Strange Pin Piercing Pipe

[samshiles]

Just wondering if anyone had any ideas on this?

I put the central heating on for the first time in about 6 month the other day. The radiators did not get hot and within a few minutes the boiler started making a very high pitched noise and then the DHW feed pipe ruptured at a soldered joint and started spraying water. Upon further investigation the copper pipe leading to the DHW turbine/flow sensor appears to have some type of metal pin piercing the pipe from which water is also leaking.

I have had several plumbers look at it and they will be replacing the failed components but none of them can explain what the pin is, where it has come from or what the underling cause of the failure is. They all say they've never seen anything like this before.

Can anyone identify this pin, why it was sticking out of the pipe and what may have caused this failure? I have attached images that might help.

The boiler is a Worcestershire-Bosch 24Si II

Many thanks for your help

Pin shown piercing pipe: https://ibb.co/frGHjF

Pin after it was removed: https://ibb.co/cH5JPF

Pipe after capping (to get water on): https://ibb.co/kARpya

 

[terryplumb]

can't open the pics / images ??

 

[samshiles]

Hi Terry,

Do the links work?

Cheers
Sam

 

[terryplumb]

yes ,have viewed them now. don't know what the pin is .can't see it in the pic of pipework though. was it near any type of joint / union ? can you indicate where it was on another pic ?

 

[samshiles]

Thanks for looking Terry.

Highlighted pin in image: https://ibb.co/frGHjF
Showing component after capping for context: https://ibb.co/kARpya

 

[terryplumb]

got it now ,screwdriver pointing it out.( only viewing on phone ). weird !!

 

[terryplumb]

Just wondering if anyone had any ideas on this?

I put the central heating on for the first time in about 6 month the other day. The radiators did not get hot and within a few minutes the boiler started making a very high pitched noise and then the DHW feed pipe ruptured at a soldered joint and started spraying water. Upon further investigation the copper pipe leading to the DHW turbine/flow sensor appears to have some type of metal pin piercing the pipe from which water is also leaking.

I have had several plumbers look at it and they will be replacing the failed components but none of them can explain what the pin is, where it has come from or what the underling cause of the failure is. They all say they've never seen anything like this before.

Can anyone identify this pin, why it was sticking out of the pipe

******************
pic of boiler seems to show the wide end of the pin toward the copper pipe. surely that wide end did not penetrate the copper ,did it ? the wide end looks to have flat areas ,like you would use a small spanner on to turn the pin.

 

[terryplumb]

surely the wide end of the pin did not pierce the copper pipe ??

 

[samshiles]

Hi Terry,

No, the narrow end of the pin penetrated the pipe with the head on the inside the pipe stopping it from coming through completely. On a larger screen you can see the tiny nipple on the end of the narrow section.

Cheers
Sam

 

[samshiles]

Additionally, my plumber is now struggling to source the replacement to the damaged copper pipe. Would you be able to advise what this component is called so I can see if I can source? Thanks so much for taking an interest!

 

[terryplumb]

yes can make out the nipple. I am afraid your boiler went out of production 10 years ago ,and the copper pipe that has been pierced by the pin is just that , a copper tube fabricated to shape by manufacturer. it may not even have a part number. how old is your boiler ? given the fact that the pin has been travelling around inside the boiler and it may or may not be a part that has become detached from a component ,I would ask the question what further issues are you likely to have ? if it were my boiler and 10 years old ,I would not spend a penny on it but would replace the boiler. by the way was the soldered joint external to boiler ?

 

[samshiles]

Yes the soldered joint was external to the boiler, the DWH cold feed pipe below the boiler before it gets to the manifold/connector. I was also thinking along the same lines as you thinking that it would be best to just replace the entire thing as no-one seems to be able explain root cause and due to it's age. Would you be able to advise a ball-park figure on replacing the boiler (purchase and fitting) just so that I can weigh quotes with some background information? I had one quote of 1.8k to 2k which seemed like quite a lot!

 

[terryplumb]

depends on the make / model of the boiler ,the area of the country you live in , length of warranty. bit like asking how long is a piece of string.

 

[Terrywookfit]

If it's 15mm as capped pipe would suggest.

Cut damaged section out and fabricate a new piece.

 

[Madrab]

I'd be looking to repair the pipe that was damaged rather than try and get a replacement for it