Has British Gas installation permanently damaged my boiler?

[emem]

I’d like some advice on what to do regarding my boiler, which was installed by British Gas around 14 months ago.

I’ve had multiple breakdowns and callouts since then, and have recently been told by an independent plumber that the installation was done incorrectly.

He said the system wasn’t powerflushed before the new boiler was commissioned, and also that the pump isn’t working correctly and should have been replaced as part of the installation job. The pump is apparently causing a circulation problem, with water going into the loft tank (it sounds like there’s a train in the loft when the heating comes on).

A BG engineer came around and confirmed that the powerflush hadn’t been done, and also said other installation problems needed to be rectified.

I eventually received a call from the guy in charge of my area, who said he’d send someone round to do the powerflush.

I’m concerned though that my boiler warranty is now invalid, and also that the lack of a powerflush may have caused damage to the boiler. I was told it wasn’t a problem as I’m covered by Homecare - and that the Powerflush would sort things – not much use to me though if I decide not to go with Homecare in the future.

Should I accept the powerflush and let it be, or is it likely that my boiler has been damaged? I’m on the phone to BG again right now as the boiler has an F1 error and resetting it doesn’t work.

 

[twgas]

the pumping over issue doesnt mean the pump is faulty, it means it is not installed in the right place or there is, at least one, other issue with the system.
Did you pay for a powerflush? (if it is done properly now there shouldnt be an issue later).
F1, IIRC, is an ignition issue, nothing to do with powerflush scenario.

 

[mickyg]

Sounds like a disaster, anyone who leaves an installation pumping over after a new boiler install is a cowboy. If the system is badly contaminated then there's a good chance your heat exchanger will be worse off, even after a powerflush. You need the cold feed and open vent pipework re-piping, a powerflush, and I'd also be asking for a new heat exchanger. How has it got to 14months to get sorted?

 

[emem]

Thanks for the responses.

I did pay for a powerflush as part of the deal. The guy who serviced the boiler after my plumber pointed out the issues confirmed that the powerflush hadn't been done - he said the filter(?) was full of sludge.

After the original installation, I had to call BG out multiple times - it was initially thought that the boiler had been connected to the wrong side of the pump and was dragging air in. This was confirmed not to be the case by the guy in charge of the region who came to sort things. He did notice that the gas supply pipe was the wrong size and said this was causing problems. Things seemed okay after that (apart from the noise) - although, by now the weather had warmed up so I didn't have the heating on anyway. They did have to replace the PCB last year - I think it was when I had the F1 error, but could be remembering that incorrectly.

It's good to know that there shouldn't be any permanent damage if I get the powerflush done - I'll tell them I want a new heat exchanger too.

I was tempted to go down the trading standards route, but I really just want a boiler that works!