Ideal Icos HE24 leaking water onto PCB!

[rosstbeef]

Hi, Hope you can help...

My boiler threw up an H5 error so I looked it up on the web to find the problem to be with jumpers on the PCB. I turned the boiler off and then on agian and it didn't come back on at all. So I took the PCB out and took it apart.

I cleaned this off and put it back together - boiler worked fine!!!

Then a similar thing happened this evening. if just had a horizontal part of the LED display showing and the boiler light was on permanently. So again I took the PCB apart and found water inside it on the jumpers and also water on the user controls.

So I took off the boilers sealing panel and found water and gunk.
I think its slowly weeping from the return pipe where the pipe enters the heat exchanger.
Is it easy to fix this leak? do I need some new gaskets? I have the installation manual and obviously I'd need to drain the system and heat exchanger. Hopefully it is the joint and not the heat exchanger itself.

Cheers,

Ross

 

[weargas]

you'll probably find it's coming from the auto air vent. check it out.

 

[rosstbeef]

I ran the boiler for an hour last night while I posted the message. It still worked after drying out the PCB! In that time the water had come back again and there was more than I thought there'd be. It must have either got worse or evaporated over time before.
Its really hard to tell where its coming from.

Where is the auto air vent? The leak is only confined to the area in the picture and doesn't stetch over the the back of the boiler. Probably only half way over.

 

[Temprise]

There is no auto air vent on an Icos.

(Auot air vents are only fitted onto Icos systems and Isar's)

Are there any water marks on top of the burner or on the fan?

Are there water marks around the air intake of the flue (inside the boiler)?

Any water marks around these areas normally point to an inner flue seal problem in the flue. The condense in the inner flue will leak back into the boiler from the outer flue if the seals are missing or damaged.

Regards.

 

[Garfeild]

Could be the foam seal between the top of the heat exchanger and the flue casting,if it only leaks when the boiler is running.

 

[rosstbeef]

Cheers for the replys, its really appreciated.
I'm at work today but I'll have a ganders this evening again.
It only leaks when it's running. I'll run it for a bit and then take the cover off straight away to see if I can see water before it evaporates. I havent seen any water anywhere apart from the small pool of water.

 

[idealnumber1]

looks like a new heat ex needed

 

[rosstbeef]

I've run the boiler for only 10mins tonight and there was a pool of water waiting for me when I removed the sealing panel.

Its really hard to see in such a confined space but looks like water or steam sprays out of the joint between the heat exchanger and the flue casting which suggests the foam seal there is damaged as Garfeild suggested. There are water marks running down the side of the boiler panelling.
It looks like that might be DIYable to replace hopefully

 

[Garfeild]

Be VERY careful,by removing the fixing plate and wire spring,there is NOTHING holding the flow and return pipes to the heat exchanger,they could blow out and flood the place.
I would get someone in who knows these boilers and has done the job before.
You are also interfering with the flue,which is RGI territory.In fact taking off the combustion cover is too.

 

[rosstbeef]

ok, thanks for the advise. I'll get someone in.
I thought I might be able to leave the fixing plates in that hold the flow and return pipes but I can see you're right, they need removing too.

Thanks for your help guys

 

[Garfeild]

Ive done this job many times,i carry a wooden wedge to jam in between the pipe and top of boiler case,to avoid draining,its still a bit nerve racking,and very fiddly in removing the alloy flue section,it aint as easy as it looks.

 

[rosstbeef]

Good tip, I may still give it a go then, it'll save the hassle of draining.

It doesn't seem to be leaking so much again now. It seems to do it more when the boiler is cold. Maybe it's worse with the cold weather. Its looks like it may have been like it for a while looking at the rust on the boiler panels. I can see the foam seal looks like it isn't straight, maybe it was poorly fitted at the factory.

If I can get this fixed I'll probably sign up to british gas' home care for the boiler and central heating with the annual service included. Who know's how long before the PCB gives up the ghost now its been wet a couple of times. The whole system is over due for a service TBH. I cleaned out the S trap and there was a fair bit of silt in there.

 

[idealnumber1]

Ive done this job many times,i carry a wooden wedge to jam in between the pipe and top of boiler case,to avoid draining,its still a bit nerve racking,and very fiddly in removing the alloy flue section,it aint as easy as it looks.

the heat ex is leaking not the bottom of the turret
if it was the turret the colour of the leaking water would be a grey colour
as its a brown colour its the heat ex
trust me ive seen hundreds

 

[anotherbgeng]

as above its probably the 'o' ring gone on either the flow or return pipe where it connects into the boiler ....if that is it new exchanger req then as well as 'o'rings and flue seal

 

[rosstbeef]

It's definately a grey colour sediment in the water and not brown.