal engineer say on his report?

Now the Gas Safe Installer, where does he feature in all this? After all, presumably he supplied the boiler to you? Why did he not attend when the engineers were coming?

What are you hiding from us?

Tony

 

[CookEe01]

I had no idea that the boiler was still under warranty and that's why I called my home insurance. I wrongly assumed that the warranty ran out after 12 months. I never had a problem with the boiler in my old property and have never had to call anyone out. I just contacted who I thought I should to get the problem sorted.

First I called my home insurance policy emergency line. To be fair, the second engineer from the insurance co said that the boiler might still be under warranty and told me to contact Ideal direct - so I did. No one had mentioned this until then.

Ideal were very helpful and sent someone straight round - trouble is, he didn't find the problem and the boiler is still playing up.

The fitter said that he had flushed the system and the benchmark also says this. The system was all fitted new, boiler, pipework and radiators.

Thanks.

 

[Agile]

Not having seen your boiler then I have no idea whats wrong!

But what did the Ideal Engineer say on his report?

If the installer flushed the system and completed the Benchmark then it sounds as if he did a proper job.

Probably just your bad luck that its an Ideal and a faulty one at that.

Tony

 

[CookEe01]

Hi Tony, I've not seen a report yet. The Ideal engineer got the boiler firing and working....it then stopped when he left the house (typical).

I'm going to give them a call tomorrow to get someone back out. The chap was very thorough and I suppose it's trial and error. I need someone here when the heating is due to come on so that they can see what's happening. I'm happy to leave it in the hands of Ideal and they're certainly more helpful than the insurance have been.

I know all about Ideal boilers now.....hindsight is a wonderful thing and I wish I'd done a lot more research.

 

[Agile]

Fixing boilrers is not ( or should not ) be a matter of trial and error!

Its a matter of carefully diagnosing the problem and applying a fix.

The fact it worked as he left is a sign that he thought that he had fixed it.

Perhaps it developed another? Or the adjustments were not at the best settings? We dont know!

Most staff engineers leave a Job Sheet or Engineer's Report when they leave! You can call Ideal and ask why he did not and what the fix was recorded as being. Then tell us!

Tony

 

[CookEe01]

Engineer from Ideal is coming out on Saturday.

Main problems are boiler not recognising signal from remote thermostat. Flame not saying on when lit. Boiler not coming on whilst on timer. Loud whooshing noise when boiler is firing up, boiler then switches off. Re-set button not working on boiler. No hot water. Do you think that's enough problems on a virtually new boiler??

Tony, you're right in that an engineer should isolate a problem and rectify this without several call outs. This is why I'm getting slightly stressed with the call-outs/delays. The engineer did do a thorough check and the boiler 'worked' when he left. I have no idea why it keeps doing this - I think it's a Friday night boiler.

Also, I didn't know that I should (or could) receive a report. The engineer did fill in paperwork on Tuesday so I'll ask for copies of this and any further paperwork.

Update to follow (and hopefully heating).

 

[CookEe01]

Update

Ideal had a cancellation and a 2nd engineer came out today. He replaced the remote thermostat and replaced a signaller in the boiler so that it reads a signal from the thermostat (I wasn't here so I don't know exactly, someone house sat for me). Boiler now pics up signal and shows a call for CH/HW.

He did a flue gas analysis and a thorough check of the boiler. He left the boiler on 'continuous on' set at 15 degrees. I have a copy of the flue analysis

Came home to freezing house. Boiler had got up to temp and gone off.

Turned thermostat to 'continuous on'. Nothing. Burner doesn't fire.

I've re-set the boiler (re-set button still isn't firing boiler so I turned on and off at the wall) and it's come on. At least I have some heat and HW tonight.

I've set the boiler to come on tomorrow on a programme to see if it's working and today was just a glitch.

Condensate pipe checked - not blocked or frozen. The pump was replaced on Tuesday and the fan has been checked - it's fine.

Does anyone know what would stop a burner firing - is there a switch or wire or something that can be checked next?

