Odd problem

[barmybubba]

Hey there,

Last week I had a new combi-boiler fitted at home. The lads did a cracking job and I was very pleased with their work.

Anyway, every shower I have had since the first (the day of install) has been lukewarm at best. When washing up the water is red hot, but the running water to the sink or shower fails to get hot. I have noticed however that the radiators do heat up which I find very odd when all I want is a hot shower.

I am going to get the chaps back tomorrow but any ideas what the problem is? Its a Vokera boiler by the way.

 

[JMLanders]

Are you saying that when you run the tap or shower in the bathroom, all of the radiators heat up or just the one in the bathroom?

Do we take it that when the new boiler was installed, they removed the cylinder and loft tank?

 

[barmybubba]

All the raditors come warm. And the new combi-boiler was replacing the old one so they didnt have to do any work upstairs except bleed the radiators (I think).

 

[JMLanders]

What happens if you turn on the heating? Do the radiators get warm or stay stone cold?

 

[barmybubba]

The radiators work fine when I turn the heating on.

 

[rojaca]

you say downstairs tap gets red hot . When you run shower, how hot does the dhw pipe directly under the boiler get in comparison to the water at your shower/taps? If there is a considerable difference your shower may be back feeding possibly? Try isolating dhw at blr and open shower or bath taps on hot water and see if you get a continuos flow of water? Could be barking up wrong tree but worth a look.

 

[rojaca]

ps still waiting for clarification on whether rads heat up when running dhw only... chop chop

 

[barmybubba]

Possibly a silly question but what is dhw?

 

[Agile]

Its Direct Hot Water as provided by a combi boiler.

How long did they spend fitting the boiler.

Do you know what water treatment they did?

If the tests above result in nothing from any hot tap when bater inlet to boiler is off then the diverter valve ( if any ) in the boiler may have failed as a result of dirt.

Posting the boiler exact model will help us to determine exactly what the fault could be.

Even if there were crossed pipes in your bathroom then that would not explain the hot rads as that would be a boiler fault UNLESS the plate heat exchanger had already got seriously clogged with dirt very quickly!

Until you reply I will put the odds on the latter!

Tony

 

[Axel]

DHW stands for "Domestic Hot Water". not Direct........[/b]

 

[barmybubba]

I have found that the hot water works in the bathroom (sink and shower) when the central heating is on. I have also noticed that the clock on the boiler isnt working.

The boiler is a Vokera Unicea.

 

[Agile]

You dont seem very keen to do the usual thing and call back the installers!

 

[barmybubba]

You dont seem very keen to do the usual thing and call back the installers!

They are coming back at tea-time. He sounded as baffled as me over what the problem may be.

 

[Agile]

Tea time has passed now. What did they discover?

Tony

 

[barmybubba]

It sounds as though my boiler was one of the first of the latest version of Unicea off the production line and it has something inside which the older versions dont. The Vokera engineer couldnt fix it and said it needed a new part which he is unsure whether they are available yet as they are that new.

He said Vokera would ring me with a solution but I am still waiting. Gonna give them a ring now.

Pretty peed off that after a week since it was installed I still dont have one that works.