Ideal HE12 boiler "thumping"

[jweaver]

Took the trap out.. No sign of a problem.. There was a bit of grit and sludge in it, but not much

Sucked out the line anyway... But the problem is the same... Boiler still thumps repeatedly at startup.

So it looks like I need to get a "man" in...

 

[Anon_E_Mouse]

I'm not eating the honey out of that!

Luckily you're not needed D. The internet gurus have diagnosed it as a blocked condensate

Oops seems the internet guru's were wrong.

 

[DP]

Oops seems the internet guru's were wrong.

You don’t say Sherlock

Just use a wet vac on the boiler end of the condi pipe, no danger of damaging pipe.

Any more smart tips for the end user? Do you even know what the problem is with the boiler?

 

[jweaver]

In fairness to the advice i was given here, i was told it could be a blocked condensation pipe by neighbours who had the same issue.

the advice given was how to clear the pipe.. not how to fix the boiler.

 

[DP]

In fairness to the advice i was given here, i was told it could be a blocked condensation pipe by neighbours who had the same issue.

the advice given was how to clear the pipe.. not how to fix the boiler.

Did you not read that the boiler was igniting with a thump?
Blocked condensate. Ask your neighbour if burner even ignites when condensate has backed up into the boiler

 

[jweaver]

I am not

Did you not read that the boiler was igniting with a thump?
Blocked condensate. Ask your neighbour if burner even ignites when condensate has backed up into the boiler

I am not sure I understand what you mean.. It was ME who reported that it was igniting with a thump and I didn't need to "read" anything.

After posting here, I was told by TWO neighbours that they had the same issue and it was caused by a gunked up condensate pipe, so it was worth a look.. Obviously if the boiler was full of water it wouldn't light at all.. But I guess it could have been a slight blockage causing dampness of some kind. I don't know.. I was just following advice from people how had apparantly had the same issue.

For me, I think mine is getting worse.. Last night I heard the thumping whilst the boiler was already running.. Thats a new one as it used to only do this during lighting.. And also I have noticed that I am getting a H.A error.. Which then changes to H - and goes away..

Boiler engineer is coming today so I hope he will be able to fix it...

 

[Razor900]

It's a very straightforward fix once the fitter has the new part. If not rectified it can lead to serious damage inside the boiler though.

Jweaver apologies if the thread seems a little strange. DP and myself were just poking a little fun at all the answers from non gas people. The pictures he put up clearly show one of the consequences if the situation is allowed to escalate

 

[jweaver]

It's a very straightforward fix once the fitter has the new part. If not rectified it can lead to serious damage inside the boiler though.

Jweaver apologies if the thread seems a little strange. DP and myself were just poking a little fun at all the answers from non gas people. The pictures he put up clearly show one of the consequences if the situation is allowed to escalate

No problem.. I am worried that damage has already happened.. I have lived with this for a long time.. To long to be honest.

When we bought he house, the sale was "complicated" as their Son caught Covid.. So we had to meet them the next day and hand the keys over like a Mexican Standoff.. The owner was 10 ft away and telling me all facts about the house, which only 50% went in. One of the things was that "the boiler makes strange noises", but he went on to say that it had been checked and was fine

So I put this to the back of my mind.. And with so many jobs/problems, I never got around to looking at this.. So its been doing it for months.. And I fear the worst.

Fingers crossed that it won't be as bad as a fear....

 

[Razor900]

If you're lucky it might only be a £30 part. Fingers crossed

 

[akist]

It maybe the H/W returning to the boiler *PAST* the C/H common return. Just watched a youtube on it. They may have had reverse flow and may have fitted a non-return valve somewhere.

 

[jweaver]

It maybe the H/W returning to the boiler *PAST* the C/H common return. Just watched a youtube on it. They may have had reverse flow and may have fitted a non-return valve somewhere.

I don't know what that means.. But it has triggered another observation which may be totally irrelevant...

When you turn on the cold water, it gets warm and sometimes even hot before running cold.. I assumed that this was because it had sat in the pipes in the Airing cupboard for some hours and warmed up, but I have been surprised how warm (hot?) the cold gets...

Could this in any way relate to what you are talking about?

Edit: Probably not.. I re-read it and you said C/H.. I thought you said C/W...

 

[akist]

I am not a plumber, so maybe an experienced plumber may need to visit and tell you what's causing what.

I have the opposite of what you describe: when I turn the hot tap on, I get a lot of cold water, and sometimes, if the flow is slow, it remains cold. This is because the pipes are buried in a concrete slab and I am heating the earth! In my old house it was the same, C/H and H/W pipes buried in the screed, no insulation, heat escaping into the earth and huge gas bills.

In your case I would check everything, there should be no hot water coming out of the cold tap, unless it is a faulty mixer tap, or unless your H/W is overflowing into the tank in the loft, but that is an extreme case... Do you have a tank or is it mains pressure? Maybe cold+hot pipes bunched together somewhere and the heat escaping into the cold water pipes?

 

[jweaver]

I am not a plumber, so maybe an experienced plumber may need to visit and tell you what's causing what.

I have the opposite of what you describe: when I turn the hot tap on, I get a lot of cold water, and sometimes, if the flow is slow, it remains cold. This is because the pipes are buried in a concrete slab and I am heating the earth! In my old house it was the same, C/H and H/W pipes buried in the screed, no insulation, heat escaping into the earth and huge gas bills.

In your case I would check everything, there should be no hot water coming out of the cold tap, unless it is a faulty mixer tap, or unless your H/W is overflowing into the tank in the loft, but that is an extreme case... Do you have a tank or is it mains pressure? Maybe cold+hot pipes bunched together somewhere and the heat escaping into the cold water pipes?

There is no tank in the loft.. Its a sealed system.. All cold taps are the same, so my theory was the same as you in that the hot system was heating the cold.. It runs cold after 10-15 seconds, but it is annoying.

I am surprised as I assumed the kitchen was mains fed.. But it seems all cold taps are from the same source.

 

[jweaver]

Just to give you an update if anyone is interested. One thing I should have mentioned was that the fan was noisy.. it was loud as it rattled and knocked and generally sounded worn.. The boiler guy came to fit new electrodes, but he didn't like the noisy fan as it could be providing a bad gas/air mixture.. I know its not cheap, but am just happy to get everything working 100%. So he came back to day and fitted a new fan and electrodes and now its a waiting game.

The boiler sounds much better as the fan was quite noisy before... And its money will spent if its fixed..

With hindsight, I wish I had picked up a refurbished fan which is a fraction of the price but now is not the time to penny pinch as I am trying to get the new house as perfect as it can be...

So fingers crossed.

 

[MickyP10]

May I ask what he charged? I have the same boiler.