Problem divertor valve??

[kev25v6]

IVe got a problem with my Sime Friendly boiler where im not getting very hot water, barely warm enough for a bath without having add cold water. The flow is not great either. The rads also start to get hot when the boiler is calling for hot water, could this be the divertor valve? If so could this be the problem with my water flow and temperature?? Is it an easy job to be replaced and do they cost a fortune? Round me the avarage call out is around 60 quid plus parts but ive seen the british gas package where you pay 156 quid all in, would it be worth calling them or sticking with someone from the yellow pages?

Thanks.

 

[Rob]

If your rads are heating from HW demand then you need a new diverter.

Im not too familiar with your boiler but i beleive its the Gianonni type.

To supply and install maybe £200 (allowing 1hr30mins). In which case british gas may be a good idea if they work on boilers this old.

 

[kev25v6]

The house was built in 1990 but i think the boiler was put in sometime after that because there is an old water tank in the loft for a gravity fed system. The rads work fine on their own but when i run the hot water its never that hot and even after just a few mins the rads are starting to warm, after six people having a shower the rads downstairs are all boiling hot.

Also a while ago i had problems with the pilot light cutting out and after a new thermocouple, thermostat and gas valve it eventually worked but now to stop the pilot going out after running the bath i have to turn the CH on before i shut off the hot tap otherwise the pilot goes out again, could this be linked with the divertor valve?? One more thing, is cleaning out the secondary heat exchanger a long and difficult job? Muck in there is one possibility so ive read, would an independant be cheaper to do all this work or would it be best for BG to do it?

 

[Agile]

Apart from the diverter valve problem it seems you have another problem perhaps caused by a scaled up primary heat exchanger.

Sounds to me as if you need a competent boiler engineer!

Tony

 

[kev25v6]

What would be involved in descaling the heat exchangers?

 

[kev25v6]

Ive had a new divertor valve fitted today, guy was here for hour and a half and including the divertor charged 98 quid (65 for the valve and 25 labour!)
Now the thing is the boiler is still not working exactly right. The temp of the water in the kitchen sink is really high which is good for washing pots etc but when i run the bath (mixer tap) on full the water cannot get hot enough, its only luke warm. I slowed the flow to about a quarter turn and the water got nice and hot enough for a bath but then the boiler kept cutting out for thirty seconds and then relighting (overheat cut-out??) If i left the heating off, when the tap was turned off the pilot light would cut out completly and then need restarting.
I had a shower and when i first turned it on the water pressure was that high that it missed the bath and hit the wall at the far end!! I turned it down to only just on and it was nice and hot and didnt cut out. The gas man said the heat exchanger is quite clean and the water that came out the system was only lightly discoloured, what else could be the problem??

 

[Gasguru]

You can not open the bath tap full and expect hot water - reduce the flow down to say 10 litres/min.

I suspect there are other problems with this boiler - it is not setup correctly or is overheating.

Is it a genuine valve or a recon/cheap imported copy.

Was the repair eng. corgi; £25 is ridiculously cheap for such an involved job and it appears several essential checks were not carried out.

Sime parts have in the past been very expensive £65 seems too cheap for a diverter.

 

[kev25v6]

I dont think it was a genuine divertor, i priced one up and it was just over 100 quid. The guy is corgi registered and has been working for over 30 years, he has a partner and an apprentice working for him too. The last divertor was adjusted to slow the flow down to get more hot water while this new one was just left fully open. I tried adjusting the flow to what it used to be but it made no difference, it still kept cutting out while running the bath so i put it back to fully open. With the old one fitted, when it did work, the water got hot enough and the boiler never cut out once, now it cuts out during filling the bath and then when the tap is turned off the pilot light goes complety out. I had a new gas valve fitted before to stop the pilot going out but it dont seem to work.

 

[ChrisR]

What would be involved in descaling the heat exchangers?

CHemicals!
You can do it in situ or remove it, which ever you find easier.

 

[kev25v6]

Ive had fernox running through the system for two weeks now and im going to drain and refill with inhibitor. The water that he drained from the heat exchanger was pretty clear, no sludge in there.