help my gloworm boiler is pants!

[montechristo]

Chaps

any help appreciated as the MRS is giving it to me in the neck about our useless boiler again.

Boiler is a Gloworm 30SXI

2-3 years old,

heating system is fully zoned with heat stats for each room with pipes dropped form a central heating loop that runs through teh loft (I'm in a bungalow)

system is fully mains pressure

hot water is using a megaflow if that makes any odds.


Recently the boiler conks out at random intervals either with and F4 error (Failure during running) or F1 ignition failed.

British gas reckon it's either the gas valve or the ignitor. Theyv'e replaced the ignitor last week and it appeared to cure it however as of yesterday the problem is back.

I'm awaiting an engineer but my confidence in them is not high.

I noticed and pointed out last week that the spyhole into the combustion chamber was covered on the outside with a crusty substance. On scratching this off it appeared to be on the other side of the glass as well.

Any ideas?


Possibly related possibly not is that the water pressure has now started dropping rapidly needing filling up very often, all pipes are in the loft and I can't detect a leak. I noticed a comment that elsewhere on the forum that water could be finding it's way into the combustion chamber? does that make any sense could they be related?


thanks in advance I'd appreciate any suggestions.

 

[scatmanjohn]

Hi.. When you say they replaced the ignitor did they replace the spark generator or the electrodes.
Have a look on the paperwork thay left it should have a list of the parts used.
Let us know.

 

[montechristo]

just checked the paperwork,

it was done under rtheir homecare cover so evidently engineer chappie didn't see teh need to actually list the parts

however he did mention a the time that the parts were in the region of £23 if that helps?

 

[scatmanjohn]

Hi..Did you see him fit the part?

 

[montechristo]

not really you think he pulled a fast one?

 

[scatmanjohn]

No, just wondered if you saw what the part looked like

 

[gasgeezer]

F1/f4 could be gas valve but unlikely, ignition unit ,electrode,ign. lead possible.If the condensate is backing up it can fill the heat exchanger causing this fault as the water interupts the ignition another option is a dodgy governor on your meter if i were you dont waste time with b.g get glow-worm in but its your call.

 

[montechristo]

just to give you an update.

after changing half of my boiler BG eventualy tracked down the problem to a leaky heat exchanger.

Once replaced both my cutout problem and dropping water pressure are as you would expect gone.

They also ended up replacing the burner as they couldn't get it to seperate from the heat exchanger for love nor money.

so far they have replaced

Pressure Release valve
Ignitor
Heat Exchanger
Burner

looks like they would have been cheaper just to replace the boiler.

Good news for me is the parts plus at least 12 visits to get it done were all covered under my £192 per year cover. An it's only the first year!