Glow Worm 18 HXI Helicopter noise

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Hi

I have a Glow Worm 18HXI in a Y plan with a Grundfos Alpha 2 and automatic bypass.

Previously the setup was "simple". An ordinary room stat would call from CH and the circulation temperature was 65 to 68 degrees. Peace ruled. Looking for savings I installed the external temperature sensor, smart wiring centre and Climapro (software version 2.11). I have given up at present with the external sensor as house never seems to reach temperature. Anyway with the Climapro and smart wiring centre remaining I turned the circulation temperature up and when the circulation temperature reaches 74-76 degrees the boiler emits a noise/rumbling which can sound like a helicopter a little way away. I tried opening the bypass with no improvement. Turning the pump speed up to 3 (using the "traditional" 1,2,3 settings rather than the automatic ones) made things worse and the noise only eases disappears on speed 1 or setting the circulation temperature to 72 or lower.
 
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Firstly the Alpha 2 is not a suitable pump fot this boiler, as the boiler monitors everrything on temperature differentials on the flow and return. Variable flow through the boiler will only cause heartache.

Next you need to ask your commissioning engineer (hopefully your installer) to set the co2 ratio to 8.9 with a FGA.
 
I can relate to this problem. I had an 18hxi with Smart Wiring centre and Climapro2 RF installed in last Oct. After a week the boiler started making a lot of noise during the HW cycle, the vibration so fierce I often had to stop it.

The Glow-worm eng reckoned the heat exchanger was contaminated. Although he looked at the circulating water and said it looked clean enough to drink and I never got an explanation of what this meant.

New heat exchanger beginning of November and all ok until sometime in December when I started to get noise again. Very similar to what you describe and during the HW cycle, I run the CH at a lower temperature but the HW cycle runs at 80deg on HW priority.

Usually a little ringing and whistling around 75 deg then quietens down on reaching 80deg. Then starts the vibration - like the helicopter you describe - when the flow/return temperature difference is about 14 or 15 deg. Continues like that until the flow/return difference is down to about 10 deg when the noise fades and carries on to the end of the cycle as normal.

Worse on setting 3 then 2 (Grundfoss 15-50 pump) and sometimes goes through the cycle with no particular noise at all.

Have you found an answer to your problem?

I have to get GW in to fit a new Climapro2 with the latest software version because of problems, and I will raise the noise problem then.
 
That`s strange.I have just had a glow worm flexicom 18sx installed that seems to exhibit similar symptoms.Boiler heats up to 70deg fine then whirring noise to 80deg on hw which doesn`t seem user changeable.Sometimes noise on ch aswell.Also climapro2 is missing software,cant program hw.It sounds more like fan noise to me though.
 
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That`s strange.I have just had a glow worm flexicom 18sx installed that seems to exhibit similar symptoms.Boiler heats up to 70deg fine then whirring noise to 80deg on hw which doesn`t seem user changeable.Sometimes noise on ch aswell.Also climapro2 is missing software,cant program hw.It sounds more like fan noise to me though.

If it's Climpro2 RF:-
Press & hold MENU for about 7secs
Use DOWN ARROW to set Access Code to 96
Press OK
DOWN ARROW to highlight HOT WATER PARAMETERS
Press OK
Now you can set as you wish
Wait, or press and hold MENU to come out

If it IS Climapro2 RF, what software version does it show (in settings menu)

Yes HW temp seems preset to 80deg and boiler always fires at max power even if it has been derated.

What pump and speed setting are you using?

Is it like whistling, singing or what?
 
thanks ajax100 .My installer phoned customer services this morning and they are sending an engineer tomorrow( fingers crossed) so wont touch the climapro2rf until he`s been just in case. But if he struggles i can suggest your solution.The noise is only when the boiler eases off and is just keeping the temperature steady at low flame. It was hardly noticeable today. could it be cold related? After racking my brains to explain the noise the nearest thing i can think of is it`s like the flexible tube you used to swing around your head-a sort of droning/singing noise.The plumber turned the pump speed down, but it made no difference so he said lets call out glow worm that`s what they are there for.he thinks it might be a mixture problem but that seeing as they are coming out anyway,they could check this and set it up if needed.
 
If it's George who comes, say hello to him from me! Or it might be David, he is trained in the Climapro2. George probably won't know about it.

Noise! A sort of fluty sound? I think that can be mixture problems from what I have read. Lucky if it is. But it sounds similar to the sorts of noises I have heard and it can develop into the 'helicopter' sound described previously.

I think there is some sort of resonance which occurs in the heat exchanger of these boilers. At present with mine whistling & ringing happens about 74deg but quietens off until, as you say, the boiler eases down. Then the vibration starts when the flow and return temperature difference is about 14 or 15 deg. Then it quietens down again when the difference is down to about 10 degrees, and is ok to the end of the cycle.
 
Thanks for all your advice ajax100.Engineer came while i was at work`tuned up` boiler and all seems ok. Climapro2 works fine. Anyway sometimes it`s just good too know there are other people out there with similar problems that have the time to help.lets hope this one lasts 27years like my old floor standing one.
 

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