Problem with Sime 80E not lighting

[iangrant]

Hi, everyone.

Since Saturday night, I've had a sporadic problem with my Sime Friendly Format 80E combi boiler. It works fine mostly...but from time to time, it doesn't light. It goes through the whole process, without getting a spark to light the gas. I can get it all going again manually, using the ignition on the dial...and then it carries on happily for a few hours until failing again.

The pressure's fine and the thermostat's definitely working. I've tried to see a pattern in when it's happening, but without any success so far.

Obviously, I'll call out a plumber to give it a going over, because it could do with a service anyway. But five days before Christmas isn't really ideal, so any information and advice would be gratefully received, particularly whether it's reasonably safe to leave it until I have more time in the New Year.

Thanks very much indeed.

Cheers,

ian.

 

[Agile]

Its difficult to give you an answer!

There is obviously an intermittent fault. Probably something a proper service will cure! But its not likely you will get that done before Christmas.

So I think that you will have to put up with it until the new year!

tony

 

[iangrant]

So I think that you will have to put up with it until the new year!

Cheers, Tony. That's not really a problem...I can get it going again easily enough, after all.

But is it safe to have the boiler going through its ignition process without actually getting a spark? When it goes wrong every now and again, it just seems to pump gas through endlessly while it waits for a light, which worries me a little bit. Don't particularly want to turn it off and freeze, but I don't want to be taking any chances either!

Any thoughts gratefully received.

Thanks,

ian.

 

[Agile]

The boiler is well protected. The gas is only released for a few seconds at a lower flow rate then the normal boiler firing rate.

Tony