Sand/Grit in Main water pipe causing boiler fault

[ry2d2]

Hi,

I have had 4 engineers out to look at my boiler in the past week as I have been losing hot water or heating at one time.

The engineer who has just left drained the boiler and found a couple bits of grit in the pipes he reckons this is the problem blocking the funnel switch between heating and hot water causing me to lose 1 of the services.

My question to anyone who may know is where can this grit be coming from? I have a gas box outside which due to the rain has filled up with water and the gas pipe comes from that into the house, could this be the problem? Also I am awaiting my guttering being fixed at the moment so nothing stopping rainwater coming off roof again could this be the problem?

He has suggested I get a filter fixed onto a pipe on the boiler to filter any grit/sand away does this sound like the only option?

Thanks for any answers

 

[keithsb]

I think you are going to have to provide more information about the make and model of your boiler, before anyone can help.
There are some real experts here, but none can read your mind

 

[Agile]

Its difficult for me to understand why you would need FOUR engineers yet they could not clearly explain what was wrong and why.

I have no idea what was wrong from what you say but sand/grit can come up the mains water pipe particularly when mains pipe work has been done locally.

Tony

 

[ry2d2]

It's a viesman vitodens wb1a. Also the previous engineers just changed the part that was causing the problem and did not drain boiler like current engineer has! He told me the flow switch is being seized due to this grit and showed me 2 bits of grit and advised the filter be fitted! Apologies I can't give more info just reading engineer notes!

 

[JohnD]

grit often gets into pipes when plumbers poke them under floors and through holes in walls.

flushing it out would help.

A Spirovent will catch grit and particles (a magnaclean will only catch black sludge)

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I am not clear from your post, if the grit is coming in from the water main, or is circulating round the radiators. In my case it was going round the radiators, and you can see from my three samples that almost all the dirt was trapped in the first few days.