The Benchmark shows a flush was done when the system was fitted 18 months ago. When I bleed the upstairs radiator, the water coming out is brown/black. Would this indicate gunk in the system? Should I have the system flushed again? Would this stop the burner firing?

Sorry so many questions and thank you all for your help.

 

[DP]

The Benchmark shows a flush was done when the system was fitted 18 months ago. When I bleed the upstairs radiator, the water coming out is brown/black. Would this indicate gunk in the system? Should I have the system flushed again? Would this stop the burner firing?

Above may or may not be the cause but the system should be clean. You can take a sample of water and have it analysed by Fernox or Sentinel. They will tell you if cleansers were used and system was inhibited like it might say in the Benchmark Logbook.

Clearly do not see the issue with your boiler as a non working appliance should be easy to fault. If the programmers are not functioning then these can be faulted as well to find the culprit.

 

[Agile]

The Benchmark shows a flush was done when the system was fitted 18 months ago. When I bleed the upstairs radiator, the water coming out is brown/black. Would this indicate gunk in the system? Should I have the system flushed again?

The Benchmark only shows what SHOULD have been done!

It sounds as if it was a lazy installer who knew what to write but how to get away without doing it so he could change a boiler in a day! Then people like me who do it properly are accused of being slow!

Tony

 

[mcmoby69]

[/quote]He left the boiler on 'continuous on' set at 15 degrees

15 deg? have you got that right?

if so, no wonder the house is cold.

 

[CookEe01]

The engineer left the thermostat on 15 so that the heating would stay on low whilst I was at work. When I got back the thermostat read 9 degrees so at some time in the day the heating switched off when up to temp. I left it for a while to see if the burner would click back on when the room temperature reached a certain level. No. And no HW from tap.

Upped the thermostat at 20 degrees, switched to continuous on, heating went off at 16 degrees during the evening and then didn't come on again (no burner light). I Re-set boiler again at the wall (re-set on boiler didn't fire the burner).

3am this morning I ran the tap, no HW. Checked boiler whilst tap was running. There was a call for HW but the burner wasn't on. Turned off tap, tried to light boiler, no joy. Error code L1 (overheat). Gave up, went back to bed.

This morning boiler didn't come on at programmed time. Still showing error L1. No call for CH at boiler (boiler & thermostat not talking to each other again). I re-set the boiler at the wall and put heating on continuos on.

I work away occasionally and can't risk the heating not coming on in programme mode - I'm worried about burst pipes. It's no good to have to keep using 'continuous on', I need the programmer to work. And I need HW without the boiler being on.

I've called Ideal AGAIN. Another engineer is coming Monday.

I'd like a wired thermostat if possible as the remote is unreliable, I would like the burner looked at and will ask about flushing and whether Ideal think the system needs it.

I'm grateful for your suggestions and am sorry if I am boring you all to death - I've never known a boiler like this. I'm beginning to think it's possessed.

Update to follow on Monday.

 

[Agile]

It would be easier for us to read if you could seperate in your mind the wireless room stat and the boiler.

You are lucky the engineer seems to be even dealing with the RF stat as thats not his job for the boiler!

You need Duracell batteries in the TX unit.

Tony

 

[matt1e]

I'm grateful for your suggestions and am sorry if I am boring you all to death - I've never known a boiler like this. I'm beginning to think it's possessed.

Update to follow on Monday.

Hi CookEe01 you are not boring us but I think you are being unlucky with engineers though

First off, you may or may not have problems with the remote stat but as Agile has said the engineer should be concentrating on the boiler (which DOES have a problem) not the stat.
The boiler is (or thinks it is) overheating, that's boiler related forget the other faults for now, not resetting etc as none can be caused by a faulty roomstat etc anyway, the engineer needs to link out the external controls and concentrate on the boiler
The pump has been changed so he needs to check the thermistors AND their connections through to the PCB, flow rate through the boiler and if their ok then its PCB related
but I note that you have mentioned problems with the transmitter and receiver losing their wireless connection and since it looks as though they have already been replaced then I would strongly suggest that the quality of the supply connection from the heating spur/socket to the boler is checked before anything else i.e
tightness of grub screws and quality of connections etc

Matt