Heat exchanger on Baxi Combi 105 HE

[missimaxo]

Need a little help - have been reading loads of posts on this forum and due to being poor as church mice and having a dodgy boiler with all the symptoms of a blocked plate heat exchanger (hot water running hot/ cold), I am going to attempt to clean this out. I have the manual which has very clear instructions on how to remove the HE and am going to get brick acid as suggested on this forum to soak it in. I haven't actually checked the manual but I hope it also tells me how to drain the boiler first - if not any advice on how to do this would be most gratefully received!

So for my questions - I am new to all of this but pretty DIY savvy. I realise it is probably blocked due to sludge. Should I be adding anything to the system after I have cleaned the HE - I have seen inhibitor mentioned. If so where should I be adding this to? I have also seen on screwfix other products mentioned, can anyone point me in the right direction.Also while the system is opened and drained, should I also be cleaning the temperature sensor and is this easy to do? I know in the long term I will probably need to have a power flush but I don't feel confident to attempt thismyself and quite simply do not have the funds to pay someone at the moment. If we can do a temporary fix then at least I can start saving for the bigger things.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Agile]

If it only blockes every tree yeas or more ten little point in doing much else.

If more often then some kind of filter on the return.

Its discussed all the time on here so just do your searches. I for one dont repeat the same advice when its regularly given!

Tony

 

[missimaxo]

Thank you - I had searched but being a blonde bimbette obviously hadn't searched enough I'll have another nosy and see if I can find my answer as I will admit the advice I have found so far on here has been fab!

 

[Agile]

In that case could you not get one of your presumed many male followers to do it for you?

Then you could stay a safe distance away and file your nails whilst making encouraging comments and lots of coffee!

Lady we stayed with last night was very good at that whilst we beavered away at her tasks! She is nearly 80 though! Hopefully you are a much younger blond bimbette!

Tony

 

[missimaxo]

I wish I was in a position to sit back, file my nails and make coffee but unfortunately too many years of having a very hands on father and little money means I have to risk breaking my nails to do it myself (as stated above I am pretty handy - do many tasks that I probably shouldn't and that most people wouldn't tackle).

On a serious note I think I have found my answer now in that if I only drain the boiler and not the entire system then I don't need to add inhibitor, which is similar to what you said above. The central heating was drained not long ago when the bathroom was done and inhibitor added then as we put in two new radiators (not by me I would add, but by a plumber friend of my dad who has since retired) so I am pretty safe in just cleaning the HE.

Hopefully will be tackling it on Friday or this weekend - will have a nosy at the boiler when I can to get the tools together. Also need to do a bit more research on removing the PCB as I can see posts on the risks of damaging this due to the design of the boiler.

 

[Slugbabydotcom]

Also need to do a bit more research on removing the PCB as I can see posts on the risks of damaging this due to the design of the boiler.

There's a trick you can do with gaffer/sticky tape involving the re-use of Tesco carrier bags. Just make sure that water cant run down a wire into the circuit board.
If you try that and still get water in there its time to get your hair dryer out before powering back up.

 

[gas112]

Removing a plate you shouln`t get any water near the pcb if you drain it properly

 

[CBF]

I'm betting on evens that there is another post on here over the weekend about the plate hex leaking after being soaked in brick acid

oh & OP don't forget 1.0 bar this time not 2 bar